creative ways to make a presentation interactive

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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. You can create these visual clips on a budget using a free screen recorder .

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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18 Ways to Make Your Presentation More Interactive

November 10, 2017 - Dom Barnard

It can be difficult to hold your audience’s attention for the entire presentation. According to a  Prezi study , half of the respondents said they did something other than listen during a co-worker’s presentation, including:

• Sending a text message (28%)
• Checking emails (27%)
• Falling asleep (17%)

An interactive presentation is much more likely to keep your audience’s attention and build rapport with them, and there are a few simple ways to achieve this, from live polling to asking questions throughout.

This article explores several different effective strategies for making the audience feel fully involved in your presentation and keeping your audience’s eyes away from their smartphones.

Why involve your audience?

Listening to a presentation for any length of time can be a difficult process. If you don’t involve the audience, they’ll start to play with their phones, talk to colleagues and generally lose track of what you are saying. Once this happens and you start seeing that the audience would rather be somewhere else, you’ll start feeling anxious and might try to speed up the presentation.

To engage a  large audience  fully, the presentation needs to be energetic, purposeful and staged, as if it is a direct conversation between both you and your audience. That way, they’ll absorb your ideas and insights and they’ll have learnt something in an enjoyable way.

1. Plan from the audience’s perspective

Before you start  writing your presentation , think about these points:

• What are the most interesting parts in my topic?
• How much will the audience know about my topic? What level do I target it at?
• Which members of the audience will most likely be disinterested?
• How can I help them learn and understand my topic?
• What is the size of the audience?

You can do this by researching the event or conference, investigating other speakers at the event and even contacting the organisers to find out more about the demographic.

By asking these questions about your audience and identifying answers, you are starting to think about your audience’s interests and needs. Remember, the aim is to give the impression that your presentation has been planned according to your audience’s specific interests.

2. Use an easy-to-follow structure

When building your presentation, focus on giving it a structure which people can easily follow. Start by introducing the core concepts and goals, then elaborate on the various points in a bit more detail, draw logical conclusions and leave your audience with a clear takeaway message. You want to flow naturally from one part to the next like you are telling a big story chapter by chapter.

3. Get the audience immediately involved

You audience will come to your presentation in a range of different moods. Try using a simple ice-breaker to re-energise them and get them focussed on your presentation.

For example, ask people to stand up and introduce themselves to their neighbours, or have them identify two or three questions they would like to hear addressed during your presentation. By starting with an ice-breaker, you show your audience that your talk will be interactive and require their participation.

4. Ask the audience questions during your presentation

The audience’s attention drops to zero after just 10-15 minutes of your presentation. To get their attention back, take a break from your presentation from time to time and interact with your audience. Ask for their questions and answer them during your presentation. This will help clear up any confusion the audience might have.

When planning your presentation, identify opportunities in your material for your audience to ask questions. If you’re not comfortable breaking the flow of your presentation, mention that you’ll be taking  questions at the end  so the audience can prepare some questions.

Asking rhetorical questions as you move through your presentation involves your audience by stimulating their own thought processes. This technique also helps move between sections of your presentation as it establishes a clear transition from one point to another.

If you’re comfortable with taking questions throughout your presentation, use a tools such as  Slido , which allows your audience to ask questions anonymously at any time, so even shy people can participate in the discussion.

Example of what can go wrong with audience interaction

Audience interaction:

Watch how the presenter tries but initially fails to get the audience to interact with the presentation. Notice how he encourages them to get involved and eventually they do join in.

5. Use storytelling to make it more memorable

Since our early ancestors, stories have always been a huge part of human culture and civilisation. Storytelling is the most universal way to captivate your audience’s attention, no matter where they are from or what they do for a living.

Stories are much more engaging and memorable than lists of facts and figures, but you wouldn’t think so looking at the majority of presentations (particularly academic ones).

People automatically tune in when you  start telling your story  because they want to know what happens next. A popular storytelling technique is when you present the status quo and then reveal an improved path to that end goal.

Think of your presentation as one arching narrative. As we mentioned earlier, give it the proper structure with a clear beginning, middle and end. Introduce conflict and provide a powerful resolution that reinforces your key messages.

6. Use non-linear presentation software

Instead of flipping through slide after slide, you can show the relationships between your ideas and give your audience the “big picture” view of your topic. Try letting your audience drive the presentation by laying out all of your main points, and then let them choose which topics they want to go to. Your audience will get a truly custom presentation based on their interests, which they will appreciate and more easily remember.

Prezi, shown above, is a popular non-linear presentation tool.

7. Add in a short video

Billions of hours of YouTube are consumed each month and advertisers have identified videos as having a high  retention rate  for users. However very few presentations ever use videos to engage with their audience.

Find a short video clip that reinforces your story or explains a concept better than words can. You can either embed the video directly into your presentation software or include a link to an external website. Just make sure you test your method on the day of the presentation and have a backup on a USB just in case you need it.

8. Invite people onto the stage

If you’re preparing a particularly long presentation, consider having other people to come on stage and talk for a bit. This will help you narrate the story and make the whole presentation more interactive.

Steve Jobs never pulled off the entire presentation by himself; he always invited several speakers, including designers, partners, and other executives, to help him introduce their latest product. Of course, this technique should always be arranged with your colleagues in advance.

9. Poll the audience

Polls are similar to quizzes in that they engage the audience during the presentation. Polls encourage participants to think not only about your questions but also about their answers. Moreover, live polls help create mental breaks, so your audience can regain attention and stay focused throughout your presentation.

By including everyone in answering the question, you also create a group experience that leaves the audience feeling like they all have been part your presentation.

10. Use (appropriate) humour

Some of the best speeches and presentations in the world feature plenty of humour. No matter the subject, a great speaker will use natural charisma, humour and language to convey their points and get the crowd excited about what they are saying.

A great example of building rapport with the audience through the use of humour is Barrack Obama talking about the government building Iron Man.

Another example is when  Morgan Spurlock  offers individuals the opportunity to buy the rights to name his TED talk—which he refers to again at the end, where he reveals the title. He peppers the entire presentation with humorous commentary that nonetheless supports his point.

Create relevant jokes or find a way to bring out the humour in your subject, and your audience will be much more engaged and more likely to remember your words.

11. Practice your delivery, again and again

Practicing is the most important part of delivering an interactive presentation. You’ll need to practice where to use live quizzes, when to accept questions, which points to emphasise with body language and many more. There are several options for practicing:

Practice Presentation Skills

Improve your public speaking and presentation skills by practicing them in realistic environments, with automated feedback on performance. Learn More

• In front of a mirror  – great for seeing and improving your body language, however it can be distracting to what you are saying.
• To friends or colleagues  – a useful way to get feedback on your presentation, try and action the feedback straight away to improve on it. You can also give the person some key areas to focus their feedback on if you believe you are weaker in those areas.
• Virtual reality  – practice in realistic  public speaking environments , whether it be in a virtual conference room or boardroom. Receive feedback on your speech with voice analysis technology.

With all three of these, you’ll want to work on your tone of voice, accent, pauses between sentences and facial expressions. The most important thing is to talk slowly and loudly enough to be heard and understood clearly.

A list of the best presentation skills courses you can practice with:

• Presentation Skills Training Courses

12. Try and relate to the audience

Make comparisons to events from everyday life that most people are more than familiar with. By making things look simple, not only will you help your audience get a better understanding of the subject by enabling them to visualize the information more clearly, you will also draw a connection between you.

After all, you are all just regular people with similar experience, you just happen to be performing different roles at the moment.

13. Strong body language (position, posture and gesture)

Non-verbal communication plays a large part in how we construct meaning, so it makes sense to consider how to use it in your presentation. You can make things more interesting for your audience by using  your body language  to enhance what you’re saying.

Body language goes beyond reinforcing your messaging – it’s useful from a biological standpoint. As discussed in her  body language TED talk , Amy Cuddy’s research found that using ‘assertive’ body language released testosterone and reduced cortisol in both men and women, thereby increasing confidence and decreasing stress.

An effective presenter pays close attention to the physical relationship with her/his audience. If you stand hidden behind an overhead projector or stand too far away from your audience, they will not develop a bond with you and this will limit the effectiveness of your presentation.

Your posture will also dictate levels of audience involvement. If you’re too relaxed and sit slumped in a chair to deliver your talk, the audience might drift away. Find a comfortable but purposeful position in relation to your audience and adopt an upright sitting or standing posture that allows for movement and gesture.

Audiences respond well to the physical energy and enthusiasm being conveyed by a presenter, and thus the use of clear and controlled gestures will greatly enhance your presentation. Gestures that are open and reach out to your audience serve to extend your presentation to them and thus help them feel more involved.

Examples of good body language:

• Use hand gestures when delivering key points
• Use calm, deliberate movements when highlighting certain information
• Keep arms and legs uncrossed

14. Maintain eye contact with all sections of the audience

Making eye contact is one of the most  powerful techniques  for involving your audience. If used well, eye contact can serve to make your address much more personal and thus more effective. If eye contact is avoided, the presenter can appear to be nervous and unconvincing.

It is important to share eye contact with all members of a small audience or all sections of a large audience. Avoid making eye contact with just the people you know, taking particular care not to deliver your entire presentation to the person who’s assessing your work. Remember that you will need to involve the whole audience if you are to make an effective presentation.

If you are nervous, eye contact can be very difficult to establish and maintain. Remember that some eye contact is better than none and that you should try to build your confidence over time.

15. Use live quizzes to better understand your audience

Live quizzes are a great way to understanding your audience better get them engaging with the material.

For example, if you’re giving a presentation on autonomous vehicles, you could ask questions such as:

• When do you think autonomous vehicles will become mainstream?
• Are you concerned by safety issues?
• If someone is injured or killed by the car, who is to blame?

These will surely create some interesting results which you, as the presenter, can talk about and discuss.

16. Use physical props if possible

You don’t need to be giving a product demo to use props during your presentation. Props are a great way to help the audience visually picture what you are talking about. While talking through your presentation, you can refer to the prop at certain points to highlight your point or make it clear to the audience.

