Google Slides offers a couple of methods to create professional-looking note pages and handouts for your presentations, allowing you to deliver a more impactful presentation and provide valuable takeaways for your audience.
Utilizing the Notes Pane for Speaker Notes:
- Location and Functionality: The Notes pane is a dedicated section at the bottom right corner of your presentation window. It can be opened or closed using the small box with a horizontal line icon.
- Content for Effective Presentations: This pane is specifically designed for adding speaker notes that won’t be visible to the audience during your slideshow. Use this space to include in-depth explanations, additional details, or specific talking points that elaborate on each slide’s content. You can also jot down cues, reminders, or questions you might want to address during your presentation to ensure a smooth and informative delivery.
Creating Audience-Friendly Handouts:
- Accessing Print Settings and Layout Options: Go to the “File” menu and select “Print” or use the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+P for Windows or Command+P for Mac). Within the print settings menu, navigate to the “Layout” dropdown to reveal various handout-specific options.
- Tailored Layouts for Different Needs: Unlike the default option that prints each slide on a separate page, handout layouts offer more efficient use of paper and can be chosen based on the desired level of detail. Here are some popular choices:
- 3 slides per page: This layout provides a space for speaker notes next to each slide on a single page, offering a condensed overview with additional context from your notes.
- Handout – [X] slides per page (where X is a number): This option allows you to print multiple slides in a grid format on a single page. Choose the number of slides per page that best suits the information density you require, keeping in mind readability and avoiding overloading the handout.
Additional Tips for Polished Handouts:
- Customize Headers and Footers: The print settings menu allows you to modify the header and footer sections of your handouts. Include your name, date, presentation title, company logo, or any other relevant information for a professional touch.
- Focus on Key Points and Visuals: Remember that handouts are meant to serve as a reference and complement your presentation, not replace it entirely. Strive to incorporate the key takeaways, essential visuals, and concise textual summaries on each handout page. Bullet points, diagrams, and clear headers can improve readability and information recall for your audience.
- Advanced Design with External Software (Optional): For more intricate handout design, you can leverage the flexibility of a separate design software. Export your slides as images (like PNG or JPEG) and use your preferred design program to create a custom handout layout. This approach allows you to incorporate the exported slides alongside additional text elements, shapes, or background images to craft a visually engaging handout tailored to your specific needs.
By effectively using these methods, you can create informative speaker notes that guide you through your presentation and clear, concise handouts that leave a lasting impression on your audience, enriching the overall communication process.