Visually Speaking

There are two ways to offer an audience an opportunity to have “notes” on your presentation. You can create note-GIVING handouts that already contain key information; or, you can design handouts that leave some area or space for note-TAKING by the audience.

To create handouts with pre-existing notes, many graphics programs have a speaker notes feature that can be used to enter the concept or the actual script for each visual. If you print a set of these “speaker notes” for the audience as a handout, then they can review your actual comments long after the presentation is ended. This makes the “note-giving” handout more useful because you are the note-giver and you have the best idea as to the kind of information an audience will find helpful at a later point.

If you plan on having the audience TAKE notes, then you can consider note-taking handouts. They should include a combination of your visuals and an area for note taking so that the audience can create personal references for later review. Sometimes these handouts appear as three images (slides) on a page with three open boxes with lines next to each visual as placeholders for taking notes.

Just remember that not everyone is a note-taker and those who like taking notes may not record those comments you feel are most important. The note-giving option assures you of having the entire group leave with the key concepts.