Kenny Nguyen  does this will in his TEDx talk on ‘The Art of Saying No’. He refers to the “sword of yes” and “shield of no.” Naturally he picks up a sword and shield from the table to help demonstrate his points.

Another great example is when  Jill Bolte Taylor  brings a real human brain on stage during her TED talk to explain to what happened to her when she had a stroke. She touched the audience with this demonstration and left the audience in complete awe.

17. Extend your usual vocal range

Your tone of voice, your volume, and other vocal aspects affect how people listen and hear your message.

Julian Treasure’s  TED talk on ‘How to speak so that people want to listen’ is all about this, and at the end offers several tips ‘in our toolbox’ for how to master the use of voice, from changing your speaking pace to speaking in a different pitch.

Get feedback from a friend or colleague to see what works best for you.

18. Use language and literary techniques

Your use of language has a huge influence on the way you engage your audience. It’s important to use language your audience understands and is familiar with.

Avoid using language that is too formal or informal, too technical or too simplistic depending upon the nature of your talk and the knowledge base of your audience. Pitching your presentation at the right level can be a challenge but it is very effective for making the audience feel involved.

There are various  literary techniques  you can use, such as the Power or Three, to give greater impact to your message.

Involving your audience is essential to making an impact. Your presentation should pull them in, get their attention and stimulate their thoughts and understanding. This can be done in a number of ways.

The way that you plan your presentation will be critical in terms of using language and ideas that your audience will understand. You must also ensure that there is sufficient time for questions and discussion. The way that you deliver your presentation should create a bond with your audience.

Your use of eye contact, body language, spoken words and energy should  communicate effectively  and enthusiastically with all areas of the room, thus ensuring that the audience receives positive messages about you and your material.

12 Easy Steps to Make a Presentation Creative (+ Examples)

Learn how to make a presentation creative without PowerPoint, and draw inspiration from creative presentation examples by industry and use case.

Dominika Krukowska

9 minute read

Short answer

How can I make a presentation more creative?

• Start with captivating cover videos
• Add chapters for smooth navigation
• Weave in personalization using dynamic variables
• Enhance storytelling with animations
• Highlight key points using subtle visual cues
• Engage with interactive elements
• Showcase ideas using vibrant images
• Sprinkle in video narrations
• Wrap up with a smart CTA

Boring presentations can damage your brand’s image

Boring presentations can feel like those endless meetings where one person monopolizes the conversation. You know, the ones where you’re zoning out, doodling on the side of your notes, just waiting for it to end so you could move on to something more engaging.

That's the disconnect your audience experiences when faced with a boring presentation.

What’s even worse is that when your presentation is dull, it doesn't just bore your audience—it subtly suggests that you or your brand might be, well, kind of boring too .

The good thing is that with the right tweaks and insights, every presentation holds the potential to be memorable.

In this post, we're diving deep into the heart of what makes a presentation creative. We'll explore the mistakes that lead to forgettable slides and the strategies to elevate your content.

By the end, you’ll have all it takes to transform your presentation from mundane to magnetic and have your audience engage with it from the first click to the last.

Let’s go!

What makes a presentation boring?

A boring presentation is a mix of repetitive designs and long chunks of text without a human touch. When slides come off as too generic or overly complex, or they swing between being too predictable or hard to grasp, they lose their spark.

Add in a lack of visuals, real stories, or interaction, and you've got a recipe for audience disinterest.

To truly engage, a presentation should blend interaction, emotion, and content that is relevant to the audience.

How to make a presentation creative step-by-step

Modern presentations are more than just slides—they're experiences. Gone are the days of static bullet points; today's audience craves engagement, interactivity, and a touch of the unexpected.

Let's explore how to make your presentation more creative step-by-step:

1) Add videos to break up text

Videos can set the tone, explain complex ideas, or simply entertain. By strategically placing them at key moments where you feel energy might dip, you make sure your audience remains engaged, and your message is reinforced.

Whether it's a real-life testimonial, a product demo, or a fun animation, videos can breathe life into abstract concepts, making them tangible and relatable.

And, there’s science behind it too: presentations with a video on the cover slide see 32% more engagement . But the magic of videos doesn't stop at the cover. Presentations sprinkled with videos throughout held people's attention 37% longer and even boosted the click-through rate on calls-to-action by 17%.

2) Create a non-linear flow

Who said presentations have to be a straight line? Let's mix it up! By linking slides, you're handing the remote to your audience. It's like those 'choose your own adventure' books from our childhood.

Group your slides into themes or create chapters and let them pick what they want to see next. It's a fun, interactive way to keep them on their toes and engaged.

3) Use personalization for creating tailored stories

You know those emails that greet you by name and make you feel all special? Imagine bringing that warmth to your presentations using dynamic variables.

By integrating with your CRM, you can fetch specific data about your audience and weave it into your slides. This simple trick can make your audience feel like the content was crafted specifically for them, creating a deeper connection.

If you’re making a presentation to showcase your product, you can even use dynamic variables to create a mock-up with your prospect’s name and logo design on it to make your deck stand out.

4) Use narrated design

Scrollytelling is where the magic of scrolling meets the art of storytelling. It's an interactive content experience that weaves text, images, videos, and animations into a captivating narrative.

Instead of static slides, scrollytelling guides readers through a story, allowing them to control the pace. It breaks down complex content into bite-sized chunks, enhancing engagement and retention.

Our founder, Itai Amoza, wanted everyone to enjoy this dynamic content experience. So, he joined forces with visualization expert Prof. Steven Franconeri to weave scrollytelling into Storydoc.

Thanks to their partnership, we have dedicated storytelling slides in Storydoc, like the narrator slide you can see below , designed to make content both clear and captivating for all.

5) Tell stories with videos

Videos have this unique power to turn complex ideas into simple, engaging stories. A video might break down a tricky process into fun, easy-to-follow narrative, or give us a peek into real-life examples or experiences.

It's all about making your content feel alive, relatable, and super easy to understand. Because, let's face it, everyone's a sucker for a good story.

Here's a great example of a storytelling video:

6) Use roadmap and timeline slides

Ever tried reading a long-winded description of a company's journey or a product's development process? Yawn, right?

Now, imagine swapping that snooze-fest with a vibrant roadmap or timeline. Instead of slogging through paragraphs, you get a fun, visual play-by-play.

Picture a colorful line showing a startup's journey from a garage brainstorm to its first big sale.

Or a playful timeline marking the stages of turning a wild idea into a bestselling product. It's like turning a history lesson into a comic strip—way more fun and a whole lot clearer!

You can see what it looks like below:

7) Direct attention using animations

Ever been to a theater where the spotlight focuses on the main act? That's what animations do for your presentation.

Whether it's a cheeky arrow pointing out a fun fact, a grand entrance animation for a new idea, or using grayed-out content to highlight a key point, animations are your stage directors.

They ensure your audience's eyes are exactly where you want them to be, soaking in all the important bits.

Here's a great example:

8) Add interactive calculators

Who said numbers have to be boring? With interactive calculators, you're turning math into a fun game . Let your audience punch in numbers and see real-time results.

Whether they're calculating potential savings, ROI, or just playing around, it's an engaging and creative way to make your points tangible. It's like turning your presentation into a hands-on workshop.

9) Use AI-generated images

Instead of sifting through countless stock photos, thanks to the magic of AI, you can have an image that's tailor-made for your slide in seconds.

Storydoc presentation maker lets you generate any image directly in your deck - just give the AI assistant a short description and you’re good to go.

What's great is that you always get an image that matches your topic to a tee. No more "that'll do" compromises. Plus, think of all the time you save when you don't have to hunt for the right picture or take it yourself.

Here's a short video showing how it works:

10) Pop into the presentation with video bubble narration

Imagine if, during a presentation, a mini version of you could pop up, share a quick tip, or clarify a point. That's video bubble narration in a nutshell.

It's like having a friendly guide accompanying your audience, ensuring they get the most out of your content. It adds a creative personal touch, making your presentation feel like a cozy chat between friends.

11) Use before-and-after to show transformation

There's something magical about witnessing a transformation. Just think about the buzz online when someone shares a 'before and after' of a design revamp, weight loss journey, or how they helped a client grow their business.

With a before-and-after slide , you're giving your audience that 'aha!' moment. Even if you can't see their reactions in real-time, you can bet they're sliding back and forth, captivated by the change.

Whether it's showcasing a product's impact, a website redesign, or a process improvement, it's a visual treat that makes your message more powerful.

Here's an example of a before-and-after slide:

12) Close with a smart CTA

The grand finale of your presentation deserves a touch of flair. Instead of a simple 'Thank you' slide, imagine ending with an interactive live chat prompt or a calendar invite for a follow-up. It's like the encore at the end of a concert, giving your audience a chance to engage further.

These smart CTAs aren't just functional; they're creative extensions of your narrative. By integrating them, you're not just concluding your presentation; you're opening doors to new conversations and possibilities.

Here's a great example of a smart CTA:

3 presentation opening ideas

Kicking off a presentation with a bang can set the tone for everything that follows. Here are 3 captivating ways to grab your audience's attention right from the get-go:

Dive into a story: Begin with a personal anecdote or a relatable tale. It's like inviting your audience around a campfire, setting the stage for a memorable narrative.

Pose a thought-provoking question: Challenge your viewers with a question that gets their gears turning. It's an instant engagement booster, making them active participants.

Share a startling statistic: Drop a number that makes jaws drop. When you hit them with a fact that's hard to ignore, you've got their undivided attention.

Want more insights on crafting the perfect presentation opener? Check out our article on how to start a presentation people read to the end .

3 presentation closing ideas

Wrapping up a presentation is just as crucial as the opening. It's your final chance to leave a lasting impression. Here are 3 best ways to ensure your audience walks away inspired:

Circle back to the start: Revisit your opening story or statement, bringing your narrative full circle. It's a neat way to tie everything together and reinforce your key message.

