How to Use the PowerPoint Presenter View

Time is an important factor to the success of any presentation. As we’ve discussed in the past, audiences tend to lose interest after 10 minutes and they constantly need to be re-engaged. For this reason, you want to keep your presentation concise and straight to the point. The longer you go on about a certain point, the more likely you’ll lose everyone’s attention.

You can constantly check the time using your watch or smartphone, but that would look awkward and unprofessional. So how will you know if you’re spending too much time on one part of your presentation? You can try making use of PowerPoint’s Presenter View.

What is Presenter View?

Presenter View allows you to facilitate presentations by giving you access to some useful tools and functions. By enabling it, PowerPoint gives you a “secret” look at your notes and upcoming slides. It has a clock and timer to see how long your presentation has been running. Without your audience seeing, you can easily jump to any slide you wish. You can also use the Pen or Highlighter tools to write on the current slide.

What you see via Presenter View:

 What your audience sees: 

How can I use Presenter View?

Presenter View will only run on computers or laptops that have dual screen capabilities. It’s specifically designed for use when your device is connected to a projector or an external screen. To set up for your presentation, simply hold the Windows key together with the letter P. When a window pops up, choose Extend.

After configuring dual display for your device, open your PowerPoint deck and head to the Slide Show tab. Tick the check box for Use Presenter View. Make sure your slides are set to appear on the secondary screen or projector by checking the Show On dropbox.

When you’re ready to start your presentation, simply hit the F5 key.

PowerPoint’s Presenter View doesn’t just help you keep track of time. It also gives you access to some useful tools as you give your presentation. Be a presentation expert by utilizing one of PowerPoint’s most helpful basic functions.

Featured Image: VFS Digital Design via Flickr