how to make an interactive powerpoint presentation

How to Make an Interactive PowerPoint Presentation: An Expert Guide (Free Downloadable Playbook)

Zhun Yee Chew

Are your PowerPoint presentations lacking impact and failing to engage your audience? You’re not alone. I experienced that before. I used to spend hours carefully crafting the perfect PowerPoint presentations only to be met with disinterested faces.

In a world where attention spans are getting shorter, traditional PowerPoint presentations often struggle to hold the interest of the audience. So here’s the hard truth: unless you adapt and embrace interactivity in your PowerPoint presentations, your valuable hard work and content run the risk of getting lost in presentations.

Fret not, as in this comprehensive guide, we will share with you expert tips on how to make an interactive PowerPoint presentation through interactive animations, transitions, hyperlinks, quizzes, games, and many more.

And perhaps the sweetest part of the deal is that you will also have access to a downloadable playbook of 60+ pages with a wealth of tutorials, templates, cheat sheets, resources and tools to elevate your PowerPoint skills from average to extraordinary through interactive PowerPoint presentations.

Are you prepared to impress those who once found your presentation dull? If your answer is a resounding ‘yes,’ then let’s begin.

What is an Interactive Presentation?

What is an interactive powerpoint presentation.

Interactive PowerPoint presentations are simply PowerPoint presentations that are made interactive to convey information in a more dynamic and engaging manner.

Creating an interactive PowerPoint presentation involves deciding if you want to make your slide content interactive or if you want your audience to interact with your slides. 

Interactive PowerPoint presentations can generally be divided into two main dimensions: interaction with slide content through interactive elements and fostering interaction with the audience.

Interaction with Slide Content:

In the first dimension, PowerPoint presentations are made interactive through enhancing the slides content with interactive elements, usually native to PowerPoint. 

We will cover interactive elements including:

• Transitions
• Interactive data visualization
• Annotations. 

They function to enhance slide interactivity through adding movement to static objects, enabling non-linear slides navigation, as well as adding a dynamic touch to data and information presentation. 

Audience Interaction:

In the second dimension, PowerPoint presentations are made interactive through interaction between the presenter and the audience, usually with the help of PowerPoint add-in tools. We will cover: 

• Assessments
• Brainstorming
• Collaborative multimedia uploading

Once you have decided which strategy you would like to use, you can then follow  these step-by-step guide  and the following expert tips to turn your PowerPoint slides into an interactive experience!

Benefits of an Interactive Presentation

The fact that you are still reading this suggests that you don’t need further convincing on the benefits of interactive PowerPoint presentations. 

However, if you do, here are some quick statistics:

68% of individuals hold the belief that interactive presentations have a greater potential for being remembered. Webinar Care

This means that a simple action of making your PowerPoint slides interactive has a profound impact on how your presentation is received by the audience. From our years of experience creating interactive PowerPoint presentations, they generally: 

• Increases  engagement , motivation and knowledge  retention . 
• Result in better  impression  and more impactful messaging being conveyed.
• Allow presenters to better tailor their content or offerings to the audience or clients because they can gather  real-time feedback .
• Open up room for  creative   storytelling  and showcases.

Interactive Puzzle PowerPoint Templates

Master the tricks to turn your PowerPoint into an interactive experience today!

Expert Tips on How to Make an Interactive PowerPoint Presentation – Before Presenting

1. add animations, but use them judiciously.

The first and most straightforward way of making your PowerPoint presentations interactive is through adding animations to your slides. However, so many people use PowerPoint animations the wrong way. PowerPoint animations are more than just making bullet points or images appear or fly in during your presentation.

Remember, using animations excessively in your PowerPoint presentation will only reduce the appeal and professionalism of your slides. The key is to use them judiciously and purposefully. Before you hit the “Animations” tab, ask yourself, “Does this animation enhance the message I want to convey to my audience?”  

2. Add 3D PowerPoint Animations Using PowerPoint Native 3D Stock Elements

Did you know that PowerPoint has free animated 3D elements you can use? We recommend you to try them up to instantly upgrade your presentation from ordinary to extraordinary. 

❓ How?  Simply go to Insert > 3D models > stock 3D models > animated models. And you will find a wide range of free 3D models ranging from food and animals to plants and characters, and many more. You can also select different animation scenes by heading to the Animations tab.

3. Add Animations With Triggers for Visual Excitement

You can take your PowerPoint animations up a notch by incorporating combining animations with triggers to create interactive pop-ups with extra information . These on-click pop-ups are valuable when presenting a map or when you want to explore specific aspects of an object or topic in more detail. You can also use these pop-ups as markers to alert the audience to exciting elements within different parts of the slide, as such: 

❓How? To create on-click pop-ups in your PowerPoint slides, first add shapes that will become clickable buttons, one to “open” the pop-up and the other to “close” the pop-up. Then, add text boxes with extra information you want to show, as well as entrance and exit animations. Combine the animations with “triggers” to activate the animations when the open or close buttons are clicked on. 

For a more detailed tutorial on this pop-up animation, download our Interactive PowerPoint Playbook  below. 👇

4. add non-linear slide transition.

A quick way to add interactivity to your PowerPoint slides is by using PowerPoint transitions. The first we want to discuss is PowerPoint Zoom. PowerPoint Zoom enables you to zoom in and out of and navigate to specific sections or slides on click, anytime during your presentation.

To  access the PowerPoint Zoom feature : click on Insert in the  PowerPoint ribbon  >  Zoom  > then choose  Slide ,  Section , or  Summary   Zoom . Each of these PowerPoint Zoom option serves slightly different functions:

• Slide Zoom: zooms into specific slides
• Section zoom: zooms into specific sections
• Summary Zoom: creates a summary slide for the different slides or sections in your PowerPoint presentation for easy navigation.

❓ How? To  set up PowerPoint slide zoom , select the starting slide where you wish to implement the Zoom effect. Next, click  Insert  >  Zoom  >  Slide Zoom . Here, you can pick the specific slide or slides you want to zoom in on. Click the Insert button, and thumbnails of the chosen slides will be added to your current slide.

Alternatively, for a more manual setup process, you can also set up a navigation menu at the beginning of your presentation that allows the audience to jump to different sections or slides using hyperlinks.  Read more in the Hyperlinks section below. 

5. Add PowerPoint Morph

Like PowerPoint Zoom, PowerPoint Morph empowers presenters to create dynamic transitions that elevate the visual storytelling in their presentations. But PowerPoint Morph brings storytelling to a whole new level and adds a layer of intrigue to your slides by simulating object transitions or evolution across slides. It functions similarly to animations but offers a smoother and more organic visual experience, without the need for complex setup steps. 

Personally, we think the outcomes generated by PowerPoint Morph are more professional and polished-looking as compared to traditional animations. And if you are looking for a more advanced-looking presentation, try this 3D morph animation In PowerPoint .

We’d also like to share with you the numerous applications of PowerPoint Morph contributed by our colleagues and PowerPoint professionals at ClassPoint:

• Moving background
• Rotating wheel
• Rotating cogs
• Photo gallery
• Slide Zoom with Morph
• Creative reveal
• Parallax effect
• Continuous slide transition
• Phone frame
• Movie frame

Gain access to free templates for all these PowerPoint Morph applications and effects by downloading our Interactive PowerPoint Playbook. 👇

6. add hyperlinks – they can link to so many more places than just websites.

Much like PowerPoint Zoom, hyperlinks enable presenters to create interactive menus and navigation structures, allowing audiences to jump to specific slides or sections effortlessly. However, while PowerPoint Zoom primarily focuses on creating a visual and interactive overview of content within a single presentation, hyperlinks extend this capability to connect with external resources, web content, or even additional PowerPoint files. 

There are a few ways you could add hyperlinks to your PowerPoint presentation to transform  it into an interactive experience effortlessly: 

4 Ways You Can Add Hyperlinks to PowerPoint: 

• Slide Transition : You can navigate to specific slides in a non-linear manner by simply inserting a hyperlink into your current slide. Head over to Insert > Link > This Document and select the slide you want to link to. You can apply hyperlinks to text, shapes, or pictures. 

• Interactive Navigation Menu : Adding an interactive navigation menu at the beginning of your presentation allows clear navigation between different slides and sections in your presentation. Head over to Insert > Link > This Document and select the slides you want to link to.

• Action Buttons : With hyperlinks, you can also create Action Buttons in your PowerPoint presentations to make your PowerPoint slides behave like interactive web pages, allowing users to navigate, explore, and engage with the content in a dynamic and user-friendly manner. Head over to Insert > Action Buttons and choose from the selection.

• Embedded Content : You can also hyperlink your PowerPoint slides to embedded content like PDFs, spreadsheets, and even web pages. Simply click Insert > Object and select the file you would like to embed in your PowerPoint slides. This way, you can remove the hassle of toggling between various files or windows during your presentation.

Expert Tips on How to Make an Interactive PowerPoint Presentation – When Presenting

1. turn your powerpoint slides into interactive quizzes.

The traditional way to add interactive quizzes to PowerPoint is through an unfavorable process of combining complex animations with triggers and hyperlinks. Let’s be honest, it takes an eternity! Even though PowerPoint offers an extensive range of presentation tools, it does not have audience interactivity built at its core. 

The good news is, audience interactivity can actually be effortlessly achieved with the various PowerPoint add-ins as listed below: 

We will get to polls and games in a bit. For now, let’s show you how you can turn your PowerPoint slides into an interactive quiz in a just a few clicks with PowerPoint add-ins like  ClassPoint , which offers a wide range of interactive quizzes from  Short Answer  and  Word Cloud , to Multiple Choice questions.

How to Create An Interactive Quiz in PowerPoint In A Few Clicks

Once you have downloaded ClassPoint, you will have a suite of additional interactive quiz features added to your PowerPoint ribbon. 

To turn  your PowerPoint slide  content into interactive  quizzes, simply  click on any of the interactive quiz features and add them to your slide. Enter PowerPoint Slideshow mode and you can start the quiz immediately. 

2. Run Gradable Assessments inside PowerPoint

With the versatile PowerPoint add-in,  ClassPoint , you can also create assessments and collect real-time responses right inside PowerPoint. This is wonderful news for teachers! All you have to do is set up  interactive Multiple Choice questions  and enable  Quiz Mode . 

ClassPoint’s Quiz Mode introduces an  automatic grading  feature to your Multiple Choice questions within PowerPoint presentations created with ClassPoint. This feature not only automates the grading process but also includes automatic star ratings, the option to select difficulty levels, and provides a quiz summary along with an exportable quiz report, making it the perfect tool for classroom formative assessments in PowerPoint!

3. Incorporate Annotations During Slideshow

Another unique way to interact with your PowerPoint slides is through the use of annotations. With annotations, you as the presenter can interact with your slides to draw your audience’s attention to specific details, highlight key points, and tell a more coherent story. 

There are 3 ways you could use annotations in PowerPoint: 

• PowerPoint Draw Tab:  To utilize the PowerPoint Draw Tab, click on the “Draw” tab in your PowerPoint ribbon and begin annotating anywhere on your slides using built-in features like the pen, highlighter, and Ink to Shape. However, please note that PowerPoint Draw only allows annotation in Edit mode.

• PowerPoint Pen Tools:  Another option for native PowerPoint annotation tools that permit annotation during slideshow mode can be found by clicking the pencil icon located in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen during a presentation. You can use the pen, highlighter, or laser tools to annotate any part of your slides during the presentation.

• ClassPoint  Toolbar:  The ClassPoint toolbar serves as an enhanced, free alternative to PowerPoint’s existing pen tools. It offers a broader range of additional annotation features, including text boxes, shapes, spotlight effects, fully customizable pens and highlighters, and more. This enables you to transform your PowerPoint slides into a creative canvas that will captivate your audience throughout your presentation.

4. Run Ice Breakers and Brainstorming Sessions in PowerPoint

The uses of interactive PowerPoint add-ins like  ClassPoint  are not only limited to teaching and learning. Give your PowerPoint meetings and presentations a strong start with a collaborative and dynamic brainstorming experience.

You can enhance your PowerPoint presentations and turn them into an interactive brainstorming experience by incorporating  Word Cloud  in PowerPoint, inviting participants to instantly contribute ideas, keywords, or concepts. This allows everyone to dynamically visualize emerging trends and interesting ideas.

❓ How? To start a brainstorming session in PowerPoint, click on the “Word Cloud”  button in your PowerPoint ribbon once you have downloaded ClassPoint to add the “Word Cloud” feature in your PowerPoint slides. Then enter PowerPoint slideshow mode to start brainstorming! 

5. Add Draggable Slide Objects (And Why It’s Better than Animations!)

Similar to animations, draggable objects allow you to interact with your slide objects freely during slideshow mode, except than you can do so with full control of where you want the slide elements to go!

This dynamic presentation feature adds an element of visual interest that captures your audience’s attention and can be a valuable tool for explaining complex ideas. Moreover, it has the potential to serve various purposes, such as revealing hidden information or acting as a movable marker to indicate your position on the slide content. You can also use it for group drag-and-drop activities, such as matching, categorizing, sorting, and more. You can either perform these actions yourself to provide a visual explanation or engage your audience by letting them instruct the movement of images and text on the slide.

❓ How? Draggable objects is a unique tool that is possible inside PowerPoint with the use of the add-in ClassPoint. Download ClassPoint, free PowerPoint add-in, the select any shape, image, illustration, or text on your slide to become draggable by clicking on “Draggable Objects” in your PowerPoint ribbon, and toggling “Drag enabled” on the side panel.

In slideshow mode, click on the draggable objects hand from the ClassPoint toolbar at the bottom of your screen to start dragging your slide objects around!

6. Create Playable Games In PowerPoint (Without Animations or Hyperlinks)

Much like interactive quizzes, PowerPoint games add a layer of interactivity and fun to PowerPoint presentations. However, what sets PowerPoint games apart is their ability to introduce competition through gamification. 

Here are  3 ways  you can instantly gamify your PowerPoint slides with  gamification elements :

• Set Up a Point and Reward System : Define how your participants can earn stars and points, and  award stars  to them when they have accomplished a goal during your presentation. 
• Add  Levels and Badges  to PowerPoint : Every game benefits from having levels and badges, and your PowerPoint game is no exception. You can create a simple game within PowerPoint by incorporating  questions  into your slides and defining the points and scores needed to progress to higher levels. When it comes to badges, you have the creative freedom to tailor them to your audience. For example, in an educational setting, badges can be skill-focused, while in a social gathering, they can take the form of fantasy characters that participants aspire to collect
• Add a  Leaderboard  to PowerPoint : Leaderboards are essential to keep track of scores or points during a PowerPoint game. You can of course create a manual leaderboard using PowerPoint’s tables and hyperlinks, but an easier and more straightforward way of implementing a leaderboard in your PowerPoint is using add-ins like  ClassPoint  and  Vevox .

With these fundamentals of gamification in place, you are now ready to create fun and exhilarating games in PowerPoint. 

Here is a full walk-through on  how you can create a PowerPoint game  in a few simple steps. 

If you are an educator, this  free trivia PowerPoint template and these 5 interactive PowerPoint game templates tailored for the classroom will be useful for you.

Expert Tips on How to Make an Interactive PowerPoint Presentation – After Presenting

1. run real-time polls in powerpoint.

Think of a memorable presentation you have attended? Did it use live polls? We bet it did! Live polling are especially helpful after a PowerPoint presentation to gather feedback for future improvement.

Traditional poll tools require presenters to switch between tabs during presentation. Thanks to PowerPoint add-ins such as  ClassPoint ,  Mentimeter  and  Poll Everywhere , this is no longer the case. And by eliminating the need to switch between different applications or tabs, the presentation experience becomes more fluid and engaging.

2. From Static to Interactive Data Visualisation

Incorporating interactivity through data visualization after a presentation concludes is a potent strategy for enhancing audience engagement and comprehension. Once the primary content delivery is complete, you can transition into a dynamic display of data or feedback you have gathered from your audience using interactive charts, graphs, or infographics.

This approach empowers your audience to explore the information at their own pace, dig deeper into specific data points, and ensure a two-way communication between the presenter and the audience. Whether it’s zooming in on specific trends, toggling between different data sets, or going through feedback, interactive data visualization encourages active participation and a deeper connection with the presented information. 