End with a Call-to-Action: End with a captivating personal video message or a lively animation. It's a unique way to engage, surprise, and guide your audience on what's next.

Share an inspiring quote: Leave them with words that resonate. A powerful quote can sum up your message and linger in their minds long after.

Here's an example of a presentation with a personal video message at the end:

Hungry for more tips on crafting the perfect presentation finale? Read our blog post on how to end a presentation and get people to act .

Best tools for making creative presentations

Crafting creative presentations is an art, and like any artist, you need the right tools to bring your vision to life. Here's a curated list of platforms that are pushing the envelope in presentation design:

Storydoc : Beyond traditional slides, Storydoc offers interactive web stories. It's not just about displaying content; it's about creating experiences. With dynamic visuals and interactive elements, your audience is in for a treat.

Pitch : Collaboration is Pitch's forte. Designed for teams, it offers real-time editing, customizable templates, and a sleek interface. It's where ideas transform into visually stunning stories.

Genially : From animated presentations to responsive infographics, Genially provides tools that make your content come alive on the screen.

Beautiful.ai : Automated design assistance is its claim to fame. Feed in your content, and watch as the tool intuitively crafts slides that are both coherent and captivating.

Canva : A versatile design platform, Canva boasts a variety of templates for presentations, graphics, and more. Its drag-and-drop interface ensures even design novices feel like pros.

Visme : Tailored for visual storytelling, Visme offers a rich library of assets. Think dynamic charts, data widgets, and a suite of animations that turn your data into visual narratives.

Creative presentation templates

Ever felt the weight of the cursor blinking on an empty slide, almost taunting you to come up with something creative?

It's like being handed a stage with an eager audience, but the script is yet to be written. That initial step can be the hardest, but what if you had a little nudge in the right direction?

Creative presentation templates can help you shape your story in a way that stands out in a sea of monotony. Think of them as the paint-by-numbers kits, where the structure is set, but the colors and flair? That's all you.

Grab one and see for yourself.

Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

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How to make a presentation interactive and exciting

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What makes a presentation interactive?

Main benefits of interactive presentation, 9 ways to make your presentation interactive, types of interactive presentations, take your presentations to the next level.

An impactful speech or lecture requires more than being an articulate speaker . If you want the information to stick, your audience should engage with you and the material you’re presenting.

And that audience is changing. Among people with teleworkable jobs, 76% worked remotely some, most, or all of the time . Presentations are tricky when you’re catering to a virtual audience and don’t have the benefit of a physical space. And they’re even trickier when the people you’re speaking to are a mix of in-office and remote workers.

Creating a good presentation that incorporates the needs of both in-person and online audiences can feel like a tall order. But there’s a way to transform your spectators from passive listeners to active participants, giving them a memorable experience no matter the platform. And that solution is interaction.

Learning how to make a presentation interactive can grab and keep your audience's attention so they remember your session and its key takeaways. Here’s how to use interactive elements like Q&As, live demonstrations, and fun quizzes to make your presentations more exciting.

An interactive presentation has elements that involve the audience. The presenter engages with the group in real-time, asking and answering questions or encouraging participants to voice their opinions. Interactive presentations can also include online polls, quizzes, and face-to-face activities between audience members.

You’ve probably experienced a standard presentation where the speaker stands at the front of a projected PowerPoint slideshow, talking at you. Your only chance to engage comes when they open the floor to audience questions, and that’s only if there’s enough time. 

The presenter will still get the point across, but this approach can get boring, and it might be hard to pay attention if you’re not engaged. Around 90% of people admit to daydreaming during meetings and presentations , which can impact comprehension. An interactive presenter transforms the audience from viewers into active contributors and collaborators, making it easier to pay attention and gain from the meeting. 

A captivating presentation does more than just get the audience involved. It improves comprehension, helps you connect, and personalizes the experience. Here are more benefits to including interactive elements in presentations: 

• Connection: Human connection benefits everyone involved . An interactive presentation offers more back-and-forth between yourself and your audience, creating a sense of familiarity and an outlet for connection.
• Comprehension: Studies show that during conversations, the speaker’s brain activity and the listener’s brain activity mimic each other, which improves understanding . Interactivity helps the audience better absorb the information you’re presenting. 
• Engagement: Employee engagement leads to a happier workforce and improved company culture . Making the audience part of every meeting can contribute to their experience at work overall, and it’ll hold their interest in the moment. 
• Cooperation: Soliciting contributions or setting up participation activities means you won’t be talking for the whole presentation, which can help you feel less tired. You’re letting the audience do some of the work for you.
• Personalization: When you draw on your audience’s input, you’re creating a customized experience that is more meaningful and memorable. And interactivity means you’ll never give the same presentation twice, so your material will stay fresh.

Choose one (or a few) interactive elements to add interest to your presentation and improve comprehension. Experiment with different options and find the activities that stick. If you aren’t sure how it went, ask for presentation feedback to learn what the group enjoyed most and what you could improve. 

Here are a few interactive methods to try:

1. Icebreaker questions

Using a fun icebreaker to kick off your presentation creates a connection between yourself and members of the audience. You can keep it simple by asking a straightforward question or separating participants into small groups for an activity like charades. Whatever method you choose, you’ll help everyone relax, set the tone, and encourage participation for what’s to come. 

2. Storytelling

Listening to a good story makes your brain more engaged and helps you relate to the storyteller . Introduce your talk with a personal anecdote and use it to create a framework for your presentation. Try using music clips, video clips, or sound effects to add an extra level of interest.

As your speech progresses, you can refer back to your narrative and connect your ideas, creating a clearer line of thought. Telling a good story can also create a rapport with your audience, helping them relate to you through empathy or shared experience.  

Using interactive polls for presentations demonstrates that you care about your audience’s opinion. You can use a poll to gauge interest in a specific topic, learn how the group is feeling in the moment, or segue into a new section of the presentation. A live poll will also provide immediate feedback, helping you gauge whether your content has the effect you want it to.

Adding an interactive quiz for a presentation can help you read the room and assess your audience’s comprehension. Giving a quick quiz at the end of every section also lets you know if you need to follow up and explain your point further or open the floor to questions. Apps like Kahoot work well because everyone can pull out their smartphones and join in. The friendly competition of a quiz can also be a good motivator.

5. Question and answer

If you hold a Q&A session at the end of your presentation, the group might be too tired or rushed to find it meaningful. Instead, invite participants to ask their questions at key points throughout your talk. The information will be fresher in their minds, and a moment of conversation breaks up the lecture.

6. Demonstrations

If your presentation is about a product or concept, try showing it instead of telling it. Talking about the new app you’re launching isn’t as exciting as showing how it works. Demonstrating a concept, product, or service offers hands-on interaction and can make a more significant impact than words alone could.

7. Movement

Spending the whole presentation at the front of the room might bore both you and your audience. And it can be hard to create a personal connection when there’s a separation between you.

When you’re speaking, close the gap by moving through the venue space, pacing around, or speaking directly to different sections of the audience. Proximity and body language can help reinforce the connection you’ve built throughout your presentation.

Using props might sound gimmicky, but they can be powerful tools to help audiences engage with your material. Allowing your audience to interact with an item related to your speech can help break the third wall and add an element of fun.

Find an object that represents what you’re talking about, either literally or symbolically. For example, in Jill Bolte Taylor’s TED talk about her stroke, she shows the audience a real human brain to explain what happened .

You may have many methods for gauging your presentation’s success. Did the audience laugh at the jokes? Did you receive thank-you emails after ? This kind of indirect feedback can be telling, but it doesn’t provide you with actionable data.

Instead, incorporating a post-event survey gives your audience one last chance to share their thoughts and opinions with you. It gives the group a moment for self-reflection on what they’ve learned, and the feedback can help you improve your presentation skills before your next talk.

To apply interactive techniques that work the way you want them to, you need to be clear on the type of presentation you’re giving. Presenting the past quarter’s sales numbers has vastly different requirements than a lecture inspiring high school students to start volunteering. Understanding your audience and having clear goals will inform the format of your presentation and what kind of interaction suits it best. You have some freedom to mix and match elements of one format into another as long as they're complimentary, like adding persuasive characteristics to an inspirational speech. Here are five types of interactive presentations, with examples.

1. Informative

The goal of an informative presentation is to educate your audience. The structure shares factual information in a direct, unadorned fashion. For this kind of presentation, quizzes and polls work best because they test the audience’s knowledge. You can also use props to help them better understand complex information.

EXAMPLE: You present a workshop about your company’s style guide to new members of the marketing team and use a quiz to gauge their understanding.

2. Persuasive

You use a persuasive format when making a sales pitch or convincing an audience to take specific actions. Props, movement, and Q&As all work well for this format because they keep your audience engaged and give them the chance to learn more about the topic.

EXAMPLE: You’re leading a public meeting to encourage citizens to begin recycling and composting, and you bring a full garbage bag to represent the amount of waste each person produces in a day.

3. Inspirational

If you’re familiar with TED talks, you’ve likely experienced an inspirational presentation format. These speeches use storytelling to boost morale or inspire audience members to change their behavior or perspective. Try moving around the space or asking the group an icebreaker question to get them involved with the story.

EXAMPLE: You give a speech about how you moved up the ladder at your company, and you move around the room to better connect with the audience and tell them they could do the same.

4. Outcome-related

This collaborative presentation structure generates the most interaction between yourself and the participants because its goal is to work together. Use it to brainstorm solutions to a problem or determine the process you need to reach a desired outcome. Polls, quizzes, and surveys all work well for outcome-related presentations. EXAMPLE: You hold a meeting to develop a social media strategy for a new client and give an anonymous survey where team members can submit ideas.

5. Instructive 

An instructive presentation takes a deep dive into a topic. By the end, audiences expect to better understand an idea, concept, or possibly a product. Using storytelling and props can help demonstrate difficult concepts and give an audience more ways to connect with the topic.

EXAMPLE: You give a lecture on the benefits of solar panels on domestic buildings, and you bring in a solar panel with a lightbulb to show how it works.

