How to Give Presentations with Dyslexia: Practical Tips
Giving a presentation when you have dyslexia can feel daunting. The pressure to read from slides, remember information on the fly, and maintain eye contact with your audience creates genuine stress. You might worry about stumbling over words, losing your place, or forgetting key points entirely.
The good news: many dyslexic presenters deliver excellent presentations once they know how to prepare properly. With the right strategies and tools, you can play to your strengths, manage the reading and recall challenges, and deliver content confidently. This guide walks you through practical steps to make presenting easier.
Prepare Your Notes in a Dyslexia-Friendly Format
Your presentation notes are your foundation. If they're hard to read, you'll stumble from the start.
Write your notes using a clear, sans-serif font like Arial or Verdana at size 16 or larger. Avoid thin or italic fonts, which make reading harder under pressure. Use single line spacing so your eyes don't jump between lines.
Keep each note short, ideally 5-10 words per line. Instead of writing "The company's quarterly revenue increased by 15% due to improved customer retention strategies", write "Revenue up 15%. Better customer retention." You'll read faster and remember the concept without needing every word.
Use bullet points rather than paragraphs. Number your bullets so you can track where you are if you lose your place. Highlight key terms in bold so your eye lands on the important words first.
If you're using a computer to deliver slides, consider printing your speaker notes on paper or keeping them on a separate device. Some people find it easier to glance at physical notes than to switch focus between screen and slide.
Choose Colours That Help You Read
Colour can significantly reduce reading strain during a presentation. If you use a colour overlay in daily reading, you should use it now too.
For slides, use high contrast backgrounds and text. Dark text on a light background (or light text on dark) is easier to read than low-contrast combinations. Avoid white text on pale yellow or grey text on black.
Many dyslexic readers benefit from tinted backgrounds. If your slides allow it, use a gentle colour tint that matches what helps you read most. Some people prefer a slight blue or green overlay; others find a warmer tone works best.
The same applies to your speaker notes. If you've been using a coloured overlay for reading, use the same colour for your note cards or printed notes. This consistency helps your brain settle into the reading rhythm you're already used to.
Tools like Dyslexly include colour overlays specifically designed to reduce reading strain. If you're preparing notes digitally, using an overlay can make your preparation faster and less tiring, which leaves you fresher for the actual presentation.
Use Text-to-Speech for Final Practice
Reading your presentation aloud helps you catch awkward phrasing and hear how it sounds to an audience. But reading aloud takes effort when you have dyslexia.
Text-to-speech tools let you listen to your notes while following along. This serves two purposes: you check whether your phrasing makes sense, and your brain gets used to hearing the material in a natural speaking pace. The audio creates a memory anchor that helps you recall points during the live presentation.
When you practise with text-to-speech, read along silently (or aloud if you're alone). Don't just listen passively. This active engagement strengthens your recall.
Extensions like Dyslexly include built-in text-to-speech that works on most websites and documents. You can paste your notes into a document and listen while reading, which combines visual and audio learning.
Structure Your Slide Deck for Easy Reference
Your slides need to work as visual anchors, not as your script. Busy slides with lots of text become a reading distraction rather than a help.
Use one main idea per slide. Add a clear title that signals what you're about to say. Use 3-5 bullet points maximum, each 5-10 words long. Include images or diagrams where possible; these give your brain a visual reference point and reduce reliance on reading text.
Number your slides clearly so you always know which one is next. If you lose your train of thought, you can glance at the slide number and your notes to reorient.
Design each slide so you can read the text from the back of the room. Test this during rehearsal. If you squint to read it, your audience will too. Make text size at least 24pt, ideally larger.
Consider using a slide sorter view during your presentation if you're presenting on a device you control. Some presentation software lets you see upcoming slides on your screen while showing only the current slide to the audience. This helps you prepare for what's next.
Plan for Timing and Pacing
Dyslexic readers often need more processing time. Building this into your presentation timeline prevents panic.
Practise your presentation multiple times, using your notes and text-to-speech tool. Note roughly how long each section takes. Add 20-30% extra time to your initial estimate, as live presentations often run slower than practice runs.
Tell the organiser how long you'll need. This is not a weakness; it's professionalism. Clear timing prevents you from feeling rushed.
During the presentation, speak slightly slower than feels natural. Pause after key points. This gives both you and your audience time to process information. These pauses feel like emphasis to the audience, which actually improves how well they remember your key messages.
If someone asks a question you don't immediately understand, it's fine to ask them to repeat it or rephrase it. This isn't unusual or unprofessional; it's clear communication. Taking a breath before answering reduces the pressure to respond instantly.
Manage Anxiety with Preparation Strategies
Anxiety about presenting with dyslexia is real and understandable. Overpreparation is your antidote.
Know your material well enough that you're not reading the slides for the first time in front of your audience. You should be able to deliver the content even if the slides fail to appear. This requires rehearsing multiple times over several days, not cramming the night before.
Visit the presentation space beforehand if possible. Check the lighting, how far away the slide text appears, and where you'll stand. Familiarity reduces anxiety.
Identify a trusted person in the audience who can give you a supportive nod if you seem to lose confidence. Sometimes just one friendly face helps.
Remember that your audience wants you to succeed. They're not scrutinising your reading speed or waiting to catch mistakes. They're there to learn from you. Your dyslexia is invisible to most of them; what they see is the expertise you're sharing.
Use Accessible Tools Throughout Your Preparation
While preparing, use the same tools that make your daily reading easier. If you use text-to-speech for studying, use it for presentations. If you use colour overlays, apply them to your speaker notes.
Consistency matters. Your brain works more efficiently when the conditions during presentation prep match your normal learning environment. This also builds confidence, because you're using tools you've already mastered.
If you're presenting remotely, accessibility becomes even more important. Make sure your notes are in a format you can read easily on your screen. Test any screen readers or overlays before the actual presentation day.
Conclusion
How to give presentations with dyslexia boils down to this: prepare thoroughly, structure your materials for readability, use the tools that help you daily, and build in extra time. These steps aren't workarounds for a deficit; they're how many successful professionals with dyslexia deliver excellent presentations. Your dyslexia might make preparation look different from your non-dyslexic colleagues, but it doesn't make you less capable of presenting well. With the right approach, you can stand up in front of any audience and share your knowledge confidently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use speaker notes during a live presentation? Yes. Most presentation formats allow speaker notes on your device or printed cards. Many professional speakers, dyslexic or not, use notes. The key is practising with them so you can glance down and pick up your thread without losing the audience.
What if I freeze or blank during the presentation? Pause, take a breath, and look at your next slide or note card. This usually takes only 3-5 seconds but feels much longer to you. To the audience, a brief pause reads as emphasis. If you still can't remember, skip that point and move to the next slide. Audiences rarely notice missing details unless you draw attention to them.
Should I tell my audience I have dyslexia? That's your choice. Some presenters mention it as context if they're speaking about dyslexia itself. Most don't need to disclose it. Your preparation and delivery speak for themselves. Only mention it if you feel it helps you, not as an apology.
How much time should I spend practising? At minimum, practise 3-4 times over several days. Each run-through should include reading your notes, listening to text-to-speech, and delivering as if live. Space these practices out so your brain consolidates the material. One marathon session the night before is far less effective than shorter sessions spread across a week.
What do I do if the presentation technology fails? This is why you prepare your notes separately from the slides. If slides don't appear, you can still deliver using your notes. Many experienced presenters view this as a backup feature, not an emergency. Knowing you can present without slides removes a major source of anxiety.