PowerPoint Presentation Speaker Notes [How to Create, Add & Use Them]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- Aug 6
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 13
John, one of our clients, asked us a question while we were working on his investor pitch deck:
“Do I really need to write speaker notes if I already know what I’m going to say?”
Our Creative Director didn’t blink before replying,
“Only if you want your future self to not screw it up.”
As a presentation design agency, we work on countless PowerPoint presentation speaker notes throughout the year. And if there’s one challenge we’ve noticed over and over again, it’s this: People confuse “knowing what to say” with “being prepared to say it well.”
So, in this blog, we’ll explain what PowerPoint presentation speaker notes are, why they're crucial while presenting, and how to create and add them to your slides.
In case you didn't know, we specialize in only one thing: making presentations. We can help you by designing your slides and writing your content too.
What are PowerPoint Presentation Speaker Notes
PowerPoint presentation speaker notes are not just a hidden text box under your slides. They are your secret script, your mental guide, and your safety net all rolled into one. Simply put, they are the notes you attach to individual slides in your presentation to remind you what to say, what to emphasize, or what context to provide. Think of them as prompts for your brain, not paragraphs for your audience.
Why Speaker Notes Are Crucial When You're Presenting
We’ve seen people (sharp people) forget their most important points midway because they got distracted by a graph they added the night before. Others ramble. Or worse, they just read the slide out loud like a bored audiobook narrator.
Speaker notes fix this. And here’s how:
They reduce your mental load.
You don’t need to keep everything in your head while also trying to make eye contact, gesture, and stay on time.
They force you to be intentional.
Notes make you define what each slide is really there for. No more filler slides with vague narration.
They help you stay consistent.
Especially when you’re presenting the same deck to multiple teams or clients. No more guessing if you already said something or not.
How to Create Speaker Notes for a PowerPoint Presentation
Let’s get into the meat of it. Creating speaker notes is about being strategic. You’re writing for yourself, but your future self who’s live in front of people and doesn’t have the luxury of re-reading paragraphs.
We’ve been creating decks across industries, from investor pitches and product launches to board meetings and policy presentations. And no matter the format, the approach to speaker notes follows a rhythm.
Here’s how we break it down.
1. Start with the “Why” of Each Slide
Every slide should earn its spot. If it’s in the deck, it must be doing a job — reinforcing a point, setting up a transition, building a case, or showing proof.
So before writing a single word in the notes, ask:
What’s the one key takeaway I want to land here?
Why does this slide exist in this story?
This one habit alone can cut your rambling time by half. Your notes don’t need to explain every element on the slide; they need to reinforce the purpose of the slide.
For example:
Slide: Product Benefits
Bad speaker note:
“So here are all the benefits. We’ve already gone over some of them earlier but I want to just quickly highlight them again and talk about how they can help.”
Better speaker note:
“Emphasize the three benefits our customers care most about: time saved, ease of use, and integration with tools they already use.”
The second version gives your future self exactly what to say — and what to not get lost in.
2. Keep It Short. Your Notes Aren’t a Script
One of the biggest mistakes we see? People writing entire paragraphs in the notes section. That’s fine if you’re handing the deck off to someone else who needs the full context. But if you’re presenting, don’t turn your notes into a teleprompter.
Your goal is to jog your memory, not read a novel.
A good rule: One-liner prompts > full-blown sentences.
Here’s a format that works consistently well:
Hook – A quick attention grabber or setup
Point – What the slide proves
Pause cue – Where to breathe, transition, or let the audience absorb
Example speaker note for a timeline slide:
“Quick setup: how we got here. Point: This product didn’t appear overnight — we built momentum deliberately. Pause before next slide to let that settle.”
Notice how clean that is? No fluff. Just smart reminders to help you land the moment.
3. Avoid Repeating What’s on the Slide
If you’re writing in your notes:
“As you can see here…”or “This chart shows that…”
Stop right there.
Your audience can read. What they need is why it matters and how to interpret it. The notes are your chance to add context that isn’t immediately visible on the slide.
Think of it this way:
Slides = data, visuals, punchlines
Speaker notes = story, commentary, insight
Let’s say you’ve got a bar chart comparing quarterly revenue.
Don’t write:
“This is Q1 to Q4 revenue. Q2 dipped slightly but Q4 was our strongest quarter.”
Write instead:
“Highlight Q2 dip: caused by supplier delays. Reinforce Q4: impact of holiday campaign.”
You’re giving the why, not just restating the what.
4. Match Your Notes to the Speaking Environment
This part most people ignore.
Where and how you’re presenting changes the type of notes you’ll want.