Speaking in front of a group can be a little intimidating. But learning how to make a presentation interactive can elevate the event and relieve some of the nervousness associated with public speaking .

Whether you’re reviewing the results of a marketing campaign or speaking about an issue near and dear to your heart, interactivity helps transform a one-sided lecture into a participatory event. Meaningful audience interactions help your audience remember what you’re talking about and connect with the story you’re telling.

So next time you develop a virtual team-building exercise or present last month’s sales report, you’ll have the interactive presentation ideas you need to create an engaging experience, no matter your audience.

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Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

How to introduce yourself in an interview: Examples & tips

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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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• Interactive Presentation

10 Interactive Presentation Techniques | 2024 Reveals

Ellie Tran • 31 July, 2024 • 12 min read

All you need is the right tool and the right tact. Check out the ten best interactive presentation techniques below! These days, you might find your presentation audiences lost somewhere in your words, staring dead-eyed at you in the room or through Zoom. It's time for a change.

You might have heard that the secret to a good presentation comes from creating great interactive experiences with your audience, but the big question is how ?

Table of Contents

• Why interactive presentation techniques?
• #1: Icebreakers to warm up the room
• #2: Tell a story
• #3: Gamify the presentation
• #5: Present with props
• #6: Ask short questions
• #7: Brainstorming session
• #8: Host speed networking
• #9: Use a social media hashtag
• #10: Pre and post-event surveys
• 3 general tips for presenters

Frequently Asked Questions

Practice for better presentation.

• Complete Guide to Interactive Presentation
• Interactive Presentation Games
• Interactive Presentation Software for Mac

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Why Try Interactive Presentation Techniques?

Ever stood before a crowd and spent every bit of your nerve presenting something, but all you could see was the audience yawning or looking at their phones? 

You’re not alone here…

• One in five people constantly looked at their phones or laptop screens during a presentation. ( Decktopus )

Audiences get bored and lost quickly during one-way presentations, so making it more interactive and engaging is best. Let us walk you through some stats:

• 64% of participants found two-way presentations more appealing than linear ones. ( Duarte )
• 70% of marketers believed that interacting with the audience was essential to making presentations more effective. ( Duarte )

10 Ways to Create a Fun Interactive Presentation

Interactivity is the key to your audience’s heart. Here are ten interactive presentation methods you can use to get it…

1. Icebreakers to warm up the room

It can be daunting and make you more anxious if you jump into your presentation without a short introduction or warm-up. Things are easier when you break the ice and allow the audience to know more about you and others.

If you’re hosting a small workshop, meeting or lesson, go around and ask your participants some simple, light-hearted questions to make them feel more comfortable.

That could be about their names, where they come from, what they expect from this event, etc. Or you can try some questions in this list:

• Would you rather be able to teleport or fly?
• What was your dream job when you were five?
• Coffee or tea?
• What’s your favourite holiday?
• 3 things on your bucket list?

🧊 Check out top 21+ Icebreaker Games for Better Team Meeting Engagement | Updated in 2024

When there are more people, get them to join the icebreaker to build a sense of connection through an interactive platform like AhaSlides.

Save time with ready-made icebreakers

Word Cloud Icebreakers

Monthly Team Meeting

Icebreakers for Class

2. Tell a story

People love hearing a good story and tend to immerse themselves more when it’s relatable. Great stories can help boost their focus and understanding of the points you’re trying to get across.

Finding compelling stories that engage the audience and relate to the content can be challenging. As many people have different backgrounds, it’s not easy to find common ground and come up with something mesmerising to tell.

To find things in common between you, your content and your audience and craft a story from that, try asking these questions:

• What are they like?
• Why are they here?
• How can you solve their problems?

💡 More interactive presentation tips with AhaSlides:

3. Gamify the presentation

Nothing rocks the room (or Zoom) and keeps the audience bouncing better than some games. Fun games, especially those that get participants moving or laughing, can do wonders for your presentation.

With the help of many online tools to host live quizzes , icebreaker games , word cloud tool , and spinning wheel , you can make interactive presentation games directly and effortlessly.

Need some inspiration? Try out these interactive games in your next face-to-face or virtual event:

🎉 Pop quiz - Liven up your presentation with fun polling or multiple-choice questions. Let the whole crowd join and answer by using an audience engagement platform ; there are many for you to choose from (AhaSlides, Quizziz, Kahoot, etc.).

🎉 Charades - Get participants up and use their body language to describe a provided word or phrase. You can divide the audience into teams to make it more competitive and heat up the atmosphere.

🎉 Would you rather? - Many participants prefer sitting on their chairs while enjoying games, so juice up your presentation with an easy-peasy one like Would you rather? . Give them two options, like would you rather live in a forest or a cave? Then, ask them to vote for their favourite option and explain why they did.

💡 We’ve got heaps more games for an interactive presentation , along with games for virtual team meetings , games for adults and games for students !

Presenters usually host an ‘ask me anything’ session at the end of their presentations to collect questions and then address them. Q&A time ensures everyone is on the same page after getting a bucketload of information to digest while also giving you a chance to talk and interact directly with your audience.

To not miss a beat, we recommend using an online Q&A tool to collect and display questions so you can answer one-by-one. This kind of tool helps you manage all questions flocking in and allows people to ask anonymously (which is a relief for many people, I’m sure). 

5. Present with props

This old trick brings more power to your presentation than you might think. Props can grab the audience’s attention faster than when you only speak or show 2D images, and they’re great visual aids that help people understand what you’re talking about. That’s a presenter’s dream.

Bring some props that link to your message and help you communicate visually with the audience. Don’t pick something random irrelevant to your topic, no matter how ‘cool’ it is.

Here’s an example of how to use props the right way…

6. Ask short questions

Asking questions is one of the best interactive presentation methods for checking in on your audience and making sure they’re paying attention. Still, asking in the wrong way can result in an awkward silence instead of a sea of hands in the air. 

Live polling and word clouds are safer choices in this case: they let people answer anonymously using just their phones, which guarantees that you’ll get more answers from your audience. 

Prepare some intriguing questions that can spark creativity or debate then choose to show everyone’s answers however you want - in a live poll , word cloud or open-ended format .

7. Brainstorming session

You’ve done enough work for this presentation, so why not turn the table a little bit and see your participants put in some effort?

A brainstorming session digs deeper into the topic and reveals the audience’s different perspectives. You can gain more insights into how they perceive your content and even be surprised by their brilliant ideas.

If you want everyone to discuss directly, instruct them to brainstorm in groups and share their combined ideas with everyone.

Try a live brainstorming tool to let everyone have their say and vote on their favourites amongst the crowd 👇

📌 Tips: Divide your team randomly to generate more fun and engagement within your brainstorming session !

8. Host speed networking

One of the main drivers that bring your participants to come and hear you present is networking. Joining social events like yours means that they have more chances to meet new people, socialise, and maybe add new meaningful connections on LinkedIn.

Host a short networking session, ideally during a break or after you finish your presentation. All participants can freely mingle, talk to each other and dig deeper into any topic they’re keen on. This is one of the best interactive presentation ideas for large groups of participants.

If you do it online or hybrid, breakout rooms in Zoom and other meeting apps make it very easy. You can automatically divide your audience into different groups, or you can add a topic to each room’s name and let them join based on their preferences. Having a moderator in each group is also a good idea to help people feel comfortable at first.

There are also some tips for hosting a networking session in real life :

• Prepare a tea break - Food heals the soul. Participants can talk while enjoying the food and hold something when not knowing what to do with their hands.
• Use colour-labelled cards - Let each person choose a card with a colour representing a popular hobby and tell them to wear it during the networking session. People sharing things in common can find and make friends with others. Note that you need to decide the colours and hobbies before the event.
• Give a suggestion - Many people want to but shy away from talking to a stranger at an event. Write suggestions on pieces of paper, such as ‘say a compliment to a person in pink’, ask the participants to choose randomly and encourage them to do so.

9. Use a social media hashtag

Make your event go viral and keep people interacting virtually before, during or after the event. When you have a hashtag to accompany your event, all participants can join related conversations and not miss any info.

This is a great way to promote your event. Not only can your audience engage with your message, but so can other people on the net by interacting with posts using hashtags. The more, the merrier, so get the hashtag trending and let more people know about the fascinating things you’re up to.

Here’s how to do it:

• Choose a (fabulous) hashtag containing your event’s name.
• Use that hashtag in each post to let people know you have one.
• Encourage audience members to use that hashtag when sharing photos, opinions, feedback, etc., on their social accounts.

10. Pre and post-event surveys

Surveys are smart strategies to connect with the audience when you’re not with them. These surveys help you understand them better and measure your success.

In this tech era, sending surveys via emails and social media is convenient. There are some common questions you can put in the surveys and customise them based on the purpose of your event.

• Common questions - Ask about their names, age, hobbies, preferences, areas of interest and more .
• Tech-specific questions - It’s helpful to know about their internet connection and tech devices to set up activities in an online event. Find out more here . 

Post-event:

• Feedback questions - Collecting audience feedback is vital. Ask about their opinions on the presentation, what they liked and didn’t, what they want to know more by relevant survey tools , to gain better engagement by asking the right questions.

3 General Tips for Presenters

Presenting is much more than what you say or write on the slides. Well-prepared content is great but not really enough. Practice these amazing hidden languages to show your charisma and nail the presentation. 

#1. Eye Contacts

A quick gaze in the eyes helps you engage with the audience and further impress them. It’s key for grabbing their attention; you’re talking to them after all, not to your presenting screen. Remember to cover every part of the room and not stare at only one or two; that’s pretty weird and awkward…, right?

#2. Body Languages

You can make this non-verbal communication to build a deeper connection with your audience. A good, open posture with appropriate hand gestures can give you a confident and persuasive vibe. The more they trust you, the more they focus on your presentation.

#3. Tone of Voice

Your tone of voice matters. Your voice, manner, and language affect the audience’s mood and how people perceive what you’re saying. For example, you shouldn’t make it too casual and playful during a conference or don’t speak too seriously and bombard the participants with technical terms when presenting in a workshop. 

