Screenshot of the present mode toolbar options with Autoplay options selected
How to use the Pointer
One of the topics we highlight in our Presentation Skills training course is that interacting with your slides helps you deliver a truly effective visual presentation. Turning towards your slides and using your Audience Attention Device (AAD, or hand!) to point out specific elements is a great technique for ensuring that audience attention is focused precisely where you want it to be – that is, on following your visuals as they build, adding depth of meaning and emphasis to your presentation.
If you’re presenting your deck online or saudi arabia country code phone number using a large screen that towers above you, your hands aren’t much help. However, the Present mode toolbar offers a convenient Pointer feature when you present in Google Slides. This acts like a laser pen that you can use to gesture towards certain parts of your slides, like a particular data point or important section of a graph.
Like with Autoplay, when you present in Google Slides click the three dots on the right of the toolbar to bring up the options. Then select Turn on laser pointer. Alternatively, you can tap the L button on your keyboard. Either of these options will transform your cursor into a red laser pointer that you can move across your screen using your mouse or touchpad.
Screenshot of the Laser pointer option in the presenter mode toolbar
If you have a microphone, you can enable the Captions function when you present in Google Slides. Captions make your presentation more accessible and help participants follow along if sound quality isn’t great. Read more about why captions are important.
To access captions in Google Slides, you need to re-open the options menu by clicking the three dots on the Present mode toolbar, then select Captions preferences. To turn captions on, click the Toggle captions button or simply press Ctrl + Shift + C whilst in present mode.
Screenshot of the Google Slides captions options