Here’s what we mean:
In-person, on-stage: You might not have access to speaker notes live unless there's a confidence monitor. In that case, rehearse using your notes, then condense them into 3–5 keywords per slide you can memorize.
Zoom/Teams/Webinars: You can keep full notes in presenter view. So write slightly longer prompts or reminders to manage pacing, tone, or callouts to the chat/Q&A.
Deck sent asynchronously (like recorded webinars): Here, you may want fuller speaker notes that explain the slide in case someone else is doing the talking or if the recording is without video.
In other words, don’t use a one-size-fits-all note format. Context matters.
5. Use Notes to Rehearse Smarter
Once your notes are done, they become your secret rehearsal tool.
Here’s what we advise our clients to do:
Run through the full deck aloud using the notes. See if the flow feels natural or if anything’s missing.
Edit notes after the first dry run. You’ll often realize you’re over-explaining or missing transitions.
Mark key transitions. Drop a line like “pause here” or “reframe for next section” so you don’t just click through slides mindlessly.
Remember, good speaker notes are a tool to improve performance, not a crutch to avoid preparation.
6. Don’t Forget Emotional Cues
This is subtle, but powerful.
Great presenters don’t just deliver information. They deliver tone. So, use your speaker notes to cue how you want to sound.
We’ve added notes like:
“Sound surprised here — this number is bigger than most expect.”
“Slow down — this stat is heavy.”
“Laugh if audience reacts. Don’t rush next line.”
These are little flags your future self will thank you for. Because when you’re in the middle of a live session, it’s easy to lose track of emotional pacing.
7. Use the Notes Pane Properly
Last thing — the technical part people forget.
In PowerPoint, you can write speaker notes directly into the “Notes” section below each slide. But to make the most of it:
Use line breaks for clarity. No one wants to squint at a block of text.
Use bold or ALL CAPS for emphasis (PowerPoint doesn’t let you style fonts in notes, but you can simulate it).
Use bullets if you’re covering multiple sub-points.
And if you're planning to share your deck later, make sure to strip out any internal-only notes. Or export a clean version without the Notes pane.
If you’re using Presenter View, practice flipping through slides using your notes, so you don’t fumble during the real thing.
How to Add Speaker Notes into Your Presentation
Adding speaker notes in PowerPoint is simpler than most people think, and it’s one of those small steps that can make a huge difference in your delivery.
First, open your presentation and navigate to the slide where you want to add notes. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see a section labelled "Notes". If it’s not visible, click on the View tab and select Notes Page or Notes Pane.
Once the Notes section is visible, click inside it and start typing your cues. Remember, you don’t need full sentences. Short prompts, reminders, or key statistics are enough to keep you on track. You can format the text, use bullet points, or even add small reminders like “pause here for emphasis” or “tell anecdote about client meeting.”
If you want to see the notes while presenting, use Presenter View. This lets you see your speaker notes on your screen while the audience only sees the slides. You can adjust the font size in the Notes Pane to make it easier to read during your presentation.
The Art of Using Speaker Notes During Your Presentation
You also need to know how to actually use them when you're presenting. Because having perfect notes won't help if you're staring at them the entire time like you're reading a ransom note.
Glance, Don't Read
Your speaker notes are supposed to be glanced at, not read. Think of it like driving: you check your mirrors regularly, but you don't stare at them. Same principle.
Look at your notes when you transition between slides or between major points. Get the information you need, then look back at your audience. Your eyes should spend about 90% of the time on your audience and 10% on your notes.
Practice With Your Notes
Here's something nobody tells you: you need to practice with your speaker notes. Not just practice your presentation, practice specifically looking at your notes, extracting information quickly, and continuing smoothly.
Run through your presentation multiple times. Each time, challenge yourself to rely on your notes less. By the time you actually present, your notes should feel like a backup system you barely need to use.
Use Presenter View
PowerPoint has a feature called Presenter View that shows your notes on your screen while showing only the slides to your audience. Learn how to use this. It's a game-changer.
In Presenter View, you can see:
Your current slide
Your speaker notes
The next slide (so you're never surprised)
A timer
This is professional-level presenting. Use it.
Why Hire Us to Build your Presentation?
If you're reading this, you're probably working on a presentation right now. You could do it all yourself. But the reality is - that’s not going to give you the high-impact presentation you need. It’s a lot of guesswork, a lot of trial and error. And at the end of the day, you’ll be left with a presentation that’s “good enough,” not one that gets results. On the other hand, we’ve spent years crafting thousands of presentations, mastering both storytelling and design. Let us handle this for you, so you can focus on what you do best.