presenter view

Why Students Should Use Presenter View in PowerPoint 1

Are you or your students giving a PowerPoint presentation using a projector? Do you have speaker notes on the slides to which you would like to refer? Presenter View is a great feature in PowerPoint 2016 that allows the audience to see only the slide on a large screen while the presenter can see the slide, speaker notes, navigation icons, and even pen and laser pointer tools on their computer screen.

Few people are completely comfortable with speaking to a group. But having the tools to refer to notes, appear self-assured, and present a slide show competently will boost anyone’s confidence.

How to ‘Test’ Presenter View

Turn on Presenter View without being connected to a projector to test it.

  1. View slide 1 of a PowerPoint 2016 presentation. Click Slide Show in the taskbar.
  2. At the bottom of the screen, click Slide Show Options.
  3. Click Show Presenter View.
  4. If this does not work and you just see the slide, click Display Settings. Select Swap Presenter View and Slide Show.
You will see the slide, the next slide that will appear (or next animation), speaker notes and a number of useful presenter tools.

Presenter View Features

Presenter View is an enhanced version of viewing the slide show. You see much more than just the slides, and the extra tools are helpful in giving a professional, effective presentation.

  • Navigation Buttons – Advance to the next slide or animation or go to the previous slide using the arrows.
  • Speaker Notes – Refer to your notes as a reminder of what you wanted to say for the slide. You can even change the font size of the notes while in Presenter View using the text tools at the bottom of the notes pane.
  • Next Slide – See a preview of the next slide, or if you have animations to control the flow of information, see what will appear next.
  • Tools – Direct the attention of the audience with a laser pointer, pen, or highlighter. You can change the pen color and erase as well.
  • Zoom – Use the magnifying glass tool to zoom into a specific part of the slide to draw the attention of the audience to it.
  • See All Slides – If there is a question period at the end or your presentation, or if you need to quickly go to another slide, use this tool to see a thumbnail of all slides.
  • Timer – Track how long you have been presenting the slide show. If the presentation is on a time limit, refer to this useful tool to time the slide show.

In my next post, I’ll list some of the benefits of using Presenter View with students to build public speaking skills and make their presentations engaging and compelling for their peers.

Teach Presentation Skills

Power up a presentation, teach essential research skills, and build public speaking techniques with TechnoPresenter technology project. Integrate this project into an area of the curriculum using any topic of study. This project is suitable for student in junior and middle school grades. Learn more about TechnoPresenter here.

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