We recommend the following 2 ways to display data into your presentation:

• Insert tables, charts and graphs, and add a touch of interactivity through animations.

Below is a list of 10 PowerPoint animations most suitable for different kinds of graphs and charts: 

• Embed a website with data you want to go over. I’m not talking about a link that leaves PowerPoint for your default browser, but an actual embedded browser that loads your websites without leaving PowerPoint! Plus you can insert the page as a picture into your slide and start annotating on it!

Now that you have a collection of strategies and tips at your disposal, you are better prepared to leave your old and dusty PowerPoint toolkit behind and embrace these refreshing ideas. Whether your ultimate aim is to create a captivating classroom experience, deliver a memorable business pitch, or simply wow your friends and peers during  PowerPoint nights , don’t forget to: 

• Add animations, but use them sparingly.
• Make use of non-linear transitions and storytelling. 
• Turn simple transitions into stunning visual experience with PowerPoint Morph.
• Make creative use of polls, quizzes and games. 
• Make your presentation human with Bitmoji.
• Build anticipation with interactive presentation tools like annotations and drag and drop.
• Try out these 160 fun PowerPoint ideas for your next presentation!

To read more about Interactive PowerPoint Presentations, you can download our Interactive PowerPoint Playbook, which includes comprehensive guides, tutorials on various interactive PowerPoint presentation methods, cheat sheets, and a wide range of resources for mastering the art of creating interactive PowerPoint presentations.

About Zhun Yee Chew

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6 ways to create more interactive powerpoint presentations.

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Quick Links

• Add a QR code
• Embed Microsoft Forms (Education or Business Only)
• Embed a Live Web Page
• Add Links and Menus
• Add Clickable Images to Give More Info
• Add a Countdown Timer

We've all been to a presentation where the speaker bores you to death with a mundane PowerPoint presentation. Actually, the speaker could have kept you much more engaged by adding some interactive features to their slideshow. Let's look into some of these options.

1. Add a QR code

Adding a QR code can be particularly useful if you want to direct your audience to an online form, website, or video.

Some websites have in-built ways to create a QR code. For example, on Microsoft Forms , when you click "Collect Responses," you'll see the QR code option via the icon highlighted in the screenshot below. You can either right-click the QR code to copy and paste it into your presentation, or click "Download" to add it to your device gallery to insert the QR code as a picture.

In fact, you can easily add a QR code to take your viewer to any website. On Microsoft Edge, right-click anywhere on a web page where there isn't already a link, and left-click "Create QR Code For This Page."

You can also create QR codes in other browsers, such as Chrome.

You can then copy or download the QR code to use wherever you like in your presentation.

2. Embed Microsoft Forms (Education or Business Only)

If you plan to send your PPT presentation to others—for example, if you're a trainer sending step-by-step instruction presentation, a teacher sending an independent learning task to your students, or a campaigner for your local councilor sending a persuasive PPT to constituents—you might want to embed a quiz, questionnaire, pole, or feedback survey in your presentation.

In PowerPoint, open the "Insert" tab on the ribbon, and in the Forms group, click "Forms". If you cannot see this option, you can add new buttons to the ribbon .

As at April 2024, this feature is only available for those using their work or school account. We're using a Microsoft 365 Personal account in the screenshot below, which is why the Forms icon is grayed out.

Then, a sidebar will appear on the right-hand side of your screen, where you can either choose a form you have already created or opt to craft a new form.

Now, you can share your PPT presentation with others , who can click the fields and submit their responses when they view the presentation.

3. Embed a Live Web Page

You could always screenshot a web page and paste that into your PPT, but that's not a very interactive addition to your presentation. Instead, you can embed a live web page into your PPT so that people with access to your presentation can interact actively with its contents.

To do this, we will need to add an add-in to our PPT account .

Add-ins are not always reliable or secure. Before installing an add-in to your Microsoft account, check that the author is a reputable company, and type the add-in's name into a search engine to read reviews and other users' experiences.

To embed a web page, add the Web Viewer add-in ( this is an add-in created by Microsoft ).

Go to the relevant slide and open the Web Viewer add-in. Then, copy and paste the secure URL into the field box, and remove https:// from the start of the address. In our example, we will add a selector wheel to our slide. Click "Preview" to see a sample of the web page's appearance in your presentation.

This is how ours will look.

When you or someone with access to your presentation views the slideshow, this web page will be live and interactive.

4. Add Links and Menus

As well as moving from one slide to the next through a keyboard action or mouse click, you can create links within your presentation to direct the audience to specific locations.

To create a link, right-click the outline of the clickable object, and click "Link."

In the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, click "Place In This Document," choose the landing destination, and click "OK."

What's more, to make it clear that an object is clickable, you can use action buttons. Open the "Insert" tab on the ribbon, click "Shape," and then choose an appropriate action button. Usefully, PPT will automatically prompt you to add a link to these shapes.

You might also want a menu that displays on every slide. Once you have created the menu, add the links using the method outlined above. Then, select all the items, press Ctrl+C (copy), and then use Ctrl+V to paste them in your other slides.

5. Add Clickable Images to Give More Info

Through PowerPoint's animations, you can give your viewer the power to choose what they see and when they see it. This works nicely whether you're planning to send your presentation to others to run through independently or whether you're presenting in front of a group and want your audience to decide which action they want to take.

Start by creating the objects that will be clickable (trigger) and the items that will appear (pop-up).

Then, select all the pop-ups together. When you click "Animations" on the ribbon and choose an appropriate animation for the effect you want to achieve, this will be applied to all objects you have selected.

The next step is to rename the triggers in your presentation. To do this, open the "Home" tab, and in the Editing group, click "Select", and then "Selection Pane."

With the Selection Pane open, select each trigger on your slide individually, and rename them in the Selection Pane, so that they can be easily linked to in the next step.

Finally, go back to the first pop-up. Open the "Animations" tab, and in the Advanced Animation group, click the "Trigger" drop-down arrow. Then, you can set the item to appear when a trigger is clicked in your presentation.

If you want your item to disappear when the trigger is clicked again, select the pop-up, click "Add Animation" in the Advanced Animation group, choose an Exit animation, and follow the same step to link that animation to the trigger button.

6. Add a Countdown Timer

A great way to get your audience to engage with your PPT presentation is to keep them on edge by adding a countdown timer. Whether you're leading a presentation and want to let your audience stop to discuss a topic, or running an online quiz with time-limit questions, having a countdown timer means your audience will keep their eye on your slide throughout.

To do this, you need to animate text boxes or shapes containing your countdown numbers. Choose and format a shape and type the highest number that your countdown clock will need. In our case, we're creating a 10-second timer.

Now, with your shape selected, open the "Animations" tab on the ribbon and click the animation drop-down arrow. Then, in the Exit menu, click "Disappear."

Open the Animation Pane, and click the drop-down arrow next to the animation you've just added. From there, choose "Timing."

Make sure "On Click" is selected in the Start menu, and change the Delay option to "1 second," before clicking "OK."

Then, with this shape still selected, press Ctrl+C (copy), and then Ctrl+V (paste). In the second box, type 9 . With the Animation Pane still open and this second shape selected, click the drop-down arrow and choose "Timing" again. Change the Start option to "After Previous," and make sure the Delay option is 1 second. Then, click "OK."

We can now use this second shape as our template, as when we copy and paste it again, the animations will also duplicate. With this second shape selected, press Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V, type 8 into the box, and continue to do the same until you get to 0 .

Next, remove the animations from the "0" box, as you don't want this to disappear. To do this, click the shape, and in the Animation Pane drop-down, click "Remove."

You now need to layer them in order. Right-click the box containing number 1, and click "Bring To Front." You will now see that box on the top. Do the same with the other numbers in ascending order.

Finally, you need to align the objects together. Click anywhere on your slide and press Ctrl+A. Then, in the Home tab on the ribbon, click "Arrange." First click "Align Center," and then bring the menu up again, so that you can click "Align Middle."

Press Ctrl+A again to select your timer, and you can then move your timer or copy and paste it elsewhere.

Press F5 to see the presentation in action, and when you get to the slide containing the timer, click anywhere on the slide to see your countdown timer in action!

Now that your PPT presentation is more interactive, make sure you've avoided these eight common presentational mistakes before you present your slides.

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Home Blog Presentation Ideas 23 PowerPoint Presentation Tips for Creating Engaging and Interactive Presentations

23 PowerPoint Presentation Tips for Creating Engaging and Interactive Presentations

PowerPoint presentations are not usually known for being engaging or interactive. That’s often because most people treat their slides as if they are notes to read off  and not a tool to help empower their message.

Your presentation slides are there to help bring to life the story you are telling. They are there to provide visuals and empower your speech.

So how do you go about avoiding a presentation “snoozefest” and instead ensure you have an engaging and interactive presentation?  By making sure that you use your slides to help YOU tell your story, instead of using them as note cards to read off of.

The key thing to remember is that your presentation is there to compliment your speech, not be its focus.

In this article, we will review several presentation tips and tricks on how to become a storytelling powerhouse by building a powerful and engaging PowerPoint presentation.

Start with writing your speech outline, not with putting together slides

Use more images and less text, use high-quality images, keep the focus on you and your presentation, not the powerpoint, your presentation should be legible from anywhere in the room, use a consistent presentation design, one topic per slide, avoid information overwhelm by using the “rule of three”.

• Display one bullet at a time

Avoid unnecessary animations

• Only add content that supports your main points
• Do not use PowerPoint as a teleprompter
• Never Give Out Copies of the Presentation

Re-focus the attention on you by fading into blackness

Change the tone of your voice when presenting, host an expert discussion panel, ask questions, embed videos, use live polling to get instant feedback and engage the audience.

• He kept his slides uncluttered and always strived for simplicity
• He was known to use large font size, the bigger, the better.
• He found made the complex sound simple.

He was known to practice, practice, and keep on practicing.

Summary – how to make your presentation engaging & interactive, fundamental rules to build powerful & engaging presentation slides.

Before we go into tips and tricks on how to add flair to your presentations and create effective presentations, it’s essential to get the fundamentals of your presentation right.

Your PowerPoint presentation is there to compliment your message, and the story you are telling. Before you can even put together slides, you need to identify the goal of your speech, and the key takeaways you want your audience to remember.

YOU and your speech are the focus of this presentation, not the slides – use your PowerPoint to complement your story.

Keep in mind that your slides are there to add to your speech, not distract from it.  Using too much text in your slides can be distracting and confusing to your audience. Instead, use a relevant picture with minimal text, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

This slide is not unusual, but is not a visual aid, it is more like an “eye chart”.

Aim for something simpler, easy to remember and concise, like the slides below.

Keep in mind your audience when designing your presentation, their background and aesthetics sense. You will want to avoid the default clip art and cheesy graphics on your slides.

While presenting make sure to control the presentation and the room by walking around, drawing attention to you and what you are saying.  You should occasionally stand still when referencing a slide, but never turn your back to your audience to read your slide.

You and your speech are the presentations; the slides are just there to aid you.

Most season presenters don’t use anything less than twenty-eight point font size, and even Steve Jobs was known to use nothing smaller than forty-point text fonts.

If you can’t comfortably fit all the text on your slide using 28 font size than you’re trying to say and cram too much into the slide, remember tip #1.4 – Use relevant images instead and accompany it with bullets.

Best Practice PowerPoint Presentation Tips

The job of your presentation is to help convey information as efficiently and clearly as possible. By keeping the theme and design consistent, you’re allowing the information and pictures to stand out.

However, by varying the design from slide to slide, you will be causing confusion and distraction from the focus, which is you and the information to be conveyed on the slide.

Technology can also help us in creating a consistent presentation design just by picking a topic and selecting a sample template style. This is possible thanks to the SlideModel’s AI slideshow maker .

Each slide should try to represent one topic or talking point. The goal is to keep the attention focused on your speech, and by using one slide per talking point, you make it easy for you to prepare, as well as easy for your audience to follow along with your speech.

Sometimes when creating our presentation, we can often get in our heads and try to over-explain. A simple way to avoid this is to follow the “Rule of Three,” a concept coined by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle.

The idea is to stick to only 3 main ideas that will help deliver your point.  Each of the ideas can be further broken into 3 parts to explain further. The best modern example of this “Rule of Three” can be derived from the great Apple presentations given by Steve Jobs – they were always structured around the “Rule of Three.”

Display one sentence at a time

If you are planning to include text in your slides, try to avoid bullet lists, and use one slide per sentence. Be short and concise. This best practice focuses on the idea that simple messages are easy to retain in memory. Also, each slide can follow your storytelling path, introducing the audience to each concept while you speak, instead of listing everything beforehand.

Presentation Blunders To Avoid

In reality, there is no need for animations or transitions in your slides.

It’s great to know how to turn your text into fires or how to create a transition with sparkle effects, but the reality is the focus should be on the message. Using basic or no transitions lets the content of your presentation stand out, rather than the graphics.

If you plan to use animations, make sure to use modern and professional animations that helps the audience follow the story you are telling, for example when explaining time series or changing events over time.

Only add engaging content that supports your main points

You might have a great chart, picture or even phrase you want to add, but when creating every slide, it’s crucial to ask yourself the following question.

“Does this slide help support my main point?”

If the answer is no, then remove it.  Remember, less is more.

Do not use PowerPoint as a Teleprompter

A common crutch for rookie presenters is to use slides as their teleprompter.

First of all, you shouldn’t have that much text on your slides. If you have to read off something, prepare some index cards that fit in your hand but at all costs do not turn your back on your audience and read off of your PowerPoint.  The moment you do that, you make the presentation the focus, and lose the audience as the presenter.

Avoid Giving Out Copies of the Presentation

At least not before you deliver a killer presentation; providing copies of your presentation gives your audience a possible distraction where they can flip through the copy and ignore what you are saying.

It’s also easy for them to take your slides out of context without understanding the meaning behind each slide.  It’s OK to give a copy of the presentation, but generally it is better to give the copies AFTER you have delivered your speech. If you decide to share a copy of your presentation, the best way to do it is by  generating a QR code  for it and placing it at the end of your presentation. Those who want a copy can simply scan and download it onto their phones.

Tips To Making Your Presentation More Engaging

The point of your presentation is to help deliver a message.

When expanding on a particularly important topic that requires a lengthy explanation it’s best to fade the slide into black.  This removes any distraction from the screen and re-focuses it on you, the present speaker. Some presentation devices have a built-in black screen button, but if they don’t, you can always prepare for this by adding a black side to your presentation at the right moment.

“It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.”

Part of making your presentation engaging is to use all the tools at your disposal to get your point across. Changing the inflection and tone of your voice as you present helps make the content and the points more memorable and engaging.

One easy and powerful way to make your presentation interactive is experts to discuss a particular topic during your presentation. This helps create a more engaging presentation and gives you the ability to facilitate and lead a discussion around your topic.

It’s best to prepare some questions for your panel but to also field questions from the audience in a question and answer format.

How To Make Your Presentation More Interactive

What happens if I ask you to think about a pink elephant?  You probably briefly think about a pink elephant, right?

Asking questions when presenting helps engage the audience, and arouse interest and curiosity.  It also has the added benefit of making people pay closer attention, in case they get called on.

So don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if rhetorical; asking a question engages a different part of our brain. It causes us to reflect rather than merely take in the information one way. So ask many of them.

Asking questions can also be an excellent way to build suspense for the next slide.

(Steve Jobs was known to ask questions during his presentations, in this slide he built suspense by asking the audience “Is there space for a device between a cell phone and a laptop?” before revealing the iPad) Source: MacWorld SF 2018

Remember the point of your presentation is to get a message across and although you are the presenter, it is completely fine to use video in your PowerPoint to enhance your presentation.  A relevant video can give you some breathing time to prepare the next slides while equally informing the audience on a particular point.

CAUTION: Be sure to test the video beforehand, and that your audience can hear it in the room.

A trending engagement tool among presenters is to use a live polling tool to allow the audience to participate and collect immediate feedback.

Using a live polling tool is a fun and interactive way to engage your audience in real-time and allow them to participate in part of your presentation.

