You say you can help a speaker prepare notes. Tell me about that. I'm a notes kind of guy. Without a shopping list I'd forget what to buy at the store. And if it wasn't for my handy teleprompter, I'd forget my opening monologue.

For starters, I provide a place to write notes on the slide as the presentation is being prepared. It is a lot like having your own teleprompter...

Creating speaker notes When you give your presentation, you may need to refer to notes to elaborate on a slide's material, or to remind you to mention some detail. In PowerPoint, you can write your speaker's notes while you work on your slides. Simply go to the text box below the slide in the main window area that says "Click to add notes" and start writing. You can view all the notes in Note Page View. They will not be displayed during the Slide Show. Follow these steps to create speaker's notes in Note Page View: 1. In Slide View, display the slide you want to create notes for. 2. Click the View tab, then click the Notes Page button in the Presentation Views Group. A page will appear containing the slide and a text box beneath it. 3. Adjust the Zoom bar to 100%. This will make your text easier to see. The Zoom bar is in the bottom right area of the PowerPoint window, immediately to the right of the Slide Show button. Alternatively, there is a Zoom button in the Zoom Group in the View tab you can use. 4. Click in the text box and type your notes.

What if you prefer working off printed notes? Can you print out your speaker notes?

You bet. Just hook me up to a printer and I'm ready to go.

Printing your speaker notes The best way to use your speaker's notes is to print them out and have a copy handy while you give your presentation. When you print your notes, you have the option of printing both the slide and the notes, or just the notes. The following steps show you how to print just the speaker's notes. 1. Click on the Microsoft Office button. Hold the mouse on the arrow beside Print, and select Print Preview. The Print Preview tab opens up in the Ribbon. It is the only tab showing in the Ribbon. 2. In the Page Setup Group, go to Print What. From the drop-down list, click Notes Pages. 3. Click the Print icon. The Print dialog box will appear. Check your printer settings. Click OK to print. You now have speaker's notes to refer to when you give your presentation. 4. Click the Close Print Preview button to return the Ribbon to normal.