Sometimes, in more informal speeches, add a bit of humour if you can ; it’s relaxing to you and your listeners (don’t try too hard, though 😅).

What are interactive presentation tools?

Interactive presentation tools are software or web-based applications that allow users to create and deliver presentations with interactive elements that engage the audience. These tools provide a range of features and functionalities that enable presenters to create dynamic and engaging presentations that can be customized to meet their specific needs. Key features of interactive presentation tools are to add quizzes, polls, and surveys, to make the presentation more interesting!

Can you make PPT interactive?

Some ways to make a PPT interactive including adding hyperlinks, action buttons, using animations and transitions, interactive quizzes or polls, and also adding videos or audio

Which type of presentation is the most interactive?

Various types of presentations can be made interactive. Still, some types lend themselves more easily to interactivity than others, with the following types, including workshop-style presentations, Q&A sessions, Polls and surveys, Gamified presentations and Interactive multimedia presentations.

A lifelong learner, a traveller and content creator eager to explore the best of both worlds: the real and virtual one full of interactive activities with AhaSlides.

Tips to Engage with Polls & Trivia

More from AhaSlides

10 interactive presentation ideas that leave a lasting impression

Attention is the gatekeeper of our memories. If you can’t get the audience to sit up and pay attention, your presentation will soon be forgotten.

In her webinar, Using neuroscience to create presentations with lasting impact , Dr. Carmen Simon, cognitive scientist and founder of Memzy , emphasized the importance of attention when forming new memories. According to Simon, one of the best ways to win attention is to insert a “cut” every three minutes.

Attention is definitely mandatory to people remembering the right things, and not just random things.

“Cuts” are simply a break from your normal presenting style, such as switching from a lecture to a Q&A or trivia question. Switching styles this ways keeps the audience intrigued about what comes next. Below are 10 interactive presentation ideas you can use as “cuts” in your own presentations.

Some of these ideas rely on Poll Everywhere, a live audience response system that lets you ask the audience a question and show live results. Try Poll Everywhere today by creating a free account.

Warm up the audience with an interactive icebreaker

Signal to the audience that this will be an interactive presentation by opening with an easy icebreaker. Kick it off before your presentation starts, as people are finding their seats, to get everyone familiar with the ins and outs of Poll Everywhere in a low-stakes setting.

Doing so speeds up the time it takes to complete subsequent activities because the audience will expect them. They’re also more likely to engage with you on Poll Everywhere if they’re already comfortable with the process.

Icebreakers come in many styles , but one of the most popular among Poll Everywhere users is the word cloud. Choose a question that calls for a personal response – What’s your favorite food? – that everyone can answer.

Plant engaged audience members ahead of time

This isn’t as sneaky as it sounds.

Sometimes all it takes is a few engaged people in the audience to get the discussion flowing, and give other people the courage to contribute. But what if you can’t count on your attendees to speak up on their own?

Ahead of your presentation, ask a few audience members who you already know and trust to pose specific questions during your presentation.

Maybe you want them to chime in with an easy “gimme” to kick things off and encourage that level of engagement. Or, maybe you want your designated attendee to ask a question that everybody else may be too afraid to ask (i.e. “How do we know we can trust this data?”).

This strategy won’t be necessary for every presentation. But when you’re worried that your request for questions will be met with lowered heads and shifting glances, this is an effective way to get the ball rolling.

Read more: From classroom to boardroom: A high school teacher’s presentation tips

Repeatedly ask questions to build involvement

You can’t expect your audience to engage and interact with you if you don’t give them an opportunity. So, make sure to have plenty of spots throughout your presentation where you can pause and ask a question.

This doesn’t need to be a threatening, pop quiz-style way to scare your audience into paying attention. Even the simplest questions can make people feel a little more involved in what you’re presenting. Think of things like:

• Have you heard of this before?
• Can you read what’s on that slide for me?
• Does anybody know where/what [thing] is?

They’re straightforward questions that require a one-word answer or super easy response, yet they do the job of reminding your audience that you’re talking with them – and not just at them.

Get people moving and out of their seats

It’s time to get your audience’s blood pumping. No, you don’t need to have them do jumping jacks or pushups, but think of some creative ways that you can get them moving around a little bit.

It could be something as simple as asking people to stand up, rather than requesting a show of hands. Or, you could think of some ways to incorporate movement with the content of your presentation. For example, have them walk up and introduce themselves to somebody new to implement the elevator pitch techniques you just taught them.

Give some thought to the different ways you could get your audience out of their seats at a few different points throughout your presentation. If nothing else, you can rest assured that they’re awake.

Read more: 8 interactive presentation games for large teams

Use interactive questions to assess the audience

If you want to know if the audience really understands what you’re presenting, ask.

Christopher Robertson , who teaches at University of Arizona’s James. E. Rogers College of Law, uses Poll Everywhere to identify and resolve any misunderstandings his students have about the complexities of law.

“Law students can easily go an entire semester passively attending class and both the professor and student discover on the final exam that they have not grasped the concepts covered in class,” said Robertson.

I find polling in class encourages active student participation and uncovers misunderstanding of how to apply the law that warrant a second look.

Taking time to test the audience this way gives them a chance to reflect on what you told them, and apply that knowledge on the spot. This can improve the chances they’ll remember that information after your presentation ends.

Enable anonymity to encourage candid feedback

Dr. Mark, physician and author of The Productive Physician , uses anonymous polling in his medical classes. He cites how this extra layer of security helps put students’ minds at ease, and lets them focus on the lesson instead of worrying about scrutiny from their peers.

“Poll Everywhere allows both anonymous and signed-in polling,” explained Dr. Mark, “but I prefer to use the anonymous mode as I feel it increases learner psychological safety: my students might be more inclined to test their knowledge without the fear of being seen to be wrong in front of their peers.”

You can enable anonymity for all Poll Everywhere activity types. The audience responds from the privacy of their phones – not in front of their peers – giving everyone an equal opportunity to make their voice heard.

Split your audience into smaller discussion groups

There’s nothing worse than explicitly asking your audience to engage with you and being met with only crickets and blank stares.

But, here’s the thing: Not everybody is comfortable speaking up in front of a crowd.

For that reason, it can be smart to divide your audience into smaller groups to discuss something relevant to your presentation topic – even if it’s just for five minutes.

If you want the whole audience to come back together and share what they learned during those conversations, it’s likely that a spokesperson will naturally arise from each group; meaning the people who aren’t comfortable chiming in on a large scale don’t have to.

The best thing about this strategy? The previously-reserved attendees will have a little more confidence to speak up when they know the rest of their group is there to jump in if needed.

Read more: How to present an effective PowerPoint presentation

Encourage questions throughout your presentation

It’s natural to want your audience to hold on to all of their questions until a Q&A portion at the conclusion of your talk. However, that’s pretty much the exact opposite of an interactive presentation.

Instead, be upfront at the beginning of your presentation that you want people to chime in with thoughts or questions, rather than biting their tongue until the very end. Of course, you’ll need to be willing to step in and get things back on track if a question steers the conversation too far off course.

If you don’t want the interruptions, find a way for people to submit questions asynchronously , such as in a chat window or shared document. You can respond to those submissions at your own pace throughout the presentation.

Either way, encouraging people to contribute to the topic in real-time is far more interactive and engaging than forcing them to sit and wait until the end.

Let the audience decide what’s next

Presentations don’t always need to flow in a straight line. With a quick question, you can empower your audience and let them decide what to learn about next.

Poll Everywhere’s own Katie Wilson gave a webinar on this very topic. In it, she explained how corporate trainers use polling to create choose-your-own-adventure style presentations .

Present your audience with a multiple choice activity, and let their votes determine which topic you tackle next. In Katie’s example, a corporate trainer is asking about how best to respond to a customer complaint.

Three options are available, and the audience votes on which one they think is most appropriate. Once the results are in, the presenter navigates to the slide associated with that option and discusses the results.

Use surveys to extend interaction after your presentation ends

Audience interaction doesn’t have to end with the presentation.

Jez Wiles, lecturer at the London College of Music, continues the conversation with his students both before and after his lectures with online questionnaires.

“Getting [students] to use a survey as a post-class reflective tool, or pre-lecture poll to find out what they know about something…this has all extended the use of [Poll Everywhere] for me, and boosted engagement,” said Wiles.

Poll Everywhere surveys can include any type of activity – from multiple choice to open-ended – and can be completed asynchronously at the audience’s own pace. This is a great way to help reinforce the topics of your presentation, or to collect audience feedback on the presentation itself.

I like the sense of fun Poll Everywhere naturally brings. I always find engagement goes up when I use it.

These are just some of the ways the Poll Everywhere community uses live audience engagement to drive interactive presentations. Each of these ideas is a type of cut you can use to keep your audience alert and engaged with what you’re saying.

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15 Interactive Presentation Ideas

Engage your audience by creating a stunning, interactive presentation with visme..

Create a stunning and engaging presentation by taking advantage of these 15 interactive presentation ideas . Getting audience participation is a great way to create a memorable experience for your viewers.

This video covers interactive presentation ideas like using icebreakers, incorporating live polls, creating a non-linear presentation, asking discussion questions and more. Watch the video below to learn more.

Video Transcript

Are you giving a presentation and concerned about keeping your audience’s attention? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one and we’re here to help.

Hello world! I’m Mike Ploger here with Visme, the online tool that has changed the way that people give presentations. 

For most of us, our biggest fear when giving a presentation is losing our audience. The last thing that we want to see are eyes losing focus, mouths whispering or hands tapping cell phones. 

So, how can you combat this? Well, try to interact with your audience. Don’t just talk at them, but include them in your presentation. 

Throughout this video, I’m going to share 15 interactive presentation ideas to help you engage your audience in ways that maybe you hadn’t thought of before. Shall we?