Google Slides has a built-in Q&A feature that allows presenters to make the slide deck more interactive by providing answers to the audience’s questions. By using the Q&A feature in Google Slides, presenters can start a live Q&A session and people can ask questions directly from their devices including mobile and smartphones.

Key Takeaways from one of the best presenters, Steve Jobs

He kept his slides uncluttered and always strove for simplicity.

In this slide, you can easily see he is talking about the battery life, and it uses a simple image and a few words. Learning from Jobs, you can also make a great presentation too. Focus on the core benefit of your product and incorporate great visuals.

Source: Macworld 2008

SlideModel.com can help to reproduce high-impact slides like these, keeping your audience engagement.

He was known to use large font sizes, the bigger, the better

A big font makes it hard to miss the message on the slide, and allows the audience to focus on the presenter while clearing the understanding what the point of the slide is.

He found made the complex sound simple

When explaining a list of features, he used a simple image and lines or simple tables to provide visual cues to his talking points.

What made Steve Jobs the master of presentation, was the ritual of practicing with his team, and this is simple yet often overlooked by many presenters.  It’s easy to get caught in the trap of thinking you don’t need to practice because you know the material so well.

While all these tips will help you create a truly powerful presentation , it can only achieve if applied correctly.

It’s important to remember when trying to deliver an amazing experience, you should be thoroughly prepared. This way, you can elevate your content presentation, convey your message effectively and captivate your audience.

This includes having your research cited, your presentation rehearsed.  Don’t just rehearse your slides, also take time to practice your delivery, and your tone.  The more you rehearse, the more relaxed you will be when delivering. The more confident you will feel.

While we can’t help you with the practice of your next presentation, we can help you by making sure you look good, and that you have a great design and cohesiveness.

You focus on the message and content; we’ll focus on making you look good.

Have a tip you would like to include?  Be sure to mention it in the comments!

Like this article? Please share

Audience, Engaging, Feedback, Interactive, Poll, Rule of Three, Steve Jobs Filed under Presentation Ideas

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Blog Marketing 15 Interactive Presentation Ideas to Elevate Engagement

15 Interactive Presentation Ideas to Elevate Engagement

Written by: Krystle Wong Aug 04, 2023

As attention spans continue to shrink, the challenge of engaging audiences in a short timeframe has never been more significant. Let’s face it — grabbing and keeping your audience’s attention can be quite the challenge, especially when time is ticking away. But fear not, I’ve got the perfect solution: interactive presentations!

Believe it or not, creating an interactive presentation is easier than you might think. In this guide, I’ll show you how to effortlessly turn ordinary slides into captivating experiences with 15 interactive presentation ideas that will leave your audience begging for more. From quirky polls and fun games to storytelling adventures and multimedia magic, these ideas will take your presentation game to the next level.

Venngage is a game-changer when it comes to empowering interactive presentations. With just a few clicks, users can customize their favorite presentation templates , add multimedia content and create immersive experiences that leave a lasting impact. Whether you’re a seasoned presenter or a newcomer, get started with Venngage to elevate your presentation game to new heights of engagement and creativity.

Click to jump ahead:

What is an interactive presentation?

15 ways to make a presentation interactive, 7 best interactive presentation software, what are some common mistakes to avoid when creating interactive presentations, interactive presentation faqs, how to create an interactive presentation with venngage.

An interactive presentation is a dynamic and engaging communication format that involves active participation and collaboration between the presenter and the audience. Unlike traditional presentations where information is delivered in a one-way manner, interactive presentations invite the audience to interact, respond and contribute throughout the session.

Think of it as a two-way street where you and your audience have a friendly chat. It’s like playing a fun game where you ask questions, get live feedback and encourage people to share their thoughts. 

To make a good presentation , you can utilize various tools and techniques such as clickable buttons, polls, quizzes, discussions and multimedia elements to transform your slides into an interactive presentation. Whether you’re presenting in-person or giving a virtual presentation — when people are actively participating, they’re more likely to remember the stuff you’re talking about.

Interactive presentations leave a lasting impression on the audience. By encouraging active participation and feedback, interactive presentations facilitate better understanding and knowledge retention. Here are 15 innovative 5-minute interactive presentation ideas to captivate your audience from start to finish:

1. Ice-breaker questions

Start your presentation with intriguing and thought-provoking questions or a fun icebreaker game. These questions should be designed to pique the audience’s curiosity and encourage them to think about the topic you’ll be covering. By doing so, you create an immediate connection with your audience and set the stage for a more engaged and attentive audience.

For example, if you’re giving a business presentation about management and leadership training, you could ask audience questions such as “What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received, and how has it impacted your career?”

2. Live polling

Incorporate live polls during your presentation using audience response systems or polling apps . This allows you to collect real-time feedback, opinions and insights from active participants. Live polling encourages active participation and involvement, making your presentation feel like a collaborative and interactive experience.

3. Q&A sessions

Encourage the audience to ask questions throughout your presentation, especially for pitch deck presentations . Address these questions in real-time, which fosters a more interactive and dynamic atmosphere. This approach shows that you value the audience’s input and promotes a two-way communication flow.

4. Clickable buttons

Add clickable buttons to your slides, allowing the audience to navigate to specific sections or external resources at their own pace. For example, you could include links to your social media accounts or extra reading materials in your education presentation to give further information about the topic and get your students engaged.

By providing this autonomy, you empower the audience to explore areas of particular interest, creating a more personalized and engaging experience through your interactive slideshow.

5. Storytelling

Incorporate anecdotes or personal stories related to your topic. Storytelling is a powerful way to emotionally connect with your audience, making your presentation more relatable and memorable. A little storytelling along with a set of creative slides draws the audience in and keeps them engaged as they follow the narrative.

6. Interactive charts and graphs

Use interactive charts and graphs that respond to user input to make your presentation interactive. For instance, allow the audience to click on data points to view more detailed information or to change the displayed data series. Creating charts with interactive visuals help the audience interact with the data, fostering better understanding and engagement.

7. Animated infographics

Add animations to your infographics, making them visually dynamic and progressive. Animated infographics reveal information gradually, keeping the audience curious and attentive. This transforms complex data into an easily digestible and engaging format.

Venngage’s extensive library of infographic templates is a powerful tool to visualize data and elevate the interactivity of your presentations. Personalizing the visuals ensures a cohesive and professional look throughout your interactive presentation. The templates are highly customizable, allowing you to adjust colors, fonts, and styles to match your presentation’s theme and branding. 

8. Gamification

Introduce an interactive quiz, puzzles, or challenges related to your presentation content. Gamification adds an element of fun and competition, motivating the audience to participate actively and boosting their learning experience. Here are some gaming presentation templates you could use. 

9. Virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR)

If applicable, leverage VR or AR technologies to provide immersive experiences. These interactive presentation tools transport the audience into a virtual or augmented environment, making your presentation more captivating and memorable.

10. Collaborative whiteboarding

Get your audience involved in your presentation by utilizing digital whiteboards or collaborative tools to brainstorm ideas collectively. This fosters teamwork and creativity, enabling the audience to actively contribute and feel a sense of involvement in the presentation.

11. Hyperlinked text

Keep the information in your slides minimal with a simple presentation and incorporate hyperlinks to direct viewers to relevant websites or blogs , resources, or additional information. This encourages self-exploration and gives the audience the opportunity to delve deeper into topics of interest.

12. Role-playing

Engage the audience in role-playing scenarios to explore different perspectives. Role-playing promotes active learning and helps the audience relate the content to real-life situations, enhancing their understanding and retention.

13. Embedded videos

Include video clips in your slides to provide visual explanations, demonstrations, or interviews. Videos add a dynamic element to your presentation, enriching the content and keeping the audience engaged.

14. Audience-generated content

Encourage the audience to contribute ideas, stories or examples related to your professional presentation . Audience-generated content fosters a sense of ownership and involvement, making the presentation more interactive and personalized.

15. Slide transitions

Use slide transitions to create smooth animations between slides. Well-planned transitions maintain the audience’s interest and keep the presentation slides flowing seamlessly.

Interactive elements aside, enhance your presentation with these guides on how to summarize information for a captivating presentation and how to make a persuasive presentation to captivate your audience. 

If you’re looking to create engaging and interactive presentation slides that captivate your audience, these presentation software options are sure to elevate your game:

Prezi is renowned for its dynamic and non-linear presentation style, enabling users to craft visually stunning and interactive presentations. With an array of templates and animation effects, Prezi enhances audience engagement, making your presentations more captivating and memorable.

2. Mentimeter

Mentimeter serves as an audience response system, empowering real-time interaction during presentations. Users can create interactive polls, quizzes, word clouds and more, allowing the audience to respond using their smartphones or other devices. This fosters active participation and provides valuable feedback instantly.

3. Google Slides

Google Slides is a free cloud-based presentation software that not only offers collaboration features but also enables real-time interactions. It includes add-ons and third-party integrations to further enhance interactivity, making it an excellent choice for collaborative and engaging presentations.

4. Microsoft PowerPoint

PowerPoint, a classic presentation software, has evolved to incorporate more interactive features like live captions, real-time collaboration and interactive elements such as quizzes and forms. With its familiar interface and versatile functionalities, PowerPoint remains a reliable choice for interactive presentations.

5. Prezentor

Prezentor caters to sales-oriented presentations focusing on interactive storytelling and data-driven content. It offers analytics to track audience engagement and behavior during presentations, allowing you to fine-tune your approach and keep your audience hooked.

6. Opinion Stage

Opinion Stage is a visual and interactive data collection tool designed to engage and excite audiences whether sitting in a lecture hall, participating in a live Zoom, or watching an on-demand webinar. The Opinion Stage tools are simple and intuitive, making it easy to create attention-grabbing quizzes, surveys, and polls in minutes. A great way to spice up any presentation, encourage audience participation, and collect authentic feedback.

7 . Venngage

Venngage stands out as a versatile design tool that facilitates the creation of interactive infographics, data visualizations and presentations with ease. Offering various interactive elements and animations, Venngage empowers you to craft visually appealing and engaging presentations effortlessly.

With these interactive presentation software options at your disposal, you can unleash your creativity and deliver presentations that leave a lasting impact on your audience. So, go ahead and make your presentations interactive, captivating and memorable!

For more presentation software options, check out this blog on the 12 best presentation software for 2023.

Creating interactive presentations can be a game-changer for engaging your audience and enhancing your presentation skills, but steering clear of common pitfalls is essential. Here are some key mistakes to avoid when crafting your interactive presentations:

1. Overloading with interactivity

While interactivity is fantastic, bombarding your audience with too many interactive elements can backfire. Strive for a balanced approach that enhances engagement without overwhelming your listeners.

2. Ignoring audience relevance

Failing to tailor interactive elements to your audience’s interests and preferences can lead to disconnection. Make sure your interactions resonate with your specific audience for a more meaningful experience.

3. Not testing interactive elements

Skipping thorough testing of interactive features before showtime can spell disaster. Avoid technical glitches by diligently testing all interactive components in advance.

4. Poor timing and pace

Timing is everything, especially with interactive activities. Ensure seamless integration by planning your key points and the timing of your interactive elements carefully.

5. Lack of clear purpose

Every interactive element should serve a purpose and contribute to your presentation’s objectives. Don’t add interactions just for the sake of it — ensure they add value and align with your message.

6. Failing to engage beyond interactivity

While interactive elements are powerful tools, remember that content is king. Combine your interactive features with compelling storytelling and valuable insights to create an immersive and impactful presentation.

Incorporating animated slides into your interactive presentations enhances the overall appeal and interaction, turning an ordinary presentation into an engaging experience. Try it out with one of our animated presentation templates to get started. 

How do you start an interactive presentation?

Begin by grabbing the audience’s attention with an intriguing question or a surprising fact, setting the tone for a dynamic and engaging session.

Which type of presentation is the most interactive?

Workshops and seminars are often the most interactive types of presentations as they encourage active participation, discussions and hands-on activities.

How can interactive presentations enhance audience engagement?

Interactive presentations foster a two-way communication flow, involving the audience through polls, quizzes, discussions and multimedia elements, leading to increased interest, attentiveness and better retention of information.

What are some common interactive elements to include in a presentation?

Common interactive elements include clickable buttons, hyperlinked text, polls, quizzes, interactive charts, multimedia content and audience participation activities.

Can interactive presentations be used for educational purposes?

Absolutely! Interactive presentations are highly effective for educational purposes as they promote active learning, encourage critical thinking, and provide real-time feedback and knowledge exchange opportunities.

Need inspiration on how to give an engaging presentation ? Here are 120+ presentation ideas you could use. 

Venngage makes it easy for anyone to infuse interactivity into their presentations. From clickable buttons and hyperlinked text to interactive infographics and dynamic charts, Venngage offers a diverse range of interactive elements to captivate and engage the audience. Here’s how you can make your presentation more fun and interesting with Venngage:

• Sign up or log in to Venngage to access the platform.
• Choose a presentation template or start with a blank canvas to begin designing your interactive presentation.
• Add and edit slides in the Venngage editor to structure your presentation content effectively.
• Customize the design by selecting themes, fonts, colors and backgrounds to match your style and branding.
• Use interactive elements like buttons, links, pop-ups and hover effects to engage the audience during the presentation.
• Enhance engagement by incorporating interactive media such as videos and audio clips.
• Preview and test your entire presentation to ensure everything works smoothly before presenting it to your audience.
• Save your interactive presentation on Venngage and share it online or download it in various formats for presenting purposes.

Well, I hope these 15 5-minute interactive presentation examples can help unlock a new level of audience engagement for your next presentation. From fun quizzes and interactive storytelling to multimedia magic and gamified challenges, the possibilities are endless. So, don’t be afraid to experiment, tailor the ideas to suit your audience members and let your creativity shine.  

That said, remember to strike a balance and keep the interactivity purposeful and relevant. Some common mistakes to avoid when creating interactive slides include overloading the presentation with too many interactive elements and failing to align the interactive elements with the overall presentation goals and content. 

Got it? Great. Now let’s turn that boring presentation around!

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20 Ways to Create an Interactive Presentation That Stands Out

Written by: Chloe West

When you’re putting together a presentation, you want it to be engaging. Whether you’re presenting it live or embedding it on your website, you want to keep your audience entertained.

The best way to do that is by creating an interactive presentation that holds audience's attention and even allows them to participate.

Sitting in a boring presentation where the speaker simply talks at their audience can make eyes glaze over and cause the speaker to lose their listener.

Adding interactivity to your presentation is the best way to spice up your speech, engage your audience and stand out from other presenters. The best part is, it doesn't have to be more work!

With these 17 ways to create an interactive presentation, you’ll be sure to grab your audience’s attention and keep them entertained throughout the entire presentation.

Here’s a short selection of 10 easy-to-edit job presentation templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:

• An interactive presentation is a dynamic type of presentation that supports increased engagement and interactions with the audience.
• Try integrating media techniques like video clips, audio narratives, music, and interactive quizzes.
• Involve your audience by polling them, encouraging movement, getting them to ask questions, letting them lead the direction, and asking them to share with a hashtag for social interactions.
• Play with non-linear and other creative transitions, animations, and even props.
• Include animated data visualizations and stories to enrich the interactivity in your presentation.

Before we jump right in, let’s explain what an interactive presentation is

What is an Interactive Presentation

An interactive presentation is a dynamic type of presentation that supports increased engagement and interactions with the audience. It involves using interactive elements to create a more personal and engaging experience with your audience.

Whether you’re doing a live or pre-recorded presentation, there are various interactive tools for presentations and interactive ways to present information. It could be as simple as embedding audio and video in your presentation. Or, it could take the form of using charts, surveys, navigation, transitions, hyperlinks, hotspots and other elements in your presentation.

If you ever wondered how to make a presentation interactive, this is your opportunity to try out a variety of techniques. Implement one or two ideas first and see how it fits with your brand guidelines.

Remember that any interactivity you add to your presentations must make sense with the rest of the content, otherwise, it could be distracting instead of engaging.

If using Monday.com , create and share your presentation and collaborate easily inside your workspace using our account integration. Also, take advantage of our wide range of integrations to boost productivity.

Here’s how to make an interactive presentation

1 Start your interactive presentation with an icebreaker.

The first step is creating a rapport with your audience. You can do this by helping them to get to know you a little better and get to know each other as well.

