PowerPoint contains powerful features that often get buried under the comfortable confines of default settings. Unlock the potential of the Presenter view for your presentation and get more out of the program.

Our previous article talked about the different views in PowerPoint 2013 and how these views can help you customize your workflow. There, we explored the eight types of views and the additional two views.

In this post, we’ll be going in-depth on one of the additional views – the Presenter View.

This view essentially acts as the remote control to your presentation. It lets you set the precise length of your presentation and helps you look at your notes when the inevitable mind slip occurs.

You’ll amaze your audience with your ability to move from slide to slide with precise timing. The secret to ending your presentation on the dot is all in the Presenter View.

Maximize all Useful Features of Presenter View

This tutorial uses the version of PowerPoint 2013 with a computer that has two monitors to fulfill the requirement of having two screens present to activate Presenter View.

Starting your slide show automatically brings up Presenter View if you’re using PowerPoint 2013. The program also detects if you have two screens so that it can display the Presenter View and the Slide Show separately. Make sure to check if you already have a projector plugged in.

Press F5 on your keyboard to bring up the Presenter View, which simultaneously brings up the Slide Show.

PowerPoint Presenter View: The Key Areas

The image above labels the four main areas you’ll notice in the Presenter View. The first, Toolbar (1), has three components: Show Taskbar, Display Settings, and End Slide Show as you see below.

a. Show Taskbar simply shows your computer’s taskbar below the Presenter View. Collapse and expand the taskbar by clicking on this button. The taskbar is hidden by default during your presentation, and this menu item is useful if you need to bring it up.

b. Display Settings is the only item on the menu that has an inverted triangle beside it, indicating that there are other options available in the dropdown menu. Swap Presenter View switches the position of the Presenter view and Slideshow view. The Duplicate Slide Show fills both of your screens with the Slide Show View.

c. End Slide Show closes both screens displaying the Slide Show and the Presenter view.

The Minimize, Restore Down, and Close buttons on the upper right corner of the Presenter view Toolbar as highlighted above are another simple but useful set of features.

The Minimize button minimizes the Presenter view. The Restore Down button allows you to resize Presenter view. It looks much more compact than the full-screen view as the image above shows. Be careful since the Close button exits both the Slide Show and Presenter view to end your presentation.

Slide Timing, Preview, and Navigation Area

The most crucial feature in the second area is the Timer. Here, you can see how long each slide plays down to the second. The pause and play icons beside the time display allow you to control how long you want a slide to last on screen. Stay within your presentation time limit and cover all your talking points with the help of the timer.

Format your slides to only last a specific duration of time to keep you on track during your pitch. It’s even more important now to rehearse your speech so that you don’t rush your delivery.

See what your current slide looks like in the Slide Preview window between the Timer and Navigation. This understandably takes up the largest space in the Presenter view so that you can see an overview of the slide. In his tutorial on IndieZine, Geetesh Bajaj expounds on the extra controls below the Slide Preview area.

The Slide Navigation (2) at the bottom tells you which slide number you’re on and the total number of slides in your deck.

Next Slide and Notes Area

The last two areas beside the Slide Preview are Next Slide (3) and Notes (4). The former displays your upcoming slide to give you time to prepare your next thoughts.  The latter area displays your notes. The text size is adjustable on the Notes area so that you can adjust your notes to be readable from afar.

Conclusion

This thorough look at the Presenter view proves how the program is packed with features that need to be explored. It’s one of many views you can use in PowerPoint 2013 to improve your workspace and help you be in control of precise timing during your pitch.

Presenter view is useful in checking how long your slides are playing and keep you aware and alert of the time you’re spending on stage. In addition to these useful functions, you can preview your next slide and notes.

Prepare yourself with the use of these settings and make Presenter view a valuable helper for your next, big presentation.

 

Reference

Bajaj, Geetesh. “PowerPoint 2013 Tutorials – Enhanced Presenter View in PowerPoint 2013.” Indezine.
November 9, 2012. Accessed January 7, 2016. www.indezine.com/products/powerpoint/learn/powerpoint-2013/enhanced-presenter-view-ppt2013.html