A cue card is a small card you hold while you speak. It carries prompts, not a script: the next point, a name you might forget, a number you need to get right, and a reminder to change the slide. Used well, cue cards let you speak naturally and look at your audience most of the time.
What to put on each card
Give each card one job. For most presentations that means one main point per card, written as a few key words rather than full sentences. A useful card usually has:
- A heading that names the point, such as "Cost" or "Point 2: memory".
- Two to four short prompts for what you will say about it.
- Anything you must say exactly, written in full: a quote, a statistic, a date or a name.
- Delivery cues in brackets, such as [PAUSE], [SLOW DOWN] or [SLIDE 4].
- A transition at the bottom that leads into the next card.
Write your opening and closing lines in full. These are the moments when nerves are highest, and having the exact words in front of you helps you start and finish cleanly. For a fuller walkthrough, see how to write cue cards.
How many cards you need
Let the structure of your talk decide. Count your sections: an introduction, each main point, any example that needs its own prompts, and the conclusion. That is roughly your number of cards. As a rough guide, a 3 to 5 minute class presentation often needs 5 to 8 cards, and a 10 minute talk 10 to 15.
If you are not sure how long your script runs, paste it into the speech timer calculator to estimate the speaking time, or use the palm card calculator to see how many cards the text fills at a given card size.
Holding and moving through cards
- Number every card Put a number in a corner so you can put the stack back in order in seconds if you drop it. EasyPalmCards can add card numbers for you.
- Hold the stack in one hand Keep it around chest height, so a glance down is small. Leave the other hand free for gestures or a slide clicker.
- Move finished cards to the back Slide each card behind the stack when you finish it, rather than flipping or dropping it. It is quiet and keeps the order.
- Look up before you speak Read the prompt, look up at the audience, then say the sentence. Speaking while looking down is what makes cue cards feel like reading.
Using cue cards with slides
Slides and cue cards do different jobs. The slides are for the audience: images, charts and a few words. The cards are for you: the details, examples and wording you do not want on screen.
Mark each slide change on the card where it happens, for example [SLIDE 4] in bold or colour. If a slide carries a chart, write the one number you want people to notice on the card so you do not have to turn around and read the screen.
Avoid repeating your slide text on your cards. If the audience can read it, you only need a prompt to explain why it matters.
Rehearsing with your cards
Practise with the cards you will actually hold. The breaks between cards become natural pauses, and you learn where each point sits in the stack. Run the full talk at least twice out loud and time it.
In EasyPalmCards, Rehearse mode shows one card at a time full screen with a speaking timer and your pace. Mark cards as Needs practice or Ready, then shorten or split the slow ones in the editor before you print.
Common mistakes
- Too much text. If a card has full paragraphs, you will read it. Cut it back to key words.
- Text that is too small. Use a size you can read at arm's length under classroom or stage lighting.
- No numbers. One dropped stack without numbers can cost you the thread of the talk.
- Writing on both sides. You will lose your place turning cards over. Use one side only.
- Rehearsing from a different version. If you edit the script, update and reprint the cards so they match.
To start quickly, open the oral presentation template, replace the prompts with your own points, and print on A4 or US Letter from your browser.