The way you go about this will depend on the size of your audience. If you’re presenting in a small group setting or workshop, you can easily go around the room and have everyone share a bit about themselves.

However, if you’re speaking with a crowd or at a conference with a larger audience, it would make more sense to simply have your audience introduce themselves to a neighbor or two before you dive in.

You could ask the audience to answer a question out loud or to their neighbor, ask them to prepare a few questions about your topic or a list of things they'd like to learn or put together a fun icebreaker game.

Visualize the icebreaker question on a slide using text animations. Your Visme editor offers a variety of eye-catching movements for your textual content. Choose from options like typewriter, rise up, ease in and more.

Here are just a few icebreaker games you can choose from for your next interactive presentation. Also, read this article on how to start your presentation and 12 ways to keep your audience hooked.

2 Use video clips in a slide or two.

You don’t have to be the only one talking during your presentation. Videos are one of the most effective interactive learning tools for presentations.

Embed a video into one of your slides to switch up your audience’s focus. With Visme's animated presentation software , you can easily embed a YouTube or Vimeo video into your slide for your audience to view on their own or for you to feature during your interactive slideshow. Here's how you can do that.

Simply go to the Media tab in the left sidebar of your Visme editor and click on Insert Video.

Add a video from anywhere, your computer or your phone. Download the Visme iOS app and add videos to your presentations in minutes. Edit your presentation effectively by resizing, placing into shapes, trimming with the timeline editor and selecting playback settings.

Sharing video clips can be a great way to further emphasize your argument by bringing in other opinions or even to just add a break for your audience during longer presentations. You can also share a video of yourself demonstrating how to do something.

If you’re embedding the slideshow on your website, adding a video to a slide or two allows your audience to take a break from reading and jump into a different way of consuming your content.

There are so many other types of content you can embed into your presentation with Visme as well, like quizzes, surveys and more!

3 Add Animated Icons

Create interactive slides with unique touches like animated icons. Using vibrant design elements like beautiful icons that move your audience’s attention to the areas you want them to notice. Also, using icons instead of text offers white space for the viewer to feel a sense of balance on the slide.

Here’s how to do it:

Choose a slide where you’d like to add an animated icon. In terms of options, you have two; use the native, animated icons or animate static icons with the animation tools.

On the left toolbar, click on graphics and select the icons you want. The animated ones are at the bottom next to the animated illustrations, customizable characters, avatars and 3D arrows.

Place the icon and click on the Animate button on the top right. Select the style of animation and duration for each icon and ensure everything is balanced and not overdone. You might not need more than one or two repetitions for each icon.

4 Add Pop-Ups with Extra Info

A great way to inspire your audience to interact with your presentation is to add popups with extra info using hotspots. This is how you can do it.

Click on a text, shape or object you’d like to add a popup and hotspot to and click on the Actions button on the top right. Add an action and choose the function; it can be another slide, or a popup that you can design from scratch.

Add visual hotspots as markers for the audience to know there is something special going on.

Watch this video to learn how to create interactive pop up effects in Visme

Make your popups more interesting by using AI-generated graphics prompted by your visual brand guidelines.

5 Make your interactive presentation non-linear.

Not every slideshow you create needs to simply flow from slide to slide. Get creative with it and see if it makes sense to add in a non-linear flow. So, what exactly is a non-linear presentation?

When you create links between slides so you can click around different areas of your presentation, you’re putting together a non-linear presentation.

You’re not going from slide one to slide two to slide three, and so on. Instead, you’re creating an interactive way for you and your audience to jump around your presentation.

You can create a table of contents page and link it to the slides that start each section. If your presentation is embedded, this allows your audience to navigate in their own preferred order.

It also gives your presentation a different edge from the regular flow, and can keep readers intrigued about what’s coming next.

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6 Have a Q&A session.

Want to get the audience involved? Ask them questions! This is a must-have interactive tool for presentations.

It’s also one of the most popular ideas for interactive presentations.

While many presenters always plan to host a Q&A at the end of their presentation for the audience to ask questions , it can go both ways.

You can easily put together a few slides where you’re asking your audience questions throughout your presentation. Before you move onto the next section, ask your listeners what they think first.

Don’t make it intimidating, like a pop quiz. A simple “What do you think about..?” can work wonders.

You can also take several breaks throughout your presentation to give the audience a chance to ask you questions. If you had them write down a few things they want to make sure they learn from you at the beginning of the presentation, this is a great time to ask.

7 Create an interactive quiz.

Take it a step further and actually create a quiz in your interactive presentation. This engaging presentation idea works well for both live and embedded presentations.

In Visme, you can link elements in your slide together so that one element appears when another element is clicked. So ask your audience a question, gather their answers and then click to expose the correct answer.

If you’re embedding the presentation, make sure you include a button that says something like “Click to see if you’re right!” so that your viewer knows they’re able to interact with the slide.

While you don’t necessarily want to use this as a way to sneakily check if your audience has been paying attention, it can be a fun way to gauge expertise in your audience and understand how much information you should cover.

Struggling to generate content for your quiz? Use Visme’s AI writer to generate high-quality content for your presentation, quiz or other aspects of your presentation.

8 Add a Flipbook Effect

Add another dose of interactivity for the audience’s viewing experience by using Visme’s flipbook effect . Mixing a physical “flipping” action with a digital document or presentation makes it easy for the audience to swipe from slide to slide. It’ll also create an emotional association with magazines and books, these are generally positive associations.

All presentations made with Visme, when shared via a live Visme link, will be viewable as a flipbook. You can turn the option and off in the sharing settings.

Flipbook isn’t just available for presentations, any document and even whiteboard can be shared as a digital flipbook. All your audience has to do is swipe and the slides/pages will flip like a magazine.

Like Kimberly Barrett, Wellbeing Consultant at Ameritas says, “You can do everything within Visme, you don’t have to use multiple tools to get something completed and delivered. Everything is just in one place, and it’s all-encompassing.”

9 Bring props along to your interactive presentation.

Want to really grab your audience’s attention? Want to really grab your audience’s attention? Props are also useful interactive tools for presentations.

Bringing props along with you to help you demonstrate and visually tell your story can be a great way to keep people watching and listening.

The first thing to keep in mind when deciding which props to help convey your story is that they need to be relevant. Don’t bring random props that are interesting but are a huge stretch to fit in with your content.

Instead, bring props that intrigue your audience but still make sense with the information you’re sharing.

Here’s a great example of a prop that definitely secured the audience’s full attention. Bill Gates released a swarm of live mosquitos into the audience during his TED Talk on Mosquitos, Malaria and Education.

Sanitary? Maybe not. Attention getting? You bet.

10 Tell your audience a story.

One of the most interactive ways to present information is storytelling. It’s an undeniable strategy for drawing your audience into your presentation. Even if your topic covers a lot of data, facts and statistics, your speech doesn’t have to be dry.

There are many different ways to incorporate stories into your presentation effectively.

A good story helps to create an immersive effect , bringing your audience in and making them feel like they’re a part of your presentation. It taps into their emotions, causing them to hang onto your words, making your presentation much more memorable in the long run.

Here's a great example of a presentation filled with data that still hooks the audience in with great storytelling.

11 Add an audio narrative.

You don’t have to speak the entire time. Much like videos, audio and sounds are helpful interactive tools for presentations.

In fact, sometimes, it can be nice to give yourself a break and pre-record some of your slides. This is also a great strategy to include for embedded presentations.

With Visme’s presentation maker , you are able to upload audio files that play in your slideshow. You can also record your own audio directly inside the Visme editor.

Some Visme users even create pre-recorded webinars using the software.

Adding audio into an embedded slideshow can be a great way to create an interactive presentation experience. You can add music or sound effects to slides to make them stand out. Or you can add an audio narrative that talks about your slide content in even more depth than your slide design allows.

12 Poll your audience.

Looking for other activities for presentations to keep your audience engaged?  Get your audience involved in your presentation by polling them. Give them multiple choice options to see which one is the most popular. Ask them to raise hands.

You can even use a polling software and have your audience input their answers via their smartphone and watch the results come in live on your screen.

Have fun with it. Ask your audience about their favorite football team, which ice cream flavor they’d choose between vanilla and chocolate and more. This is a great way to do icebreakers, as well as break up your presentation with some mindless fun.

Of course, you can also have polls relevant to your presentation topic . Consider all of the ways you can use a poll in your next interactive presentation.

13  Include discussion questions.

If you’re still searching for how to make a PowerPoint presentation interactive , consider adding discussion questions in. You can break your audience into small groups to discuss your questions or simply have them discuss it briefly with their neighbor.

Seminar presentations are the perfect setting for discussion questions, and this can also work well if you’re putting on a presentation to a group of people that are sitting at tables.

All you need to do is put a discussion question up on the board and ask your audience to go around their table with their answers. This creates an interactive environment with very little effort on your part.

14  Encourage movement in your audience.

Another way to create an interactive environment is by encouraging movement within your audience.

This can be as simple as taking an intermission during a longer presentation or giving your audience a few minutes to get up and stretch their legs.

Other methods include asking your audience yes or no questions and having them answer by raising their hands or standing up, having your audience move to different seats and introduce themselves to new neighbors, or calling people up on stage to participate.

15  Get your audience asking questions.

As I mentioned earlier in this post, having your audience take time at the beginning of your presentation to list out their questions on your topic is a great idea.

It’s a proven technique to make your PowerPoint presentation interactive.  

Several times throughout your presentation, take a pause to ask for audience questions. Allow your listeners to ask questions about the slides you’ve already covered and the ones that may be coming up.

Getting your audience to ask questions, and letting them know that there will be several opportunities to do so, is a great way to ensure they continue to pay attention, take notes and write down potential questions throughout. Make sure you set some time aside at the end of your presentation for the rest of their questions.

Worried that people won’t speak up? Have a few allies in your audience that start the question asking.

No, this is not sneaky or shady. Sometimes people need a bit of encouragement, and asking a friend that you know will be attending to start off the questions can help.

16  Let your audience decide the direction.

Again, your presentation doesn’t have to be linear. You can have a slide setup with your four (or however many you have) main points and ask your audience which one they want to hear first, second and so on.

This makes it fun for the audience because they actually get to participate in the order of your presentation.

While this means you need to be extra prepared for whatever route your presentation may take, it creates a fun, interactive setting that your audience will remember for years to come.

Try a unique presentation structure like this, or one of these seven that your audience is sure to love.

17  Share a hashtag for social interaction.

If you’re speaking at an event that already has a branded hashtag, encourage your audience to tweet about your presentation using that hashtag. If you’re hosting a standalone presentation, come up with your own hashtag for your audience to use.

Your viewers can then share tidbits from your presentation as well as use the hashtag to ask questions for you to monitor and answer throughout.

Not only does this help to get your audience engaged, but it even helps to get their audiences engaged, learning about who you are, and interested in your content and presentation.

18  Add music to your interactive presentation slides.

Create a different ambiance by adding background music to your slides. Or get your audience pumped for new and exciting information with a pop song transition.

With Visme, you can easily upload audio files, including music clips, so that you can create an interactive experience for your audience. Your entire presentation doesn’t have to be centered around the sound of your voice. Adding in a music clip is a great way to refocus your audience on your content.

Plus, it can be a nice added touch in an embedded presentation.

19  Play with transitions and animations.

There are so many different ways to animate your slides , each more exciting than the next. You can animate different elements in your slides, like in the animated slideshow below.

You can also create seamless transitions between your slides by having each one of your elements slide in on its own, like in the presentation example below. To see the effect in action, click on the arrow buttons to transition to the next slide.

You can even add animated graphs and charts to your presentation slides . Animation should be fun, and toying with different ideas can make for great interactivity.

This is actually a big mistake that most people make while creating a presentation. If you're using a software like PowerPoint, you might go overboard with all the different options you have. Use a tool like Visme so you can access handpicked, proven animation and transition styles, like in the examples shown above.

Just remember to be consistent with your animations and transitions. Keep the same look and feel throughout your entire presentation rather than a million different animation types.

20  Use data visualization in your interactive presentation.

Last, but certainly not least, use data visualization to showcase your information in an engaging and easy-to-understand format.

Whether you’re a data expert, business leader, or trainer, interactive data visualization is a staple. It’s one of the most interactive ways to present information, especially when detailing with figures and statistics.

Data visualization can be anything from a chart or graph that visually represent actual statistics and numbers to an icon or graphic that represents words.

Visualizing your points can be a great way to argue your point, and creating charts, graphs and other figures helps your audience digest your content that much quicker and more easily.

Plus, Visme offers tons of ways to visualize data within your presentation slides.

Choose from one of our many data visualization tools, such as animated charts , graphs and data widgets, to start visualizing your facts and figures in a more interactive format.

Once you’re satisfied with how your presentation looks, you can share it online using a live link or download it in multiple formats, such as PPTX, PDF, PNG, JPG, MP4 and more. Also you track the performance (views, unique visits, average time spent and completion) of your presentation using Visme analytics .

Interactive Presentation FAQs

Q. why is interactive content better.

Interactive content is more effective because it grabs attention and provides an engaging and immersive experience that keeps users hooked on your content. This attribute makes it a brilliant strategy for educating your audience, increasing audience participation, boosting engagement, and improving their overall learning experience.

According to a DemandGen report , up to 90% of marketers admit interactive is effective in educating buyers but other marketers use it for lead generation (58%), brand awareness (57%) and conversion (49%).

Q. What Is the Best Interactive Presentation Tool?

There are many interactive presentation tools out there. Visme is the best, primarily because it offers a user-friendly interface, a full suite of animation and interactive tools, multiple customization options, an extensive library of templates and much more.

You can access animated 2D and 3D graphics, icons, illustrations and special effects that level up your visual content, as well as, animated enter and exit effects for your text and other design elements.

In addition, you can create a clickable menu or interactive table of contents, ink slides, pages or content blocks to objects on your canvas, and create hover effects or clickable pop-ups that reveal information when users take action.

The best part? Visme offers a variety of interactive templates and ready-to-use graphics that help users save time and create high-quality presentations quickly.

Q. Which Type of Presentation Is the Most Interactive?

When it comes to interactive presentations, there are several types that can be quite effective.

However, one of the most interactive types of presentations is one that involves the audience directly in the discussion and allows for active participation.

This can be achieved by using interactive presentation examples and tools such as videos, live polls, quizzes, Q&A sessions, interactive games, and hands-on activities. By engaging with the audience in this way, presenters can create a memorable experience that not only educates but also entertains.

Q. How Do I Make My Presentation Stand Out?

There are a few things you can do to make your presentation more memorable.

First, make sure you have a clear and concise message you want to convey to your audience. This will help you stay focused and avoid getting sidetracked during your presentation.

Next, use visuals like images, graphs, and charts to help illustrate your points and break up the text on your slides. Don't be afraid to use humor or storytelling as well, as these can help engage your audience and make your presentation more entertaining.

You can also consider adding animations and interactive elements to your presentation to make it more engaging. Interactive elements, such as quizzes, polls, or games, can also help to engage your audience and keep them interested in what you're saying.

Animations can be used to bring your content to life and keep your audience's attention focused on the screen. For example, you can use animations to highlight key points or to add a bit of visual interest to your slides.

Finally, practice your delivery and try to be confident and enthusiastic when you present. This will help you connect with your audience and leave a lasting impression.

Q. Are Interactive Presentations More Effective?

Interactive presentations can be more effective than traditional, static presentations because they engage the audience and keep them interested throughout the presentation.

When the audience is hooked, they become active learners and are more likely to retain the information.

Interactive presentations can also be customized to meet the specific needs and interests of the audience, making them more relevant and impactful.

Overall, incorporating interactive elements into a presentation can help to create a more dynamic and memorable experience for the audience.

Q. Is an Interactive Presentation Different From Interactive Content?

Yes, an interactive presentation and interactive content are two different things.

An interactive presentation is a type of content that conveys engaging information using multimedia elements such as videos, animations, and interactive graphics.

Interactive content, on the other hand, refers to any type of content—such as quizzes, polls, and games— that requires your audience to participate actively rather than consume the information passively.

Visme: The Best Interactive Presentation Software

Before now, you were probably thinking of which option you would use for your presentation to engage your audience. Before now, you were probably thinking of which option you will use for your presentation to engage your audience or how to make presentations interactive.