1. Start With an Icebreaker

A fun way to begin a presentation is by getting your audience to interact with one another. Get conversations started, whether it’s at multiple tables at a large conference or just amongst those in a small meeting. 

Icebreakers are beneficial because they help you and your audience better understand one another. If it’s a large audience, chances are that they might all be complete strangers. So take the opportunity to help them become more familiar with one another. 

One example would be the Favorites Icebreaker. Participants simply list the things that they love with one another. 

Or simply try asking your listeners to come up with one word when they think of your presentation topic. Listen to their answers and consider them when moving forward with your presentation. 

2. Use Video Clips

Now sometimes, there’s no denying that a video has already said or demonstrated something better than you ever could. So, why not include that video in your presentation? 

Don’t think that it’ll take away from your work. Rather, it’ll keep your audience more focused and entertained. Even if there’s a video of yourself, it could be useful to share with your audience if the setting is hard to duplicate. 

With Visme, videos can be easily embedded into presentations. All you have to do is go to the Media tab on the left side bar and click Insert Video.

3. Make Your Presentation Non-Linear

Most presenters believe that their slides have to go in order from slide 1 to slide 2 to slide 3, but what if I told you that it’s okay to jump to various slides? 

By creating a non-linear presentation, your viewer is in control of what slides will come next. 

How? Create a Table of Contents slide, linking the sections to different slides. It’ll make for a good homepage to revisit throughout the presentation and it will also keep readers on edge wondering what’s coming next. 

4. Have a Q&A Session

Asking your audience questions and giving them the opportunity to do the same with you is a simple yet effective way of making an interactive presentation. 

During your preparation phase, leave places within the presentation for you to ask your audience a few questions. They can be simple, funny, complex – it’s totally up to you. 

It’ll allow you to get a read on your audience while breaking up your presentation. How do you feel about this, or raise your hand if, are good places to start. 

And of course, encourage your audience to ask questions themselves. You don’t want them to be confused early on and be unable to obtain information later because they’re stock on that one topic that they didn’t fully understand. 

5. Create an Interactive Quiz

Another way to gauge your audience’s knowledge on your topic is by creating a quiz. Take your verbal questions a step further by writing them into your slides. 

Don’t know how? Let Visme help. You can ask questions and, depending on what answer is chosen, a corresponding slide will appear next. 

These work great with embedded presentations that some may be watching on their own or, of course, it also works best with audiences right in front of you. Give it a try!

6., Bring Props Along to Your Presentation

If you are looking to bring your presentation to life, add a few props into the mix. 

By bringing in physical objects or even living things as I’ll mention here in a second, your audience will be more hooked than if they were just staring at a screen. 

However, make sure you keep your prop relevant. It should directly tie in with your presentation topic. If you’re talking about robots, bring a robot. Discussing anatomy? Don’t forget a few bones. 

And maybe the most creative example that we’ve ever seen was from the one and only Bill Gates. The founder of Microsoft went the extra mile when he released a swarm of mosquitoes into his audience. 

However awful as it may sound, it was perfect given his topic: a TED talk on mosquitoes and the dangers of malaria . I encourage you to check it out for yourself and see what ideas it may spark in your head. 

7. Tell Your Audience a Story

Don’t be afraid to share stories with your audience. An anecdote in the beginning of a presentation is an excellent way to draw viewers in. 

But it doesn’t have to stop there. A good story can be the most memorable part of a presentation. 

They can create suspense, deliver raw emotion or bring a topic to life. We love TED talks here at Visme, and Hans Rosling loves telling stories, which he did all throughout his TED talk here . 

8. Add an Audio Narrative

Now, so far, I’ve mentioned a few ideas to give yourself breaks throughout your presentation, and another would be to include an audio narrative. 

Maybe there’s a podcast that touched on your topic or somebody else perfectly summed up one of your points. Don’t hesitate to embed those recordings into your slides. It’ll save your voice while creating a much more interactive viewing experience. 

9. Poll Your Audience

Earlier I mentioned starting with an icebreaker and including your audience by asking them questions. Well, one great way to do both of those things is with an audience poll. 

You can have viewers simply raise their hands or go a step further with polling software . It is now available to have live, up to the second answers from your audience. Check out sli.do for some of the best results. 

And whatever presentation topic you have, polls can be used for fun, to get opinions or even to prove a point. Use them to your advantage. 

10. Include Discussion Questions

If your audience is sitting at a handful of tables, take the opportunity to create round table discussions. Start by putting up a question on a slide and ask your audience to discuss the answer amongst themselves. 

You’ll often see this in classrooms with teachers as they engage their students, but it’ll also work in big presentations as well. 

It requires very little effort on your part and gets your audience interacting with one another, which as we’ve seen, can be pretty powerful. 

11. Encourage Movement in Your Audience

Another great way to create interaction is by encouraging movement in your audience. It could be as simple as taking breaks, asking your audience to stand when speaking or even just raising hands when they’re answering a question. 

Or try getting creative. Ask your audience to move to certain spots in the room depending on how they feel about a certain topic. 

Or why not get people on stage for a creative activity? It’ll take some brain power, but getting people up and moving is one of the most effective interactive presentation techniques. 

12. Share a Hashtag for Social Interaction

Creating a hashtag is one of the latest trends for big events. We see them for conventions, conferences, festivals, weddings, anything where people are brought together. 

So, why not use one for your presentation? If a hashtag hasn’t already been created by your event organizer, create your own.

It’s a great way for people to share your content, leading to an even bigger audience. It’s a simple concept that can go a long way towards getting your expertise out to the masses. 

13. Add Music

In any setting, the right music will set the mood. So, use that to your advantage when planning a presentation. 

You can set simple instrumentals as a light background to complement your speaking, or you can add a spark of loud pop music to grab your audiences’ attention. 

Again, Visme makes this so easy in our presentation building tool. Adding audio is just a few clicks away. 

14. Play With Transitions and Animations

Animating your slides is key for keeping your audience guessing and engaged. Work with different transitions when introducing new information like we have here next to me. 

But you want to be wary when beginning to use transitions. Don’t go overboard. Find that one style that you like and stick with that style throughout your entire presentation. 

You don’t want or need 18 different transitions because it’ll start to confuse your audience. Find one look for your animations and stick with it. 

15. Use Data Visualizations

And lastly, our 15th tip in this video, whenever possible, visualize your data. Give your facts and statistics importance by turning them into charts and graphs. 

By creating data visualizations, your audience will digest information much quicker and easier. A well thought out icon or graphic is much more memorable than a spreadsheet of numbers. 

Visme is king of the data visualization world and has the software to make creating graphics a walk in the park. So, head over to Visme.co right now to get started. 

Once you have a blueprint for how you want to interact with your audience, Visme can help you bring it altogether in a beautiful presentation . 

Be yourself! Get creative and find what works for you. We’re just here to help you get on your feet. 

Hey! Thank you so much for watching. If you found that we were helpful, don’t hesitate to subscribe to our channel . We are consistently putting out content to help those with data visualization, design and other marketing questions. 

Good luck! I’ll catch you next time. For now, I’m Mike Ploger with Visme, helping you Make Information Beautiful.

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9 Interactive Presentation Ideas To Engage Your Audience

• By Judhajit Sen
• April 15, 2024

Key Takeaways

– Interactive Engagement: Transform traditional presentations into dynamic exchanges by encouraging active participation from presenters and audiences. Foster a lively atmosphere akin to friendly chats or engaging games where questions, feedback, and thoughts flow freely.

Diverse Interactive Tools: To enhance engagement and comprehension, utilize a variety of interactive features, such as clickable buttons, polls, quizzes, discussions, multimedia elements, animations, transitions, and role-playing scenarios.

– Enhanced Learning Experience: Engaging and interactive presentations increase engagement, personal connections, and hands-on learning. They foster analytical thinking, problem-solving skills, and agility, making them particularly effective for training and skill development.

– Memorable and Effective Communication: Engaging presentations go beyond information sharing; they give the audience memorable and compelling experiences. Presenters leave a lasting impression and enhance content retention by incorporating storytelling, gamification, and immersive role-playing scenarios.

An interactive PowerPoint presentation is an engaging communication format in which both the presenter and the audience actively participate. Unlike traditional slide formats that may sometimes lead to boring presentations, it’s a fun and interactive exchange in which questions, feedback, and thoughts flow freely.

Picture it as a friendly chat or a fun game involving everyone. You ask questions, gather live feedback, and get your audience to contribute. Utilizing clickable buttons, polls, quizzes, discussions, and multimedia elements, you transform static slides into an interactive experience.

Irrespective of whether you are making an in-person or online presentation, audience participation boosts retention. Interactive presentations foster increased engagement and personal connections. They employ charts, surveys, navigation, transitions, hyperlinks, and hotspots to enrich the experience.

A good presentation induces the audience to interact by incorporating quizzes and polls, ensuring engagement. It transcends traditional formats, leaving a lasting impression and enhancing content retention. An interactive presentation isn’t just about sharing information; it’s about creating a memorable and practical experience for both the presenter and audience alike.

The following are nine ideas to creating interactive presentations that will boost engagement.

Icebreakers

Kick off your presentation with engaging icebreakers to connect with your audience and set an interactive tone instantly. Start with thought-provoking questions or a fun game to ignite curiosity and encourage participation.

Encourage interaction among audience members to foster understanding and camaraderie. Icebreakers help break the ice, especially in larger groups where participants may be strangers. Use interactive activities like the Favorites Icebreaker or asking for one-word associations with the presentation topic.

Building rapport is critical. In small settings, have everyone share a bit about themselves. In larger audiences, encourage introductions among neighbors. Use fun icebreaker games or ask questions aloud to increase engagement.

Incorporate assessments like quizzes using third-party platforms to entertain and reinforce critical concepts. For instance, quiz the audience on online threats in a cybersecurity presentation. Strategically place these quizzes to maintain engagement.

To encourage participation, integrate fun games like Two Truths and a Lie or Speed Networking. These activities make participants comfortable and promote interaction, enhancing the entire presentation experience.

