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Checking Speaker Notes Before Your Online Meeting
Once the meeting starts, presenter notes are much harder to fix. The deck may be on screen, people may already be waiting, and there is usually no quiet moment to check whether each note still matches the slide.
Before the meeting, scroll through the presentation and look at the notes slide by slide. Pay attention to anything missing, outdated, or clearly written for an older version of the deck. This happens easily when slides are moved, rewritten, or reused from another presentation.
A quick review helps catch problems like:
- a slide with no notes
- notes that mention content removed from the slide
- notes that are too long to read naturally
- talking points that repeat another slide
- old names, numbers, or dates
It is also worth reading a few notes out loud. Some lines look fine on the page but sound stiff during a real presentation. Shorter, more conversational notes are usually easier to use than full scripted paragraphs.
The goal is not to memorize every word. The notes should act like a guide, giving enough structure to stay on track without making the presenter sound like they are reading from a script.
Checking the notes early gives time to clean them up before screen sharing begins. That small review can prevent awkward pauses, missed talking points, and the familiar moment of realizing the slide changed but the notes did not.
Using Presenter View to See Notes During the Meeting
When you share your screen during an online meeting, Presenter View shows your speaker notes on your screen while the audience sees only the slides. To use this view, start the slideshow, then move your mouse to the bottom-left corner and click the gear icon or the three-dot menu. Select “Presenter View” so your notes appear in a panel next to the current slide preview.
Without Presenter View, you might try to read notes from a separate window or printed page, which can distract you and the audience. Presenter View also shows a timer, the next slide preview, and a thumbnail strip, so you can stay on track without leaving the slideshow. Test this view in a practice session before the real meeting to confirm your notes display clearly and the audience sees only the slide.
Adjusting Note Length and Font for Easy Reading
Speaker notes should help during the meeting, not slow the presenter down. If the notes are written as long paragraphs, they become hard to scan while talking. By the time the right sentence is found, the flow of the presentation may already feel off.
Keep each slide note short and easy to catch at a glance. A few bullet points usually work better than a full script. Two or three clear sentences can work too, as long as they point to the main idea instead of trying to cover every word.
A useful note might include:
- the key point to say
- one example or number to mention
- the transition to the next slide
If a note is too long, break it into shorter lines. Bold the most important phrase if the tool allows it, or put the action point at the top so it is easy to spot. The goal is to give the eye something to land on quickly while speaking.
Font size matters too. Before the meeting, zoom in on the Google Slides editor or presenter view until the notes feel comfortable to read. If the text is too small, the presenter may end up leaning toward the screen or losing focus while trying to read.
Speaker notes are normally private during the presentation. Viewers see the slides, not the notes, unless the file is exported or shared with notes included. Still, it is worth keeping them clean and professional, especially if the deck may later be shared internally or reused by someone else.
Sharing or Hiding Notes After the Meeting
After the meeting, decide whether the speaker notes should be shared or kept private. Notes can be helpful for people who missed the session, but they may also contain rough wording, reminders, or internal comments that were never meant for the audience.
If the notes should be shared, export them in a format that makes sense. In Google Slides, go to File, then Download. A plain text export can be useful when attendees only need the written notes. A PowerPoint export keeps the slides and notes together, which works better when someone needs the full presentation file.
Before sending anything, skim the notes one more time. Remove personal reminders, unfinished thoughts, internal names, or comments that only made sense during preparation. Speaker notes often contain more casual wording than the slides, so they should be cleaned up before they become part of the shared record.
If the notes should stay private, do not share the editable Google Slides file as-is. Anyone with enough access may be able to view the speaker notes. A safer option is to export the deck as a PDF without notes and share that version instead.
Another option is to make a copy of the deck, delete the speaker notes from the copy, and share only the cleaned version. This keeps the original presenter file intact while giving attendees a polished version of the slides.
The simple rule is: share notes only when they add value, and always review them first. What works as a presenter reminder is not always ready to be read by everyone else.
FAQ
Question: Can I see speaker notes while sharing a single window instead of the full screen?
Answer: Yes, but only if you share the Google Slides window and use Presenter View on a second monitor or a separate window. On a single screen, share the slideshow window and open the speaker notes panel in another window, then switch between them during the meeting.
Question: What happens to speaker notes if I present from a mobile device or tablet?
Answer: The Google Slides app on mobile does not show speaker notes in Presenter View during a live meeting. Prepare a printed or separate digital copy of your notes before the meeting, or use a laptop for full note visibility.
Question: How do I delete all speaker notes at once before sharing the file?
Answer: Open the Google Slides file, click Extensions, then Apps Script, and run a simple script to clear all notes. Alternatively, download the file as PowerPoint, delete the notes in PowerPoint, and re-upload the cleaned version to Google Slides.