So now you see? Your next presentation doesn’t have to be boring and predictable. By incorporating these interactive presentation ideas , your audience will be engaged and their phones will be put away.

Visme offers tons of interactivity features right within our presentation software . Sign up and create a free account today to start trying them out. And if you’re running out of time, you can use AI Presentation Maker to create your presentation in minutes.

Beyond presentations, Visme offers an all-in-one visual content platform. You can use our infinite online whiteboard to brainstorm and build projects collaboratively, create marketing material, schedule and share it on social media right from the editor and access tons of design elements and tools to create powerful content.

Try Visme today and make your presentations interactive, entertaining and successful.

Did you find this article helpful? Which interactive presentation feature is your favorite? Let us know your thoughts and questions in the comments below!

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About the Author

Chloe West is the content marketing manager at Visme. Her experience in digital marketing includes everything from social media, blogging, email marketing to graphic design, strategy creation and implementation, and more. During her spare time, she enjoys exploring her home city of Charleston with her son.

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How to Make an Interactive PowerPoint (1-Minute Easy Guide!)

Anh Vu • 20 August, 2024 • 8 min read

A PowerPoint presentation that goes the extra mile with interactive elements can result in up to 92% audience engagement.

The real question is, How?

Don't waste more time and jump straight into our ultimate guide on how to make PowerPoint interactive with easy and accessible steps, plus free templates to deliver a masterpiece.

Encourage Audience Participation

Your PowerPoint presentation can't be truly interactive without audience interaction. Of course, cool effects and animation (which we will address later) can make your slides more visually appealing, but to make eyes glued to the screen and to make a truly impactful PPT presentation, you will need them to be involved every step of the way.

Audience engagement is often achieved through two-way activities such as live polls, quizzes and live Q&A sessions during the presentation. Here's how it works...

Here's how it works...

1. Add Polls and Quizzes

Are you thinking about complex triggers and animation to create a quiz on PowerPoint? Cross that out because, with just one simple PowerPoint add-in, you can add interactivity in 1 minute.

Here, we will use the AhaSlides add-in for PowerPoint . It's free, has a big library of ready-to-use templates, and offers a plethora of interactive activities to do with your audience like different types of quizzes, image polls, word clouds , Q&A, or rating scales for easy surveys, and is compatible with both PowerPoint for Mac and PowerPoint for Windows.

Below are 3 easy steps to integrate AhaSlides with PowerPoint:

How to Use The AhaSlides PowerPoint Add-in in 3 Steps

Step 1. Create a free AhaSlides account

Create an AhaSlides account , then present with interactive activities such as poll or quiz questions beforehand. You can use the AI slides generator to brainstorm more topics easily.

Step 2. Add AhaSlides on PowerPoint Office add-ins

Open PowerPoint, click 'Insert' -> 'Get Add-ins' and search for AhaSlides. On a new PowerPoint presentation, create a new slide. Insert AhaSlides from the 'My Add-ins' section (you'll need an Aha account ).

Step 3. Use AhaSlides on PowerPoint

On a new PowerPoint presentation, create a new slide. Insert AhaSlides from the 'My Add-ins' section. Your participants can join through the invitation QR code when you present using their phones/PC.

Still confused? See this detailed guide in our Knowledge Base .

Expert Tip #1 - Use an Ice Breaker

All meetings, virtual or otherwise, could be done with a quick activity or two to break the ice. This could be a simple question or a minigame before the real meat of the meeting gets underway.

Here's one for you. If you're presenting to an online audience from all over the world, use a multiple-choice poll slide to ask them 'How's everyone feeling? . When the audience responds, you can see the sentiment going up or down in real time.

💡 Want more icebreaker games? You'll find a whole bunch of free ones right here !

Expert Tip #2 - End with a Mini-Quiz

There's nothing that does more for engagement than a quiz. Quizzes are greatly underused in presentations; flip the script to raise engagement.

A quick 5 to 10-question quiz can work at the end of a section to test what your audience has just learned, or as a fun sign-off at the end of your interactive PowerPoint presentation.

On AhaSlides, quizzes work the same way as other interactive slides. Ask a question and your audience compete for points by being the fastest answerers on their phones.

Expert Tip #3 - Try Variety

Let's face facts. Most presentations, through a lack of creative thinking, follow the exact same structure. It's a structure that bores us senseless (it even has a name - Death by PowerPoint ) and it's one that could really use a kick of variety.

There are currently 19 interactive slide types on AhaSlides. Presenters looking to avoid the dreaded monotony of the standard presentation structure can poll their audience, ask an open-ended question, gather ordinal scale ratings, elicit popular ideas in a brainstorming session , visualise data in a word cloud and so much more.

Did you know that you can convert a PDF document to an AhaSlides quiz for knowledge testing? Try out this cool feature right now👇

2. Host a Question and Answer Session (Anonymously)

Have you ever wondered why you're getting muted reactions even with a premium presentation? Part of the social psychology of crowds is the general unwillingness, even amongst confident participants, to speak up in front of others on a whim.

Allowing audience members to anonymously respond to your questions and suggest their own can be a great remedy for that. Just by giving your audience the option to provide their names, you'll likely receive a higher level of engagement from all types of personalities in the audience, not just introverts.

💡 Add a Q&A slide to your PPT presentation using the AhaSlides add-in.

3. Ask Open-ended Questions Throughout Your Presentation

While quizzes are fun, how about trying something that's less competitive while still encouraging audience members to think critically?

Scatter open-ended questions throughout your presentation and let participants share their ideas. It challenges people to think deeper and get their creative juices flowing. Who knows, you might spark some great ideas by letting the audience share their perspectives too.

💡 Add an Open-ended question slide to your PPT presentation using the AhaSlides add-in to let everyone share their thoughts anonymously.

Besides PowerPoint, Google Slides is also a fantastic tool, right? Check out this article if you’re wondering how to make Google Slides interactive . ✌️

Use Animations and Triggers

Using animations and triggers is a powerful technique to transform your PowerPoint presentations from static lectures to dynamic and interactive experiences. Here's a deeper dive into each element:

1. Animation

Animations add movement and visual interest to your slides. Instead of text and images simply appearing, they can "fly in", "fade in", or even follow a specific path. This grabs your audience's attention and keeps them engaged. Here are some types of animations to explore:

• Entrance animations: Control how elements appear on the slide. Options include "Fly In" (from a specific direction), "Fade In", "Grow/Shrink", or even a dramatic "Bounce".
• Exit animations: Control how elements disappear from the slide. Consider "Fly Out", "Fade Out", or a playful "Pop".
• Emphasis animations: Highlight specific points with animations like "Pulse", "Grow/Shrink", or "Color Change".
• Motion paths: Animate elements to follow a specific path across the slide. This can be used for visual storytelling or emphasising connections between elements.

2. Triggers

Triggers take your animations a step further and make your presentation interactive. They allow you to control when an animation happens based on specific user actions. Here are some common triggers you can use:

• On click: An animation starts when the user clicks on a specific element (e.g., clicking an image triggers a video to play).
• On hover: An animation plays when the user hovers their mouse over an element. (e.g., hover over a number to reveal a hidden explanation).
• After the previous slide: An animation starts automatically after the previous slide has finished displaying.

Space it Out

While there's certainly a lot more room for interactivity in presentations, we all know what they say about having too much of a good thing...

Don't overload your audience by asking for participation on every slide. Audience interaction should just be used to keep engagement high, ears pricked up, and information at the forefront of your audience members' minds.

With that in mind, you might find that 3 or 4 content slides to each interactive slide is the perfect ratio for maximum attention .

Looking for More Interactive PowerPoint Ideas?

With the power of interactivity in your hands, knowing what to do with it is not always easy.

Need more interactive PowerPoint presentation samples? Luckily, signing up for AhaSlides comes with unlimited access to the template library , so you can explore lots of digital presentation examples! This is a library of instantly downloadable presentations chock full of ideas for engaging your audience in an interactive PowerPoint.

Get started in seconds..

Sign up for free and build your interactive PowerPoint from a template.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can you make slides more interesting.

Start by writing out your ideas, then get creative with the slide design, keep the design consistent; make your presentation interactive, then add animation and transitions, Then align all objects and texts throughout all the slides.

What are the top interactive activities to do in a presentation?

There are lots of interactive activities that should be utilised in a presentation, including live polls , quizzes , word cloud , creative idea boards or a Q&A session .

How can I handle a large audience during live Q&A sessions?

AhaSlides allows you to pre-moderate questions and filter out inappropriate ones during live Q&A, ensuring a smooth and productive session.

Tips to Engage with Polls & Trivia

More from AhaSlides

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How to Create an Interactive PowerPoint Presentation

content creator

Helen Colman See full bio →

PowerPoint presentations are one of the most popular educational resources nowadays. Having been so for quite some time, they might look a bit old-fashioned and not as engaging as we would like. However, there’s a surefire way to make them much more dynamic – create interactive slides.

In this article, you’ll learn what interactive elements you can add to your PPT presentation, how to do this in PowerPoint step by step, and how to keep the audience’s attention by making the learning experience even more exciting and interactive with iSpring Suite. Let’s get started.

What Makes a PowerPoint Presentation Interactive?

3 Ideas for Interactive PowerPoint Presentations

An Easier Way to Create Interactive Learning Materials

There are many ways to make your presentation interactive. Some require only PowerPoint functionalities, while others require a different tool or a PPT add-in. Here are some of the most common ways to add interactivity to your PPT slides:

• PowerPoint triggers and animations
• Multimedia: visual content, audio files, web pages, and videos
• Interactive software simulations
• Mini games  
• eLearning interactions
• Interactive quizzes
• Interactive role-play simulations

3 Ideas for Making Presentations Interactive with PowerPoint

PowerPoint lets you create lots of learning content that will keep your audience engaged, by using functionalities like on-click interactions, pop-up menus, and tests with branching scenarios. Here we’ll show you how to do that and ways to make this process even easier and more effective.

Check out a demo that includes some of these content types:

Follow our step-by-step guides to create one of these content types for your interactive presentation.

Idea #1: PowerPoint triggers for on-click interactions

One of the ways to make your slide interactive is to add a clickable button (trigger) that activates something. For example, it can launch one or more animations simultaneously. See how it works below:

To build such on-click interaction, you’ll need to add animations. Follow these steps:

1. Pick a background image, insert it into your PPT slide, and stretch it so that it fills the slide completely.

2. Add an object that will become the clickable button. This can be an image or a simple shape.

3. Select this object on the slide and click on Format → Selection Pane . Double-click the highlighted object and rename it to Open button .

4. Create two new slide objects (and rename them): a text box and another button. This button will close the pop-up.

5. Open the Selection Pane and select the Open and Close buttons, along with the textbox . Simply hold down the Left Ctrl key and click each of the needed items:

Now go to Animations → Add Animation → Entrance: Fade and then Add Animation → Exit: Fade .

7. To see the entire list of animations on this slide, click on Animation Pane . Here’s how it should look:

8. Now it’s time to set up triggers. Select the Entrance animations for the Close button and the textbox, then click on  Trigger → On Click of and select the Open button shape. What this will do: when the Open button is clicked, the textbox and the Close button will appear.

9. Now repeat the previous step but trigger the exit animations of the same objects by clicking on Close button . Once this has been done, you should see the following in the Animation Pane :

10. There’s one minor thing left to do: when you click the Open button, it should disappear, and when you hit the Close button, it should appear again. How do you make this happen? Simply move the Open button animations under corresponding triggers like this:

And that’s it, your interaction is ready. If you want to enhance the pop-up with visuals, like an image or another textbox, follow the same process and add their animations to the existing triggers.

Idea #2: Single-slide interaction with pop-ups

This second idea expands on the previous one: you can add several slide buttons that will activate pop-ups on the screen. Here’s what it looks like:

To design this type of interaction, you’ll need to create the interaction from the previous idea (or build a new one by following our guide) and then follow the steps below:

1. Create a set of objects for the second pop-up. If you need the same buttons, simply select an object you created earlier, then hold down Left Ctrl and drag it to a different position on the slide – and you’ll get an identical copy. You can also repeat this step with other objects.

2. Then, open Selection Pane and rename the new objects.

3. Now, animate the second pop-up. Press and hold Left Ctrl , then select objects in Selection Pane and add two sets of Fade animations:

4. Trigger the new animations using the same logic from the previous idea. Once finished, Animation Pane should look like this:

5. Your interaction is almost ready. All you still need to do is fix this issue:

As you can see, two pop-ups can now be opened at the same time and it doesn’t look good. To fix this, you need to set your animations so that when you click on “Open button 1,” the second pop-up button disappears, and vice versa. And make them appear again when either of the “Close buttons” is clicked. Here’s what your animation pane should look like:

Now, your interaction should work like this:

And that’s it, your interaction with several pop-up menus is ready!

Idea #3: A quiz with branching scenarios

Another way to make your slides interactive is to add a quiz with clickable answer options. You can also make the test progress differently for each student, depending on the option they select: if the answer is correct, they proceed to the next question; if not, they go to the info slide to dive deeper into the topic. Or you can make it so that a learner receives feedback after each answered question.

Below, you’ll learn the basics of building quizzes and branching scenarios in PowerPoint, which you can further use for creating all sorts of tests – the essentials are the same.

1. Create the title page of the quiz. Add a background image, then type the title of your quiz and its description.

2. Move on to the next slide to add a question and answer options. For the answer options, you can simply use text blocks ( Insert → Text Box ) or shapes ( Insert → Shapes ). You can also add an image if you wish.

Add other question and answer slides for your test in the same way.

3. Create the correct answer slide after your first question. Add a congratulatory message, such as: “Well done!” or “That’s correct!” or “Correct!” Below the message, add a button that will take the learner to the next question.

4. Create the incorrect answer slide. Repeat the same process as in the previous step but add a different text (and an image, if you use them).

If you want to make knowledge checks even more insightful for learners, you can provide them with feedback on each incorrect answer.

Add correct and incorrect answer slides after each question slide.

5. Set navigation for your quiz. Link the correct and incorrect answer options to the relevant feedback slides. Click on the answer text box, then go to the Insert tab and select Hyperlink . In the opened window, select Place in This Document and select the necessary slide.

Then add a hyperlink to the button on the feedback slides. You’ll need to do the same for each slide because feedback slides should lead to a new question every time.

Once you’ve finished setting up navigation, your quiz is ready. If you want to learn more about this topic, read our article on how to make a quiz in PowerPoint .

PowerPoint isn’t designed for creating interactive slides. Yes, it’s possible to do this, but it requires a great deal of time and effort. So if you’re planning to develop such educational content regularly, consider using one of the 23 best PowerPoint add-ins . Some of them, like iSpring Suite , are built for this sort of task and empower you to create better content in less time.

iSpring Suite works as a PowerPoint add-in and provides you with templates and smart functions for designing advanced learning content quickly and easily. You can design interactions, quizzes, educational simulations, and many other content types. Then, you can upload them to your learning management system (LMS) or your online storage (iSpring Cloud) and share them with your learners.

Let’s see how to make your slides interactive using iSpring Suite. Download a 14-day free iSpring Suite trial and follow the steps below to put theory into practice.

Interactions

Open the iSpring Suite tab and go to Interactions. There are 14 interaction templates, such as an FAQ, a timeline, and a diagram. Select one of them, fill it with texts and multimedia, and that’s it – your interaction is ready!

Watch this video to see the interaction development process from A-Z.

And here’s an example of an interaction created in iSpring Suite. It took us only 2 minutes to design it, while a similar interaction in PowerPoint took us at least an hour to create because we had to set up all of the triggers, animations, etc.

Just as with interactions, iSpring Suite has 14 ready-made question templates that you only need to fill with text and multimedia.

Here’s how. Open iSpring Suite, then go to Quizzes and click on Graded Quiz . Then, select a question type and fill it with information. If you wish, you can also add advanced settings, like time limits, the number of attempts allowed, and others.

See the entire routine in our tutorial video:

There’s no need to add separate feedback slides because feedback is already built into each question slide. You can customize it and add reinforcement information.

By the way, even if you don’t have an LMS, you can still share the test with your learners and track their progress – iSpring Suite has a special online storage space for that and the tool will email you the quiz results of your learners.