To make a presentation interactive, integrate live polls into your presentation using audience response systems or polling apps. This real-time feedback tool encourages active participation and creates an interactive atmosphere. Whether asking simple questions or seeking opinions, polls engage attendees and make presentations collaborative.

Audience interaction technology like live polling empowers speakers to gather insights and engage attendees. Prepare topics with questions, follow up with polling results, and adjust the presentation accordingly.

Engage your listeners further by incorporating polls relevant to the presentation topic. Use multiple-choice options or ask for raised hands. With polling software, attendees can input answers via smartphones, adding an element of fun and interactivity.

Encourage participation by including live polls and surveys in your presentation. Online platforms facilitate this interaction, allowing for feedback and transparent conversations. Displaying poll results sparks discussions and keeps the audience engaged.

Enhance audience engagement and test knowledge by adding quizzes and polls. From interactive scenario quizzes to open-ended polls, there are various options. Using online tools, embed quizzes and polls seamlessly into your presentation, making it easy to create interactive presentation content.

Encourage audience questions throughout your presentation to foster a dynamic and interactive atmosphere. Address inquiries in real time to show value for audience input and promote two-way communication.

Integrate audience questions throughout your entire presentation to gauge understanding and break up content. Prepare questions beforehand or allow spontaneity during the session.

Utilize the Ask Me Anything (AMA) format, popularized by forums like Reddit, to offer fluid interaction and align content with audience expectations. Moderation may filter questions or allow for spontaneity, enhancing engagement.

Incorporate audience questions into your presentation slides to prompt discussion and gather feedback. Use simple, non-intimidating questions to engage listeners without pressure.

Include discussion questions to encourage group interaction and create an engaging environment. For interactive seminars, break attendees into small groups or encourage neighborly discussion.

Encourage audience questions at multiple points during the presentation. Signal opportunities for questions and create a comfortable environment for participation.

Host an interactive Q&A session at the end of your presentation to invite audience input and clarify complex topics. Tailor discussions to audience interests and promote collaboration.

Real-time Q&A sessions foster engagement and provide immediate responses, creating a welcoming atmosphere for participants.

Q&A sessions, whether in-person or virtual, allow audiences to lead discussions and explore relevant topics. They also provide opportunities for spontaneous questions or pre-collected inquiries to enhance interaction and learning.

Storytelling

Share personal anecdotes or stories about your topic to engage your listeners emotionally. Storytelling makes your presentation relatable and memorable, drawing listeners into the narrative and keeping them engaged.

Start your presentation with a captivating anecdote to grab viewers’ attention and maintain interest throughout. Stories create suspense, evoke emotions, and bring topics to life.

Incorporating storytelling as a part of your presentation is an interactive way to convey information. Even data-heavy topics can benefit from storytelling, adding depth and humanity to your speech. By immersing your audience in a narrative, you make them feel involved and connected, enhancing their overall experience and retention of the material.

Craft a compelling narrative that your audience can relate to. This will strengthen your message and aid in information retention. Storytelling facilitates a deeper understanding and connection with your content, making your presentation more impactful and memorable in the long run.

Clickable Buttons

Enhance your slides with clickable buttons, allowing your audience to navigate your presentation or access external resources easily. These buttons can link to specific sections or outside materials, like your social media profiles or extra readings, making your education presentation more informative and engaging. By giving your audience the freedom to explore topics of interest, you create a personalized experience, increasing engagement with your interactive slideshow.

Navigate your audience smoothly through your presentation by incorporating interactive buttons for easy navigation, extra content, or calls to action. Instead of bombarding your audience with too much information, focus on key points and include clickable buttons to guide them to more detailed sections or external pages. This approach helps prevent audience fatigue while ensuring they have access to relevant information when they need it.

Data Visualization

Incorporate interactive charts and graphs into your presentation to boost engagement. Allow users to interact with the data by clicking on points for detailed information or to toggle between data series. These interactive visuals aid understanding and keep viewers engaged with your content.

Graphs and charts are vital in data-driven presentations. They simplify complex information into digestible visuals, help visualize key data, illustrate trends, and facilitate decision-making processes.

To prevent overwhelming your audience with data, utilize engaging infographics, charts, and dashboards that update in real time. Transforming complex information into visual formats enhances comprehension and retention.

Interactive data visualization is essential for effectively communicating information, whether you’re a data expert, business leader, or educator. It enables dynamic presentation of statistics and figures, making content more accessible and memorable.

Convert your data into visual representations to maximize its impact. Charts and graphs make it easier to process information and aid in faster comprehension and retention. Visualized data resonates with audiences and enhances overall presentation effectiveness.

Animations and Transitions

Elevate your presentation with animated infographics, adding a dynamic touch to your content. Animated elements reveal information gradually, capturing the audience’s attention and transforming complex data into easily digestible formats. Smooth slide transitions maintain flow and interest, ensuring a seamless transition between slides.

Animations and transitions enrich your multimedia presentation, enhancing engagement and emphasizing key points. Interactive text and pop-up elements keep audiences engaged, while progressive information revelation builds anticipation and understanding.

Animated icons and interactive elements contribute to effective storytelling, infusing personality into your brand and modernizing information delivery. These elements play a crucial role in organizing content innovatively and enhancing communication effectiveness.

Experiment with various animation styles to keep presentations lively and interactive. However, maintain consistency to avoid overwhelming your audience. Stick to a cohesive animation style throughout the presentation to prevent confusion and ensure a polished delivery.

Carefully select transitions to maintain audience engagement without going overboard. Find a style that complements your content and stick with it consistently. Avoid using too many different transitions to prevent distractions and maintain coherence in your presentation.

Gamification

Inject excitement into your presentations by incorporating interactive quizzes, puzzles, or challenges. Gamification adds an element of enjoyment and competition, encouraging active participation and enhancing learning.

If your presentations are for education or training, consider integrating gamification elements. This powerful tool not only entertains but also improves knowledge retention.

Depending on your presentation goals and software capabilities, you can utilize a variety of interactive games. From quizzes to puzzles, there are options to suit every audience and topic.

Audience engagement is vital for maintaining interest. With tools like live polling, speakers can involve attendees throughout the presentation, gathering insights and adjusting content accordingly. Gamification boosts productivity, challenges expectations, and taps into the human desire for competition.

Interactive presentation games transform passive listeners into active contributors, revitalizing meetings and promoting skill development. By fostering teamwork and quick thinking, these games enhance learning and problem-solving abilities among participants.

Role-playing

Involve your audience in role-playing scenarios to encourage active participation and deeper understanding. Role-playing enables individuals to step into different roles and explore diverse perspectives, connecting the content to real-world situations.

Scenario-based learning offers practical opportunities for audiences to apply newly acquired skills. Participants can engage in decision-making and problem-solving exercises tailored to their roles and responsibilities by simulating realistic challenges and workplace scenarios.

This hands-on approach fosters critical thinking and skill development, making it especially effective for training presentations. Whether teaching customer service techniques or conflict resolution strategies, role-play scenarios breathe life into the material and enhance learning.

Immersive role-play presentations serve as valuable tools for compliance training. By presenting employees with realistic scenarios, organizations can demonstrate how to navigate ethical dilemmas and handle sensitive situations while adhering to compliance protocols. These simulations provide a safe environment for learning and decision-making, preparing employees to apply their knowledge effectively in real-world situations.

Engage Your Audience: Interactive Presentation Ideas

Interactive presentations revolutionize traditional communication by fostering active engagement between presenters and audiences. Unlike passive formats, these sessions resemble lively conversations or engaging games where participation is encouraged and valued.

With various interactive tools, such as clickable buttons, data visualization, and animations, presentations become immersive experiences. Participants navigate content, explore data, and absorb information at their own pace, enhancing comprehension and retention.

Icebreakers set the tone, while polling and Q&A sessions maintain audience involvement. Incorporating storytelling and gamification adds depth and excitement, making presentations memorable and impactful.

Role-playing takes engagement to another level by immersing participants in realistic scenarios, fostering critical thinking and skill development.

Interactive presentations transcend mere information dissemination. They create dynamic exchanges, spark curiosity, and leave lasting impressions. By embracing interactive strategies , presenters empower audiences, turning passive spectators into active participants in the learning journey.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is an interactive presentation?

An interactive presentation is a dynamic form of communication in which both the presenter and audience actively participate. Unlike traditional presentations, it’s more like a lively conversation or engaging game in which questions, feedback, and thoughts flow freely.

2. How do interactive presentations engage the audience?

Interactive presentations engage the audience through tools like clickable buttons, data visualization, animations, and role-playing scenarios. These elements encourage participation, enhance comprehension, and make the learning experience more memorable.

3. What are some examples of interactive presentation tools?

Some examples of interactive presentation tools include clickable buttons for navigation, live polling for real-time feedback, animations for visual engagement, and role-playing scenarios for practical application of knowledge.

4. How can interactive presentations benefit different types of presentations?

Interactive presentations benefit various presentations, including educational, training, business, and informational sessions. They promote active learning, increase engagement, and improve information retention by creating a dynamic and immersive experience for both presenters and audiences.

Transform Your Presentations with Prezentium: Creating Engaging Interactive Experiences

Incorporate interactive elements like clickable buttons, dynamic data visualization, and captivating animations to revolutionize your presentations. Using Prezentium ‘s AI-powered presentation software, we will craft immersive experiences that captivate your audience and drive engagement.

1. Overnight Presentations: Email us your requirements by 5:30 pm PST, and wake up to a finished presentation by 9:30 am PST the following business day. Using our AI-driven best interactive presentation software, we will ensure that your content shines bright and keeps your audience hooked.

2. Presentation Specialist: Our team of specialists will transform your ideas and meeting notes into interactive presentations. We’ll refine your content and craft new designs and templates to elevate your message.

3. Zenith Learning: Dive into our interactive communication workshops and training programs that blend structured problem-solving with visual storytelling. From role-playing scenarios to immersive learning experiences, we’ll equip you with the skills to engage and inspire your audience.

