# What are speaker notes? > **Speaker notes:** Speaker notes are text attached to a slide that the audience does not see. They hold what the presenter wants to say, the key numbers and the transition to the next slide. - Source: https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/speaker-notes/ - Updated: 21 October 2026 - Language: English - German version: https://ai-presentations.com/de/glossar/sprechernotizen/ Also called: presenter notes **Speaker notes** are text attached to a slide that the audience does not see. They hold what you want to say about the slide, the numbers you must get right and the sentence that leads to the next slide. In PowerPoint they sit in the notes pane under the slide, and Presenter View shows them to you while the audience sees only the slide. Notes let a slide stay clean. The slide carries the [key message](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/key-message/) and the picture, and the notes carry the explanation. ## What good notes look like Notes do not repeat the slide. They tell you what to say, what to skip and what to do when someone asks. The example belongs to a status slide with three green rows and two that need the Board's attention. *A status table the presenter does not read out row by row. The notes decide where the time goes. Example with invented numbers.* 6. Three of five initiatives are on track; two need the Board's attention > **Example: Notes for this slide** > > Open with the answer: three of five initiatives are on track. Spend the time on the other two. Rotterdam needs the Board's decision today on €6.5m of capex. The ERP migration is three months late; the revised go-live is Q2 2027, and the CFO covers the recovery plan. Do not walk through the green rows. Name their next milestones only if asked. Planned time: 2 minutes. ## How to write speaker notes 1. **Write what you will say, not what the slide says.** Start with the sentence you want people to remember. 2. **Write the first and the last sentence in full,** and the rest as keywords. A script read aloud pulls your eyes away from the audience. 3. **Keep exact figures with their unit and source** where you need them, so you do not have to remember them. 4. **Add the planned time per slide.** The sum is your talk, and the [speaking time calculator](https://ai-presentations.com/tools/speaking-time-calculator/) helps with the arithmetic. 5. **Note the likely question** and its answer on the slide where it will come up. 6. **Mark the transition** to the next slide in one sentence. ## Typical mistakes - **Putting the full script on the slide** and leaving the notes empty. - **Reading the notes aloud word for word.** - **Leaving remarks in a file that you send out.** Notes travel with a PowerPoint file. Check them before you share it; PowerPoint's Document Inspector can find and remove them. - **Keeping essential content only in the notes,** where the audience never sees it. If people need it, put it on a [handout](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/handout/). In the AI editor behind this site, notes live in a plain-text strip under each slide, and they come along in the PowerPoint export. ## Frequently asked questions ### What should you write in speaker notes? Write what you will say, not what the slide already shows: the opening sentence, the exact figures, the likely question with its answer and the transition to the next slide. Keep the rest as keywords so that you can look at the audience. ### Can the audience see speaker notes? Not while you present. But notes travel with a PowerPoint file, so anyone who receives the file can read them. Check or remove the notes before you send a file to a client. ### How long should speaker notes be? As short as you can manage while still being useful: a full first and last sentence and keywords in between. A script that you read aloud pulls your eyes from the audience and makes the talk sound flat. ### Are speaker notes included in a PDF? No. A PDF contains the slides, not the notes, unless you export a notes page layout. If readers need the explanation, put it on a handout. ## Related pages - [Key message](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/key-message/): A key message is the one idea you want your audience to remember and act on after a presentation or a slide. Definition, examples and how to write it. - [Handout](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/handout/): A handout is a document given to the audience to take away: a summary, the key slides or reference material. The types and how to design one that gets read. - [Presentation rules](https://ai-presentations.com/guides/presentation-rules/): What the 10-20-30, 5-5-5 and 7-7-7 rules say, where each one helps, where it misleads and which are worth following in a work deck. - [Speaking time calculator](https://ai-presentations.com/tools/speaking-time-calculator/): Free speaking time calculator: paste your script or enter a word count, see how long it takes at a slow, normal and fast pace and how many words fit your slot. - [Storyline](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/storyline/): A storyline is the logical chain of messages that carries a presentation from its opening to its conclusion. Definition, an example and how to build one. - [How many slides?](https://ai-presentations.com/guides/how-many-slides/): 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes? Plan one slide per 1 to 2 minutes of talking, subtract the time for questions and leave the appendix out. 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