Here’s an example of a quiz created with iSpring Suite:

Role-play simulations

Role-plays scenarios or educational simulations are one of the most engaging educational activities in online learning. While most interactive tools require programming to create this content type, iSpring Suite enables you to create educational sims easily – even if you have no IT background.

Simply go to Role-Play and click on New Role-Play . Select New Scene . Pick a character and a background image from the library of ready-made content. Add texts. Then repeat the process with other scenes, connect them by dragging an arrow from one scene to another, and that’s it! Your sim is ready.

If you want to dive deeper into this topic, read our in-depth article on role-plays , their types with examples, and a guide and tips on creating them. It’s written by Clark Aldrich, the world’s most experienced designer of educational simulations.

And here’s an example of a role-play that Clark Aldrich created with iSpring Suite:

Now, let’s recap some highlights from this article. Here are the key takeaways.

Can you make a PowerPoint presentation interactive?

Yes, you can add interactive elements to your PPT presentation either by using PowerPoint alone or with additional tools, like iSpring Suite.

What are the interactive features of PowerPoint?

PowerPoint lets you create triggers and animations that make your presentation more interactive.

How do I make my PowerPoint presentation more engaging?

Consider adding interactions, quizzes, triggers, and animations to your presentation to make it more dynamic, engaging, and participatory.

So, these are several ways you can create engaging presentations with PowerPoint only and with other tools (check out this list of the 12 best interactive presentation software tools ). If you want to save time and effort while creating much more engaging and interactive presentations, courses, and assessments, check out iSpring Suite .

Get started with iSpring Suite for free during a 14-day trial period.

Also read:   How to Convert PowerPoint to MP4 Video on Windows & macOS

Table of Contents

iSpring Suite

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Helen Colman

She enjoys combining in-depth research with expert knowledge of the industry. If you have eLearning insights that you’d like to share, please get in touch .

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What’s an interactive presentation?

Interactive slides contain clickable hotspots, links, buttons, and animations that are activated at the touch of a button. Instead of reading or watching passively, your audience can actively interact with the content.  

Genially’s interaction presentation software allows you to combine text, photos, video clips, audio and other content in one deck. It’s a great way to condense more information into fewer slides. 

If you’re a teacher, you can share multiple materials in one single learning resource. Students can create their own projects using digital media and online maps. For business or training, try embedding spreadsheet data, PDFs, and online content directly in your slides. 

An interactive slide deck is more user-friendly than a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation or Google Slides document. That’s because you can break information down into chunks with pop-ups, labels, voiceovers and annotated infographics.  

The other benefit of interactive content is increased engagement. It’s easier to keep your audience’s attention when they’re actively participating. Try Genially’s presentation software and free slideshow maker to see how it’s better than other presentation websites. You won’t go back to standard presentation apps!

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• Advanced Features and Interactivity

How to Create an Interactive PowerPoint?

Written by: Bill Whitman

Last updated: April 9, 2024

Creating an Interactive PowerPoint: A Step-by-Step Guide

To create an interactive PowerPoint, start by planning your content strategy and deciding on the interactive elements that will engage your audience. Insert hyperlinks, action buttons, and quizzes to make your presentation interactive. Use animations and transitions judiciously to maintain focus. Test your presentation thoroughly to ensure all interactive features work as intended. By following these steps, you can transform a standard presentation into a dynamic and engaging experience.

Quick summary

• Plan your interactive elements ahead of creating slides.
• Use hyperlinks, action buttons, and quizzes for interaction.
• Incorporate animations and transitions to maintain focus.
• Test your presentation to ensure functionality.

Planning Your Interactive Elements

Before diving into PowerPoint, think about what interactive elements you want to include. Interactive elements can range from simple hyperlinks to complex quizzes. Decide what will best engage your audience and support your presentation’s objectives. Here at LearnPowerpoint.io, we recommend starting with a clear outline that marks where each interactive element will be placed.

Using Hyperlinks and Action Buttons

Hyperlinks in PowerPoint can create a non-linear navigation structure, allowing viewers to choose their path through the content. This is great for self-guided presentations or workshops. Action buttons can trigger animations or take the user to a different slide. They’re particularly useful for creating an interactive table of contents or for simulation activities.

Adding Quizzes and Polls

Quizzes and polls make PowerPoint presentations interactive and engaging, encouraging audience participation. You can use trigger animations to reveal quiz answers or integrate third-party tools for live polling. Remember, the goal is to make the presentation a two-way interaction.

Incorporating Animations and Transitions

Animations and transitions, when used correctly, can keep your audience focused and engaged. Use animations to spotlight crucial information or to simulate processes. Transitions between slides should be smooth and consistent to keep your audience’s attention. Be cautious not to overuse them, as too many animations or overly flashy transitions can distract from your message.

Testing Your Interactive Presentation

Once you’ve crafted your interactive PowerPoint presentation, it’s critical to test every element to ensure everything works as intended. Go through each slide, click every hyperlink, and trigger every animation. If possible, have a colleague or friend test the interactivity as well. They might catch issues you’ve overlooked.

Final Thoughts

Creating an interactive PowerPoint presentation can significantly enhance audience engagement and retention of information. By planning your interactive elements, using tools like hyperlinks and quizzes, and incorporating animations, you create a lively, dynamic presentation. Remember, successful interactive PowerPoints require thorough planning and testing. Trust the process and know that here at LearnPowerpoint.io, we’re here to guide you through every step towards creating compelling PowerPoint presentations.

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Making an Interactive Presentation in PowerPoint

This article is an ultimate guide on how to make an interactive online presentation using MS PowerPoint. Here you will find detailed step-by-step instructions to creating interface elements make the presentation truly interactive.

In a previous post we looked at the interface elements the BBC website uses to sketch workable interface outline for an interactive online presentation . Now we’ll give you step-by-step instructions on how to make an interactive online presentation in MS PowerPoint we developed using this sketch.

• Navigation tools properties
• Navigation tools layout

How to Create an Interactive Presentation Tab Bar Using MS PowerPoint

How to create an interactive presentation navigation bar.

• Highlight an Interactive Presentation Active Topic

How to Create an Interactive Presentation Pagination Bar

• Highlight an Active Slide on the Pagination Bar

Do I Need an Interactive Presentation Homepage in PowerPoint

How to create an interactive presentation buttons, how to disable powerpoint default slide advancing, quizzes in an interactive presentation excellent.

Below we will only talk about the technical aspects of implementing an interactive presentation interface using MS PowerPoint. And we deliberately do not talk about design.

Everything about colors saturation and compatibility, images transparency, frames styles, rounded corners, etc. we left for you. You can handle it, we are sure!

Navigation Tools Properties

If you think about what properties an interactive presentation navigation tools should have, then you will quickly come to the following conclusions:

• They must not distract the viewer from the subject of the presentation.
• switch between topics,
• move from the current slide to the next or previous,
• understand which topic is active and
• understand which slide of the current topic is active.

Understanding these properties will help us to develop the layout of the presentation slide.

Navigation Tools Layout

We will divide presentation slide into three parts: upper, lower and central, to use as follows:

• The tab bar will be located at the upper part. Using it the viewer will be able to switch from topic to topic.
• from the active presentation slide to the next or previous presentation slide and
• from the active slide of current topic to the next or previous slide of current topic
• We’ll reserve the central part for the presentation content and will no longer mention it in this article.

Now we can start designing the interface elements: tab bar and navigation buttons 2-a . They should be located on each slide. This is absolutely obvious. This means our interactive presentation can not do without PowerPoint Slide Master.

So, let’s go! Launch your MS PowerPoint program and start by creating a blank document. This blank sheet will turn into an outstanding interactive online presentation soon, don’t doubt!

Go to the View tab and click the Slide Master icon in Master View group to access the Slide Master. In the left-hand pane, scroll up to the top, larger thumbnail and click it. Whatever you place on this master will appear on every slide of your interactive presentation, no matter which layout it uses. This is exactly what we need, isn’t it?

Now is the time to choose a color scheme for your presentation. Subsequently, it can be easily changed if you deem necessary. We chose the Grayscale scheme.

To create a tab bar, you need to thoroughly design the first tab.

• Go to Insert tab and click the Shapes button in Illustrations group. The drop down menu will appear. Select Rectangle shape in the Rectangles option.
• Draw the tab. Then select the fill color White, Background 2 and remove the line around the tab using the Shape Format pane. Select the tab and write any title, for example “Title 01”. You will change it later.
• Copy your tab and then paste it as many times as it is planned to be in the tab bar plus two additional ones.
• Move the two additional tabs to the bottom of the slide. We use them to make navigation buttons later.
• Align the remaining tabs vertically and distribute them horizontally end-to-end with each other without gaps.

All of this tabs will become a full-fledged tab bar when we attach hyperlinks. In the meantime, just move them to the top of the slide.

The navigation bar should contain buttons for moving from the active presentation slide to the next or previous slide as described in 2-a .

• the first align to the left and write on it “Previous”
• and the second align to the right edge and write on it “Next”.
• select both shapes simultaneously and on the Format Shape pane select the Offset Diagonal Bottom Right shadow or any other.

• press Ctrl+K or go to the Insert menu and click Hyperlink button in the Links group;
• in the Link To pane of the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, choose Place in This Document ;
• in the Select a place in this document pane, choose the Previous Slide .
• Click OK to create the hyperlink
• and repeat the steps above for the Next button.

As a result the navigation bar will look like two buttons aligned on the slide edges and an empty space between them in which we’ll place the pagination bar of the active topic later.

How to Highlight an Interactive Presentation Active Topic

Go to the View tab and click the Normal button in the Presentation View group to return to the normal view and create all your slides.

People like to know where they are in the presentation, so it’s a good idea to highlight the active topic to help them to relate it with the presentation wholeness. You just need to change the background color and add a border around the tab. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do this:

• Go to Slide Master and select the current topic tab.
• Link the topic tab to the current topic first slide.
• Copy the current topic tab.
• Return to Normal View and paste the tab you copied above the current tab.
• Change the fill color to Solid fill White Background 1 and line from No line to Solid line using the Format Shape pane.
• Copy the tab you made and paste it into each slide of the current topic.

The pagination bar is a useful interactive presentation interface element for themes consisting a lot of slides. Use it! It will help viewers more understand where they are relative to the start or finish of the topic.

The pagination bar should contain buttons for moving from the active slide of current topic to the next or previous slide as described in 2-b . Below we will give step-by-step instructions on how to make a pagination bar with image thumbnails. We assume you have prepared thumbnail images of the same size in advance.

How to Create the Pagination Bar Step-by-Step

• Select the first slide of the current topic.
• Draw two rectangular shapes proportional to your thumbnails: the first should be slightly smaller than the second.
• Open the Selection pane and name the smaller shape as Image and the larger one as Link.
• Fill as Solid fill , Transparency as 100%, Line as No Line for shape named Link;
• Fill as No fill , Line as No Line for shape named Image;

• Press the Ctrl key, select both shapes, merge them and name as NavButton.
• Copy the NavButton button using Ctrl-C and paste as many times as the number of slides in the topic using Ctrl-V.
• Distribute horizontally the buttons you made and align them vertically as the Previous and Next buttons.
• Number the NavButton buttons as NavButton01, NavButton02, etc.

• select the shape named Image;
• set the Fill option as Picture or texture fill using the Format Shape pane and then paste the prepared picture using the File… button;
• select the shape named Link, press Ctrl-K and link it by a hyperlink to the corresponding topic slide as described here .
• Copy the pagination bar you made and paste it on each slide of the current topic.

That’s all! If you study the pagination bar layout with thumbnails then you can easily do something else, for example the simple slides numbering, as shown in the picture below.

How to Highlight an Active Slide on the Pagination Bar

It is very simple! To highlight the active slide button on the Pagination Bar you need:

• Select the slide on which you want to highlight the active slide button.
• Then select the NavButton button of the active slide on the Pagination Bar.
• Then find and select the shape named Link of the NavButton button on the Selection pane.
• And finaly set the Line option value of this shape as Solid line .

As a result, the frame will appear around the active button. This is enough to highlight it among the other buttons, is not it?

A homepage is a useful but optional element of an interactive presentation. If you are going to talk about how you feed a puppy, then most likely you can do without a homepage.

In other cases, using the homepage will allow you to show the general structure of the interactive presentation and provide short explanations for its topics. Thus, you will help the viewer to get a general idea of presentation essence and understand what path it will have to go through its contents even before the start of the presentation.

This post on how to make an interactive presentation using MS PowerPoint will be incomplete if do not say anything about buttons.

A button is such a magical contraption which we’re click and suddenly find ourselves in some other place. (Wow, what an excellent definition, right?) This “teleportation” is caused by the hyperlink hidden inside the button.

Simple buttons, like these, look familiar, right?

We call them simple because they consist of a single shape. Using the shape properties a simple button can be assigned text, image, shadow and much more. We already wrote above how to create a simple button , how to add an image to it and how to attach a hyperlink to it.

Below we gave an example of the more complex button. It consists of several shapes which listed on Selection pane.

The hyperlink is attached to a transparent shape located on top of the other shapes. That is the small trick.

Not a rocket science, isn’t it?

We need the interactive presentation always responds correctly to the viewer’s clicks, ish’t it?

In PowerPoint defaults a left mouse click queues the next slide. This means that if the viewer clicks past a button or a hyperlink accidentally, PowerPoint will change the slide to the next. For an interactive presentation this actions is not acceptable, right?

To avoid this problem, go to the Transitions tab and disable the On Mouse Click checkbox in the Timing group. This will make the presentation respond to clicks of buttons or links and not respond to any other clicks.

Concluding this article it is worth mentioning the capabilities of MS PowerPoint to organizing interactive quizzes.

Quizzes are a convenient tool allows you to change the direction of your interactive presentation depending on the your viewers awareness. Using quizzes you get the opportunity to create an interactive online presentation with an individual approach for each viewer. What could be better?

Read our PowerPoint Triggers: Making Interactive Presentation article to learn how to design a personalized interactive online presentation for your audience.

How to Give an Interactive PowerPoint Presentation in 2023

Presenting online is tough, yes. You can’t really connect with your audience. You often don’t even know whether those mute faces listen to you at all.

That’s why it’s important to go the extra mile and make your presentation interactive. 

But that’s easier said than done, right?

Being for 7 years in the game of interactive presenting, I’d like to share some of my tips on how to activate your audience , create meaningful interaction, and facilitate it during your talk.

Get inspired by these (or some of these) tips for delivering a  truly interactive PowerPoint presentation.

• Play music or do some chit-chat while waiting
• Welcome people and properly introduce the topic
• Explain how people can interact with you
• Involve the audience from the very start
• Re-engage your audience every 5-7 minutes
• Use polls to trigger a discussion
• Take advantage of Zoom’s interactive features
• Simplify your slides: One idea/visual per slide
• Play around with virtual backgrounds
• Use breakout sessions for peer-to-peer learning
• Turn tedious numbers into a quiz
• Invite a sidekick
• Run mid-way Q&A sessions
• Give your audience something tangible to leave with
• Run a short feedback survey at the end

1. Play music or do some chit-chat while waiting

Often it takes a couple of minutes before everybody jumps on a call. While you’re waiting for the rest of the crew to join, you can play some music in the background to set the mood and talk to the people who have already tuned in. “Has anyone discovered a good recipe lately?” or, “Did you do anything cool this weekend?”

You can share music during your Zoom call easily by clicking the ‘ Share computer sound ‘ checkbox.

As people are joining, you can also prompt them to turn on their cameras and unmute themselves for the time being, so that you can all see and talk to each other.

💡 Use icebreaker polls to strike up conversations while you’re waiting for others.

2. Welcome people and properly introduce the topic

Once everybody’s aboard, welcome your participants warmly, thank them for joining you, and tell everyone what you will be talking about today. You can even add an agenda slide to your presentation so you map out the whole session to your audience in advance. In the virtual environment, it’s even more important to navigate people through the talk.

3. Explain how people can interact with you

Always check that everyone understands the technical side of things – otherwise, people may not know how to interact with you. Tell them what tools you’re going to use during the presentation and explain how they can use them.

