Using Speaker Notes and Handouts

Speaker notes help you:

• Remember what you want to say during your presentation.
• Keep your slides simple — with key points, not full sentences.
• Practice your talk more effectively.
• Support accessibility — sharing speaker notes can help anyone reviewing the slides later.

Exporting slides as PDFs or handouts helps when:

• You need to submit slides to Turnitin, MyLearningSpace, or another platform.
• Sharing slides with your tutor, classmates, or audience.
• Providing an accessible version of your presentation (e.g. speaker notes visible alongside slides).

• Not using speaker notes at all. Trying to fit everything onto your slides leads to cluttered, text-heavy slides that are hard for your audience to follow.
• Writing full paragraphs or scripts in speaker notes. Notes should help you remember key points — not be something you read word for word.
• Forgetting to check assignment requirements. If you’re asked to submit speaker notes alongside your slides, leaving them empty could lose marks.
• Formatting notes poorly. Walls of text without bullet points, line breaks, or spacing are hard to follow — both for you and your lecturer.
• Not testing Presenter View. If you’ve never used it before, you might struggle during a live presentation if you don’t check how speaker notes display.
• Forgetting to include handouts if needed. Some lecturers expect you to submit slides with notes or provide a handout version — don’t overlook this step.

• Use speaker notes to capture key talking points, reminders, or explanations.
• Keep slides minimal — key points only, with details in your speaker notes.
• Export as PDF if submitting or sharing slides — preserves formatting and prevents editing.
• Choose whether to include speaker notes in your PDF — especially if needed for accessibility or marking.
• Check layout and formatting before sharing — test how your exported file looks.

These Microsoft help guides show how to use speaker notes and export your slides as PDFs or handouts:

• Add speaker notes to your slides
• Print your slides, notes, or handouts
• Save a PowerPoint presentation as a PDF

• Use speaker notes to support what you say — not as a full script. Keep notes short and clear, using prompts or bullet points rather than paragraphs of text.
• Don’t overload your slides. Your slides should highlight key points, while your speaker notes carry the extra detail or explanation for what you plan to say.
• Check whether your assignment requires speaker notes. Some presentations are assessed with notes instead of live delivery, so it’s important to include them if required.
• Format your notes for clarity. Use bullet points, spacing, and line breaks to make your notes easy to read when presenting — or for your lecturer if submitting.
• Practice using presenter view. This lets you see your speaker notes while your audience only sees the slides.
• Create handouts if needed. You can export slides with or without notes as PDFs to share with your lecturer or audience.