It’s all about setting the right expectations: Do you want your participants to share comments via Zoom or Webex chat? Sure, tell them that. Explain how Webex or Zoom reactions work in case not everyone is familiar with them. If you expect verbal input from your participants, ask them to use the ‘Raise hand’ feature, so you can call on them if they want to contribute.

Are you going to use live polls throughout your presentation? Explain how people can vote in a poll or contribute with their ideas.

4. Involve the audience from the very start

Now that you’ve made it clear to your audience that you want and expect them to actively participate in the upcoming session, it’s time to give it a trial run.

Start a conversation with them right off the bat. For instance, I was recently a guest at an online fireside chat series called ‘Living Online’, run by our former Head of Education and a great moderator, Zuzana.

Before she dived into the topic, she collected insights from the audience. She ran a series of polls, asking people, “How much has the online world changed your life?” or, “What helps you find a balance between the real and the online world?”

This way, she made the talk more about the audience, as opposed to just streaming information one way (while making sure people are familiar with the tech).

5. Re-engage your audience every 5-7 minutes

Keep the momentum and motivate your audience to “talk” to you throughout your presentation. Even if it is just in a non-verbal way.

We recommend using live polls or other forms of interaction every 5-7 minutes to pull people back in and involve them in a conversation.

Prepare several poll questions for your audience beforehand, and spread them out throughout your talk.

Is there a content-heavy part of your presentation that might be tough for your audience to process? At the end of it, use a rating poll to ask your audience how well they understood.

Are you about to propose an argument? Before you do, ask your audience what their viewpoint on the topic is first. (You can use live polls here too.)

Take inspiration from our Head of Internal Comms, Silvia, who – before giving a word to our CEO Peter who’d walk us through September highlights – began by using a word cloud to source highlights from the team.

6. Use polls to trigger a discussion

Live polls are invaluable for collecting real-time input from your audience. You can use that input effectively for starting a discussion.

For example, during our latest strategy meeting with our Brand team, I really needed to know whether the strategy points I presented to my team made sense, and I wanted to build up a discussion around them.

After each of the three presented areas, I ran a rating poll: “On a scale of 1-6, how important is this area in order to achieve our goals?”

When votes came in, I commented on the results and whenever there were votes lower than 6, I asked: “Okay, who put 5/4? Can you please share your thoughts with us?”

This really changed the game for me, because I collected some invaluable insights from my colleagues that would otherwise have remained uncovered. Very often, people don’t share until you nudge them a little.

Read also: 7 Interactive Poll Ideas for Your PowerPoint Presentation

7. Take advantage of interactive features

Encourage your participants to ‘Raise hand’, use emoji reactions, or chat. Your meeting participants are probably not going to use them heavily unless you encourage them to do so.

I often use emoji reactions for fast feedback: I ask people to press thumbs up as an indication that they understand or agree, or to express that they like something with a clapping emoji or the heart symbol.

8. Simplify your slides: One idea/visual per slide

Make sure your slides are visually appealing. When listening to someone speak online, the last thing you want is to read huge bodies of text on slides. So don’t copy-paste the whole script of your speech. Use just one idea, one sentence, one topic, or one number per slide.

Where appropriate, support what you’re saying with an image, a graph, a gif, or even a meme. Do you want to show a video during your presentation? Make sure it’s really short because a video, no matter how entertaining, is yet another piece of content your audience consumes passively.

9. Play around with virtual backgrounds

Using a virtual background when presenting online can save the day if you need to quickly hide a messy kitchen or any trespassing relatives.

But, there’s more to it. You can tie it to the topic of your presentation and thus strengthen the message you’re trying to convey. For example, ever since our CEO Peter used climbing El Capitan as a metaphor for our company strategy, he uses an El Cap photo as his virtual background as a reminder for all of us that we still have a mountain to climb.

Need another great use of a virtual background? Pick a funny picture and use it as an icebreaker. For example, in several meetings, I put up a picture of a naked man chasing a wild boar, and believe me, there’s no better icebreaker !

People usually laugh and ask me why I picked this very image – it’s priceless to start a meeting with a smile on people’s faces!

Read also: 18 Best Virtual Icebreakers For Your Zoom Meetings

10. Use breakout sessions for peer-to-peer learning

This tactic is magic, especially with longer presentation types such as during all-company meetings, workshops, or training.

Propose a discussion topic or a challenge. Give your audience 1-2 minutes to think about it, before splitting them into smaller groups so that they can share their thoughts together and brainstorm solutions.

This is a great interactive exercise that helps you break the monotonous flow of one-way content broadcast and allow for some peer-to-peer learning.

You can also collect the learnings of your audience to include them in the presentation. For example, you can run an open text poll where you collect everybody’s key learnings and then display them on the screen. Let’s say you have asked your audience to discuss your company priorities. Try a word cloud such as: “Submit which priorities you discussed in your group.”

11. Turn tedious numbers into a quiz

Presenting company updates or business results can get quite tedious and your audience may easily start zoning out.

Turn it around and present your numbers in a form of a quiz .

For instance, before you reveal the number, say something like: “Before we look at the numbers, why don’t you guys have a guess at how well we did?” Then run a poll with multiple options and wait for your participants to cast their votes.

You can use this technique on multiple occasions. Our CEO, Peter, usually does this at our end-of-year all-hands meetings when he presents our business results such as revenue, sales, or a number of Slido events.

12. Invite a sidekick

Virtual presenters are superheroes that need to juggle multiple tools. And every Batman needs Robin. Consider inviting another speaker to deliver the presentation with you.

It will freshen up your talk and break the stereotype of only one speaker talking. On top of that, she/he can also help you with technicalities such as keeping an eye on the chat or troubleshooting any technical issues.

You can take turns in presenting the content or even give your presentation in the form of a conversation between the two of you. This way, it’ll be even easier for you to involve your audience in the talk, as they’ll be joining what already feels like an ongoing discussion.

Having a sidekick is invaluable if you’re running a Q&A round at the end of your presentation – they can help you manage questions from the audience.

13. Run mid-way Q&A sessions

Always make sure to leave space for Q&A – answering questions from the audience is one of the most important engagement points. Your participants will have a chance to dive deeper into the topic of your talk, and eventually, learn much more from your presentation.

Don’t wait until the end, but review the questions as they come in and take the most relevant ones continuously throughout your presentation (e.g. after each content block). If there are any outstanding questions, address them in the Q&A round at the end.

For example, during our recent product event , our Project Managers, Juraj Pal, Martin Srna, and Mario Ceselka, ran several Q&A rounds after each product announcement that they made. (Almost 350 questions came in! This is why it’s priceless to have a sidekick.)

They also encouraged people to use upvotes, so the most popular questions can jump to the top and be answered with priority.

14. Give your audience something tangible to leave with

As you move towards the end of your talk, it’s good practice to reiterate the main message of your presentation to give your participants one concrete takeaway to remember.

You can make the ending interactive as well: Ask your audience to think about what they’ve just heard, then run a poll asking your audience: “What are you taking away from this presentation?” or, “What one thing resonated with you the most during this presentation?”

15. Run a short feedback survey at the end

Don’t forget to ask your audience for feedback. We’re always ready to rate our Uber drives or meal deliveries in order to help improve the experience. Why should presentations be any different?

Feedback is the best way for you to learn and find out what you can do better next time. Combine classic star rating with an open text poll so your participants can write more elaborate comments as well.

Two to three questions will suffice – you don’t want to wear your audience down with too long a survey (plus, you’ll boost the response rate!). Here’s an example that you can use:

• How would you rate today’s presentation? (Rating)
• What did you like most about this presentation? (Open text)
• Is there anything that could be improved? (Open text)

Over to you

Actively involving your audience in your content is key if you want to make your online presentation more interactive and engaging.

Using polls, quizzes, and collecting questions from your audience is one of the easiest ways to create more interaction during your talk.

With Slido for PowerPoint , you can add polls to your presentation and present seamlessly – all from one place. Watch this video to see how Slido for PowerPoint works. Click below to try it.

Add live polls directly to your PowerPoint presentation.

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How to Make an Interactive PowerPoint

In the workplace, employees usually listen to PowerPoint slide deck presentations while doing something else . A recent poll found that 28% of employees send a text message, 27% check email, and 17% end up falling asleep. Still, that's better than most people who  stop listening within 10 minutes . 

Interactivity is key: there is a 94% increase in engagement when visuals, icebreakers, and relevant images are added to a PowerPoint presentation.

So then the question becomes: How do you make your PowerPoint slide deck presentation more interactive? Powerpoint itself is not built for audience interactivity or participation. But there are tools that work for this!

We're going to show you how to use Slides With Friends to create an interactive "powerpoint"  type slide deck presentation.

‍ Slides With Friends is an interactive slide deck tool that you can build like a PowerPoint, but that allows your group to join in and interact. Here are five things you can do using Slides With Friends to make an interactive slide deck presentation.

1. Incorporate Icebreaker Polls

Polls are a fantastic way to break the ice with your group and get them talking. This interactive strategy is especially great if your audience doesn't know each other well.  Maybe it's the first day of school or you're managing a new team in the workplace. In both scenarios, you need to warm up your audience and help everyone feel comfortable, and meeting icebreakers will accomplish those goals. 

One of our favorite elements to include in a meeting icebreaker is a poll page. These low-intensity, casual questions get the group engaged, especially as attendees submit answers and see the live feedback.

Not sure where to start with poll questions? Some of our favorites can be found in the section about  poll questions  in this article.  

A few ideas are:

• Who is your role model? 
• What's one thing you'd take to a desert island?
• If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

But, as is the case with all SlidesWith slide decks, you can completely customize these questions to best match your groups dynamics.

2. Use Group Word Clouds

Maybe you want to have a fun brainstorming session or understand your audience better. In this case, use  live word clouds  during your event. With this tool, you'll have a unique interactive slide deck that lets you ask questions and quickly receive feedback from your audience. 

Even better, your attendees will be able to vote for their favorite answers, giving everyone in the room insight into what the majority wants and thinks.  This clarity can be especially beneficial if you want to discover which goals your employees want to achieve at a meeting or the challenges your students have with a particular project. 

3. Play Topic-Themed Trivia Games

Another great way to build an interactive slide deck is to include  trivia and quizzing . This Slides With Friends feature has a couple of benefits. 

The first one is trivia builds connection. Having your attendees work together to answer trivia questions while learning who knows the same information is an excellent way to build a sense of camaraderie. 

However, if you want to spice things up during your presentation, you can have your audience get competitive. Everyone loves friendly competitions, as they're easy ways to relax, have fun, and laugh. Because you can customize these slides for any information, trivia slide decks are also a perfect way for teacher's to prepare students for quizzes or tests.

4. Let your Audience Share Photos & Stories

Getting to know your audience can be really fun with  live photo sharing .  This unique activity will give attendees a deeper look into each other's lives without invading anyone's privacy.

All they have to do is submit a photo in response to a prompt or question. Then, images will display randomly on your screen, giving people an opportunity to discuss what they provided. Some popular interactive slide decks you can use include the  Get to Know the Group Game  and  Photo Sharing Game With Friends . 

5. Play a Scavenger Hunt

If you want an out-of-box idea for an interactive slide deck, consider doing a scavenger hunt. This activity can work whether your presentation is virtual or in-person, and can significantly increase your audience's engagement by getting them out of their seats. 

If your event is in a physical location, have attendees look for nearby items like a coffee stirrer, post-it note, or magnet. Conversely, for virtual presentations, the  list of items  can be anything from a houseplant, takeout container, or favorite coffee mug. Once your audience members find something, all they have to do is take a picture, submit it, and discuss it if it's displayed randomly on the screen.

Enhance Your Presentation With Interactive Slide Decks 

Interactive slide decks will make your presentations fun and get your audience excited to attend your event.  With Slides With Friends, in particular, you'll have the tools to engage your audience and increase their chances of remembering information. 

Of course, you can always use PowerPoint's interactive features like hyperlinking and animation. But if you really want to keep your audience's attention, you need  unique  interactive slide decks, and Slides With Friends provides precisely that. 

The Problem with Powerpoint

PowerPoint slide deck presentations are unavoidable. In fact, they have become so commonplace, more than  35 million PowerPoint presentations  are given every day to over 500 million audience members. Whether you're a teacher, manager, or team leader, giving presentations could be one of your primary responsibilities.

But have you ever wondered if this central part of your job has a positive impact on your audience? If not, you might be discouraged to learn your  presentations may not be that effective . 

A 2008 study of PowerPoint usage at the School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University found that "students retained 15% less information delivered verbally by the lecturer during PowerPoint presentations." In other words, all the time and effort you spend creating a fancy PowerPoint is at best wasted and at worst counterproductive. - Geoffrey James, Contributing Editor, It's 2020. Why Are You Still Using PowerPoint?

Another  study  also found it didn't matter if someone gave a presentation with animated PowerPoint slides or static overheads.  There were "no differences in short- or long-term retention of material."  

The time you put into creating a slide deck presentation shouldn't go to waste. By creating opportunities to interact with your audience, you'll increase excitement, focus, and memory retention.  However, infusing your presentations with interaction isn't as simple as asking questions here and there. Ideally, you need a tool that'll create fun, unique ways to capture your audience's attention and get guests to participate. 

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How to make interactive PowerPoint slides for eLearning

• Written by: Hannah Harper
• Categories: PowerPoint design , Effective eLearning
• Comments: 27

Want to build some interactivity into your PowerPoint slides? Here are two easy entry-level ways that you can turn your PowerPoint slides into dynamic and interactive material for eLearning.

How to hyperlink in PowerPoint

Hyperlinks sound a lot more complicated than they actually are. They work like any button or box on a website. By clicking that box you’re sent to another page. So from the ‘Search’ button on Google to the ‘Buy it now!’ on Amazon – you’re already pretty familiar with them.

But did you know you can build them into PowerPoint presentations? In the same way that you can link round a web page, you can link round a presentation.

The advantages of this are that your presentation is no longer linear. You can skip out whole sections and focus on the bits that are relevant. During a test you can link back to the theory for a recap. You can create easily navigable menus just like website home pages.

So how do you create such wizardry?

It’s probably best to hyperlink objects within your presentation. Technically you can hyperlink almost anything in PowerPoint: text (down to a single letter), pictures, objects etc. but it’s best to stick with what looks familiar to your audience (so that’s going to be boxes, arrows, and buttons).

Once you’ve chosen your element, right click and choose the option Link .

A pop-up window will appear and on the left hand side you want to choose the option Place in This Document . A list of your slides will then appear.

Choose the one you want to link to, hit OK and you’re sorted.

Remember – you can use hyperlinks in PowerPoint in all sorts of ways to navigate around your presentation. It might help to think of it like a web page instead of a presentation. A potential starting point is creating a clickable menu for your slides – find out how by using our guide .

If you’ve got a complicated PowerPoint presentation, your hyperlinks might get overwhelming. It can be difficult to know which slides are hyperlinked and where those links go. Our incredible, free add-in BrightSlide has a super useful tool for getting your links in order. Under the BrightSlide tab  select  Review  (under File & Master ), then click Hyperlinks > Tag Hyperlinks With Comments .

It does what it says on the tin, every hyperlink in your deck will have a comment attached telling you where that link goes. Download BrightSlide here !

Using triggers in interactive PowerPoints

The wonderful thing about triggers, is triggers are wonderful things! They, much like a hyperlink, are applied to a specific element on your slide, and you can add an animation so that something happens when you click that object. Think of this like an internal hyperlink on your slide. You’re staying within the slide itself, but you can click things and have them change in any order – the person viewing the presentation has control.

This can be really useful for building quizzes where your participants have multiple choice questions to answer.

So first of all make your elements (the list of possible answers). Animate them so they appear as you want, then add a Font Color  animation. Choose green for the right answer and red for the incorrect answer (if you’re going for the typical look).

Next go to the Animation tab at the top of the PowerPoint window and make sure you have your Animation Pane open. In the Animation Pane click on one of the  Font Color animations – you’ll then see at the top of the Animation tab that you have the word Triggers .

Click on this and you’ll see that you get the option On Click Of . When you select that, you’ll see that all the elements on your slide are listed. Click on the one that matches your element and there you have it. When you play your slide in show mode you’ll be able to click it and the answer will change colour according to whether it’s right or wrong.

Interactive PowerPoint: Taking it further

You should be able to do a lot in PowerPoint with just hyperlinking and triggers. I’ve given you a few very simple ways to use both of these tools, but as you start to use them for yourselves, you’ll see how many different uses they have.

There will inevitably be things that you want to do that are just beyond the limits of PowerPoint. But there are some great pieces of software that plug into your PowerPoint and give you that option of building more sophisticated interaction. Learn more about PowerPoint triggers in this blog post . Google Slides user? Learn how to create an interactive presentation in Google Slides.

Have any SOS interactivity needs? Post a comment below and we’ll try and sort you out!

Hannah Harper

Principal consultant, related articles, how to get the most out of powerpoint and pdfs.

• PowerPoint design

This article is dedicated to the bit hitting combination of PowerPoint and PDFs, and three particular use cases that will have these two giants working together in perfect harmony: how to convert PowerPoint to PDF on Windows and macOS, how to convert PDF to PowerPoint, and how to insert a PDF into PowerPoint.

Masking effects in PowerPoint: Stencils and animation

Masking effects are a great way to jump-start your image slides in PowerPoint. They not only look great, but also serve many a practical purpose. We've come up with a few ideas for creative ways to combine masking and animation in your presentation.

Masking effects in PowerPoint: Creating stencils

• Comments: 10

Having lots of image slides in a presentation can be great, but sometimes they don't do the heavy-lifting they ought to with your message. Using shapes as stencils to create masking effects in PowerPoint is a really easy and effective way to make your image slides stand out, and communicate something more. Here are three ideas you can try

Thanks Hannah for these tips and suggestions!

Thank you so much for taking the time to create this tutorial. I was chuffed to be able to create interactive buttons by following your instructions. 🙂

Loved your instructions. Made it easy to accomplish what I needed. Excited about exploring more options.

Thanks, great tips. Do you have any tips on embedding video and if possible, overlaying the video with text, pics etc?

It’s great to see you all having a go at interactivity in PowerPoint! Keep experimenting – maybe try playing round with some triggers. We’ve got a great tutorial for that too: https://www.brightcarbon.com/blog/powerpoint-triggers-make-something-happen/

And Lee, you can insert a video like you insert a picture in PowerPoint (just navigate to the’Insert’ tab) here’s a great tool for checking to see what formats work for you: https://www.brightcarbon.com/resources/powerpoint-help/video-embedding-tool-for-powerpoint/

I think this may be beyond powerpoint’s capabilities, but I didn’t know about triggers, either! So I’ll ask: is there any way that the program can keep track of the things a client clicks?

I.e. I want to show a slide for three seconds with an image. The next slide will come up with a set of five choices. I want the client to click on a choice, for the choice to be recorded, and then the next slide shows, regardless of the answer chosen.

I am pretty sure it doesn’t do this, but maybe? If powerpoint doesn’t, can you think of a program that does?

Sounds like an interesting project!

About 90% of that is possible in PowerPoint: you can do everything apart from record the answer. In the Transitions tab you can set your slide to come up for three seconds and advance automatically (uncheck ‘On Mouse Click’). This will them move to the next slide (with your five options). You can then make your five options hyperlinks (if you’re not sure how, just follow the instructions above), and these will navigate the user to a slide of your choosing (they can all be the same).

But if reporting the answer is important, I can recommend a programme called Articulate Storyline: it’s what lots of people use to build out full eLearning decks. You can download a trial version for 30 days if you want to try it out. When you publish in Articulate you can get results reported, the only catch is that you’ll need to upload it to a Learning Management System (or LMS), for the results to be reported to a specific location.

I hope this helps!

I don’t know if this is even possible…

I want to create an interactive calendar using jpeg images. Imagine a preK class using a pocket chart every day, adding that day’s date picture.

So using a trigger button the jpeg image would appear for that day, using a hyperlink you could go to another activity (song, months of the year review, etc.)

But can you tell the program to save today’s jpeg image so tomorrow you only add that day’s and so on?

(sorry, my email address was wrong in the first comment)

This article was excellent with detailed instructional pics. I’m interested in creating free response quiz and also a multiple choice to create a trigger for puzzle piece and melting candle timer. Qtns 1. How to know whether the free response is correct and hyperlink to that’s it slide? Is there a way to use visual basic for this kind of quiz? 2.How to create melting candle timer like word for word worm APP? 3. How to make trigger for multiple choice game where the correct answer will appear on the screen and player must assemble the puzzle pieces before the candle timer melts? 4. Is it better to create free response quiz separate fro multi choice. It should also trigger the puzzle piece to appear after a response is written. HOW to ensure silly answers are not accepted?

I am an experienced producer of powerpoint presentations. I teach languages and use PP to display pages that show objects that play a sound when they are clicked on. They work great on my laptops and students benefit from them. However the study centre’s computers reject any unauthorised software file saving. I cant solve this problem without admin clearance. So I am hoping that there is a way to make my ppp files interact and perform online just like the stand alone version. Any suggestions anybody ?

Hello from France !

First of all, thanks a lot for writing this complet tutorial. But here is my problem : after seeing Prezi, Powerpoint seems so platonic and past history now… But my boss doesn’t want to use Prezi, so here I am to found new options and new ways about using this tool. Can you help me on this ? I’m looking about more animated features.

Thank you again for triggers and hyperlink, I’ll surely use it soon.

Hi Benjamin.

We’re not totally convinced by Prezi .

If you just want to make stuff that looks really cool, check out the Morph functionality in PowerPoint 2016 .

Hi Benjamin, If you want to still have some of the benefits that you get from Prezi you can try Slide Navigator interactive and animated PowerPoint templates. The website is http://www.slidenavigator.com . Hope that helps.

I like this webpage, it is informative and concise. I published a website some years ago explaining how to make PowerPoint interactive for the college where I work. The problem I have found is the fear of PowerPoint and even more fear of trying to make the presentation interactive. Those who are interested seem to get a mental block once they see the work involved. I have felt for a long time that PowerPoint can go a long way to help in training and education when interactive.

I completely agree that interactive PowerPoints can go a long way to help in training and education when interactive. It is a lot of work. There is a website that helps to reduce the amount of work in making an interactive PowerPoint presentation called http://www.slidenavigator.com . I think it can really help college professors.

Or PowerPoint’s new Zoom functionality, if you are using 365. Probably easier.

One word of advice about making things interactive. You have to disable the slide forward clicking in the advanced animation selection. If this is not disabled the slide will advance to the next one. The check box has to be clicked and then you will only be able to move to the next slide or open up other hidden on the slide using the hyperlink. Other presentation programmes from other software organisations such as Libre and Open Office don’t have this disabling function which makes PowerPoint that much more powerful.

Thank you for the great info. Once I build this awesome document how Can I save it so my audience will only see the first page and then navigate using my links?

You can indeed! You need to highlight all your slides and then go to the Transitions tab at the top of the PowerPoint ribbon. On the right-hand side you’ll notice two ‘Advance Slide’ options (On Mouse Click and After 00:00.00]. The ‘On Mouse Click’ option should be checked. If you uncheck it here, the slide won’t advance, and you’ll only be able to navigate using the hyperlinks you’ve added!

You can then save it as a standard .pptx file, or you can save it as a PowerPoint Show file (.ppsx) if you just want your audience to launch the presentation (without seeing the edit view).

I hope this does the trick for you!

Hi Hannah, I’m a bit late to the party here, but am trying to save an interactive ppt. as an interactive PDF for upload to a training Sharepoint. However when the PDF launches it also has the option to scroll through all the pages, rather than only progressing via hyperlinks – how do I do set this up to only be able to move on via links?

I am designing quizes for pre-schoolers using powerpoint slides. I have created hyperlink of a text box to another slide. When I do a right click the textbox, it opens up to a list of options. I have to select open hyperlink. How to bypass this step? Is there anywhere to click on the text box and open up to another slide directly?

Thanks for these tutorials. It really enhances my skills in designing PowerPoint presentations.

Quite hapy with built in annimations but looking for different ready made Aware of companies like Envato but just want to buy animationsd (advance)

Thank you so much, this is great

When creating an interactive e-learning, how would you handle transitions to the next slide? Is there a way to set triggers for that as well (like clicking on an image that says “next”?)

How do I make shapes that my audience can click and drag around. I want them to virtually be able to complete a jigsaw puzzle.

Nice. I like this post very much.

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It is, quite simply, the best deck we have. I did a nice presentation with it yesterday and would like to do the same next week... I am sure it will get a lot of use. The visual impact and flow are compelling! Peter Francis Janssen

How to Involve Your Audience in a Presentation

Learn effective strategies to engage your audience and make your presentations interactive and memorable.

Understand Your Audience

• Conduct surveys or pre-event questionnaires to gather insights about your audience.
• Review feedback from past presentations to see what worked and what didn’t.

Start Strong

Ideas for a strong opening:.

• Tell a Story : Humans are naturally drawn to stories. Start with a relevant anecdote that ties into your main message.
• Ask a Question : Pose an intriguing question to make your audience think critically.
• Show a Striking Visual : A compelling image or a short video clip can capture attention instantly.

Foster Interaction

Interactive techniques:.

• Live Polls : Use tools like Poll Everywhere or Slido to create instant polls. This not only involves your audience but also gives you immediate feedback on their understanding or opinions.
• Breakout Sessions : For longer workshops, dividing your audience into smaller groups for discussions or activities can personalize the experience.
• Real-time Q&A : Encourage your audience to ask questions throughout the presentation using platforms like Zoom’s chat feature.

Use Engaging Visuals and Media

Best practices for visuals:.

• Keep Slides Simple : Use keywords and impactful images instead of paragraphs of text.
• Infographics and Diagrams : Complex data can be simplified with smart graphics.
• Videos : Short clips can break the monotony and explain concepts in a dynamic way.

Make It a Two-Way Conversation

Methods to promote dialogue:.

• Direct Questions to the Audience : Instead of rhetorical questions, ask meaningful questions that require your audience to think and respond.
• Feedback Loops : Allow for moments where you gather audience reactions or thoughts and incorporate them into your session.

Leverage Storytelling

Storytelling tips:.

• Use Relevant Stories : Make sure your stories resonate with the audience’s experiences or goals.
• Incorporate Emotions : Emotional connections can significantly boost engagement and retention.

Provide Takeaways

Ideas for effective takeaways:.

• Summary Slides : Recap the main points at the end of the presentation.
• Handouts or Digital Downloads : Provide access to additional resources or reading materials.

Follow-Up Strategies:

• Email Summaries : Send a thank-you email with a summary of the session and additional resources.
• Feedback Surveys : Ask for feedback to improve future presentations and show that you value their opinions.

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A Comprehensive Guide: Elevate Your Interactive Presentation to Prominence

Interactive presentations have revolutionized how we engage with audiences, transforming passive listeners into active participants. Using tools like Smallppt, an AI-powered PowerPoint software, you can create dynamic and engaging presentations that captivate your audience. Smallppt leverages advanced AI to offer features like real-time audience polling, interactive quizzes, and collaborative whiteboards, making it easier than ever to foster engagement and participation. By integrating these interactive elements, you can enhance understanding, maintain interest, and create a more memorable and impactful presentation experience. Let's explore how to make the most of interactive presentations using Smallppt.

What is the interactive presentation?

An interactive presentation is a dynamic approach to conveying information that actively involves the audience in the communication process. Unlike traditional presentations, which rely on one-way communication, interactive presentations engage participants through various methods such as live polls, quizzes, discussions, and multimedia elements. This format encourages audience participation, fosters a collaborative environment, and enhances understanding by allowing real-time feedback and interaction. By integrating tools like audience response systems, interactive whiteboards, and digital platforms, presenters can create a more engaging and memorable experience. The goal of an interactive presentation is to transform passive listeners into active participants, making the content more relevant, engaging, and impactful.

10 Tips for making an interactive presentation more engaging

1. Start with an icebreaker: Start your presentation with a fun icebreaker activity. Warm up the audience and set an interactive tone from the start with a quick poll or trivia question related to your topic.

2. Incorporate live polls: Use live polling tools like Mentimeter or Slido to gather audience opinions in real-time. This will keep the audience engaged and provide them with immediate feedback. For example, before presenting the facts, ask for their thoughts on a controversial topic or predict the outcome.

3. Use quizzes and gamification: Integrate quizzes at key points to reinforce learning and provide a competitive edge. Tools such as Kahoot! can help you enjoy the process. For example, quiz the audience on key facts after presenting a section of your content.

4. Facilitate group activities: Break the audience into small groups for discussion or problem-solving activities. This encourages the audience to collaborate and get involved. For example, ask each group to brainstorm solutions to a case study you have presented.

5. Conduct interactive Q&A sessions: Schedule multiple Q&A sessions throughout the presentation, not just at the end. Collect and display questions using tools such as Pigeonhole Live. This keeps the audience engaged and their questions answered.

6. Use interactive whiteboards: Use digital whiteboards such as Jamboard to allow audience members to visually contribute ideas. Invite participants to add their thoughts to a shared board during a brainstorming session, for example.

7. Embed videos and animations: Break up your presentation with relevant videos or animations to illustrate key points. Not only will this make the content more dynamic, but it will also appeal to visual learners. Explain a complex process step-by-step with an animation, for example.

8. Tell engaging stories: Incorporate storytelling to make your content more relatable and memorable. Illustrate your points with personal anecdotes or case studies. For example, share a success story that demonstrates practical application.

9. Encourage social media interaction: Encourage your audience to tweet their thoughts and questions by creating a unique hashtag for your presentation. Show real-time interaction by displaying the live Twitter feed. This expands engagement beyond a lecture hall.

10. Offer interactive handouts: Provide digital handouts with interactivity like hyperlinks, embedded video, or interactive charts. Tools such as Adobe Acrobat can help you create them. For example, post-presentation learning and engagement can be enhanced by creating a PDF with clickable links to additional resources.

5 Common Mistakes when having an interactive presentation

Having an interactive presentation should be organized well and presenters need to pay attention to many aspects. Here are some mistakes that may occur when having an interactive presentation.

1. Overloading slides with information: Cramming too much text or data into slides can overwhelm your audience and distract them from what you want to say. Stick to key points and use visuals to support your message.

2. Neglect audience engagement: A lack of interaction with your audience can have a monotonous effect on your presentation. Keep them engaged throughout the presentation by including questions, polls, or activities.

3. Ignore Technical Setup: Technical glitches can ruin your presentation. To make sure everything runs smoothly, always test your equipment and software beforehand. If something goes wrong, have a backup plan.

4. Lack of practice: Just winging it may work in some situations, but it may not work for important presentations. Practice delivering, transitioning, and timing yourself to remain confident and fluid.

5. Failure to adapt: When audience needs or reactions suggest a different approach, sticking rigidly to your script can be a mistake. Prepare to adapt your content and presentation as your audience responds and engages.

Elevating Your Interactive Presentation with Smallppt

Smallppt revolutionizes the way presentations are crafted and delivered. Its performance is marked by unparalleled efficiency and creativity, seamlessly integrating cutting-edge AI capabilities with user-friendly design. From selecting different themes and color schemes to adjusting layouts and fonts, users have full control over the aesthetic appeal of their slides. Additionally, it offers intuitive editing functionalities, enabling users to make real-time modifications and additions to their presentations with ease. Here are some steps that you can follow to make a presentation in Smallppt.

1. Type your topic into Smallppt. After you have found the topic and the main content, you can type your topic on the Smallppt. Smallppt would create an outline according to the topic you've typed. You can change the outline generated by AI as you like.

2. Choose templates and add visuals. Choose one of the templates you like the best that Smallppt provides, you can also add some relevant images, graphics, and videos to enhance your presentation. Look for visuals that represent your topic, such as posters, teasers, star images concept art, etc.

3. Create and modify slides. Click on the "Generate" button and wait for Smallppt to create slides for you. Smallppt would provide simple and focused slides, with a clear title and concise bullet points or short sentences. You can modify them according to your topic and content.

4. Address common audience questions. Anticipate questions your audience may have about the topic and address them in your presentation. Your question should also focus on the details of your presentation.  

5. Review and download the slides. You can check the slides by going through them several times. If you are happy with them, download and save them. 

Unleashing your creativity with Smallppt!