Experience the power of stellar presentations developed using our AI-enabled interactive presentation software. Elevate your presentation game, engage your audience, and leave a lasting impression. Let’s create memorable experiences together.

Why wait? Avail a complimentary 1-on-1 session with our presentation expert. See how other enterprise leaders are creating impactful presentations with us.

How to Start a Presentation in English: 12 Slide Ideas

Introduction to group communication: tips and benefits, shark tank presentation tips: winning shark tank pitch elements.

14 Fun & Interactive Presentation Games for Teams and Students

So you've got an audience to energize, students to engage, or a team that needs a little extra fun — playing an interactive presentation game is an easy way to do just that.

We've done the research and found the best of these games for you: we looked specifically for games that are simple to set up, fun to play, and flexible enough to be used with a variety of presentations and audiences. Most of these activities work virtually with Zoom/PowerPoint and can also be used in person.

Which of these 14 presentation games do you like best? Take a look and let us know your favorites:

1. Live Trivia Competition

A great way to ramp up the excitement and engagement is to enable a little bit of friendly competition. Trivia is an easy way to do this—plus, it can be whole-group inclusive and large-audience friendly (if you use the right tools).

Here's a great trivia game you can run with your team, students, or any large audience. It's already created for you with questions and scoring built in to make it even easier:

Here's how to play:

• Make a free account here: https://slideswith.com/  
• Click the slide deck and copy it. 
• Launch the trivia game by clicking "Start Event."
• Invite your group to join in and submit answers using their mobile devices (show the winners automatically).
• Interact and play during your presentation!

This trivia game has questions on many topics to keep your audience's attention and appeal to everyone. It only takes 10-15 minutes to play, so it's a great game for long discussions! Also, this interactive activity is free for up to ten participants and is totally customizable.

2. Sing and Swing 

To really liven up your group, encourage your listeners to play Sing and Swing. This activity is best for long presentations because it boosts energy, creates a fun, light-hearted environment, and makes people laugh a lot. 

Here's how to play: 

• Before your presentation, pick a well-known song and rewrite the chorus (replace parts of it with words and phrases from your presentation) 
• When you're ready to play, show the song on your screen. 
• Invite your audience to sing it with you!

If you have a fun group or a class of energetic students, consider adding choreography to engage your audience even more. 

3. 20 Questions

If you want a presentation game that requires your listeners to talk more than you, 20 Questions is the one to play! A classic and simple activity, this game immediately boosts engagement and gets people laughing. 

Here's how to play: Have someone put an appropriate image or word on the screen behind you (this can be an audience member you trust or a colleague or co-presenter). To make things more fun, put on a blindfold so that everyone knows you can't cheat. From there, ask 20 "yes or no" questions to guess what's displayed on the screen. Your group should respond "yes" or "no" to guide you to the correct answer. 

4. Scavenger Hunt Challenge

To get your audience out of their seats, a scavenger hunt challenge is one of the best interactive games for presentations. It'll immediately energize your audience , team, or students while giving them a fun way to learn.  

There are tons of in-person and virtual scavenger hunt ideas you can use to dive deeper into your topic or help everyone learn about one another. But if you want a ready-to-play game that you can instantly launch without having any tech skills, here's a fun one to play: 

• Use an email address and password to create a free account here: https://slideswith.com/ (a free account guarantees up to ten people can play at no charge). 
• Click the game and press "Copy and use this slide deck." 
• In the top right corner, click "Start Event."
• Ask listeners to join the game by using their mobile devices to scan the QR code. Players should continue using their mobile devices to submit answers to questions.
• Have everyone start hunting for items! 

This activity is a particularly fun game because it's a photo-hunt, show-and-tell challenge! That means your audience will not only get out of their seats to find items, but they'll also get to take pictures and share and discuss photos of what they find. This conversational element will help engage your group! 

5. Group Word Clouds

Whether you're speaking to team members, students, or conference-goers, this activity lets you ask questions and get your listeners' thoughts on specific topics. 

This game is the perfect way to start your presentation, especially if you're discussing something with a wide range of opinions or are unsure how much your listeners know about a certain subject. Group Word Clouds is also beneficial if you want to do a quick meeting pulse or know how your listeners feel going into your presentation—understanding their energy levels and mood can help you adjust (if necessary) to get maximum engagement and excitement.

To enjoy this activity, keep things simple by using a tool that already offers a ready-to-play Group Word Clouds game. Here's a popular one you can launch immediately: 

• Create a free account by entering an email and password here: https://slideswith.com/  
• Click the game and then copy it (the button to do so is right underneath the slide deck).
• Press "Start Event" in the top right corner. 
• Tell participants to play by scanning the QR code. 
• Create word clouds and have fun!

This interactive game only takes 5-10 minutes to play, so it's a fast, fun way to engage your audience and feel out the room. Players can use their mobile devices to answer questions. This activity is also free for up to 10 people and is easy to personalize.

6. The Get to Know You Game

This activity is one of the best presentation games if you have a small group that doesn't really know each other. The Get to Know You Game is a creative way to do introductions, and it's really simple.

Here's how to play the game: Before the event, ask group members to bring a favorite song or item to the presentation (you can do this by emailing them). When you're ready to play, ask each person to introduce themself, present their song or item, and explain why they picked it. For those sharing a song, have them play it on their phones before they explain why it's their favorite. 

7. Live Poll Questions 

When you have a large group, it's not easy to find ways to boost engagement—but poll questions are the solutions, especially when they're live and interactive. With this unique setup, large groups engage by answering questions and seeing their answers displayed in a fun way. 

Your job is to make sure you actually find a game that showcases responses uniquely to captivate your group. For a quick and great option, here's a popular icebreaker activity that promises to display responses using fun formats like word clouds, donut charts, live graphs, and per-player: 

• Create an account for free to access the game:  https://slideswith.com/  
• Click the slide deck and press the button to copy it. 
• Look in the top right corner of the deck and press "Start Event."
• Invite your group to play the game. They only need to use their mobile devices to scan the QR code. 
• Start polling your audience!

This activity is one of those fun presentation games everyone will want to enjoy, so invite all of your team members and students to participate. This game can accommodate up to 250 players and takes 5-10 minutes to complete. Tell your group to use their mobile devices to submit their responses. 

8. Assumptions 

This interactive game is a great way to break up your presentation to see who's paying attention and who can answer questions pertaining to your topic. 

• Ask your audience to stand up (for virtual presentations, make sure everyone's video is on). 
• Show true or false statements on the screen one by one. 
• Tell people to raise a hand if they think the statement is correct and sit down if they think it's incorrect.
• Continue until one person is left standing.
• Award the winner. 

This activity can be as short and challenging as you want. Also, if your presentation is long, you can play multiple rounds to break up your speaking time and test your audience throughout your discussion.  

9. Controversial Questions 

Want to see where your audience, students, or team lands on controversial topics? Then, energize your presentation with a fun, creative game called Controversial Questions. This activity has prompts that inspire lively debates, so it's a great way to get your group excited and chatty. 

However, to maintain a positive environment, make sure to find a tool that offers an office-friendly, classroom-friendly, and conference-friendly game. You don't want to sour the mood by creating uncomfortable division during your presentation. To make sure this game is fun and light-hearted, here's a popular one that's suitable for all audiences and ages: 

• Sign up for a free account by inputting an email address and password here:  https://slideswith.com/pricing  
• Click the game and press the button that says, "Copy and use this deck." 
• Press "Start Event" (the button is in the top right corner). 
• Have participants join the fun by asking them to scan the QR code with their mobile devices. 
• Get controversial and play! 

This interactive game for presentations asks fun (but appropriate) questions like:

• Does pineapple belong on pizza?
• Does the person flying in the middle seat get both armrests?
• Should the toilet roll go over or under? 

Players should use their mobile devices to submit answers. Up to ten people can play for free, and you can customize the game by updating the questions!

10. Word of the Day 

With this activity, you can keep your audience, team, or students engaged throughout your entire presentation. This  game requires listeners to be alert and recognize whenever you say the word of the day. 

Here's how to play: At the beginning of your presentation, tell your group the word of the day (it can also be a phrase if you'd prefer). Say that you'll weave the word into your presentation and that your audience must shout it out whenever you mention it. 

11. Mini Activity: Group Icebreaker

Whether you're doing an in-person or virtual presentation, you need to warm up your audience to get things started on a positive note. The best way to do that is with a quick icebreaker game. 

However, make sure your questions are fun, positive, and engaging. You can easily do this by finding a game that already has the best icebreaker questions included. Here's one that's ready to play (and requiring no tech skills to launch): 

• Input an email address and password to make a free account here: https://slideswith.com/  
• Click the deck and copy it (press "Copy and use this deck). 
• Click the button in the top right corner that says "Start Event."
• Invite participants to play by asking them to scan the QR code. 
• Break the ice to warm up your audience!

Your group should use their mobile devices to submit responses to poll questions. Also, this game accommodates up to 250 players, but only ten people can join for free.

12. Process of Elimination 

This activity is one of the best games for presentations because it's simple yet fun and great at helping listeners get to know each other. You can play it at the beginning of your presentation or in the middle to give your group a chance to stretch their legs. 

• Before your event, create a list of "yes or no" questions. 
• Once you're ready to play, tell your group to stand up (if you're doing a virtual presentation, make sure everyone's video is on). 
• Ask each question one by one. 
• Tell attendees to stand if their answer is "yes" and sit if their answer is "no." 

The questions can relate to your topic or be totally random. Also, if you'd prefer to thin out the number of people standing, you can take a creative twist and ask your questions by saying something like this: "Stay standing if (insert scenario)." When phrasing each question this way, the game will end with one person standing. To acknowledge the winner, you can give them a round of applause or award them a prize. 

13. Conference Opener Icebreaker 

If you're speaking at a big conference, you need an interactive game for presentations that can get everyone involved and ensure every voice is heard. To achieve these goals, you should create an icebreaker game that works for large groups . 

Using an easy, intuitive template is the best step to take. That way, you don't have to start from scratch or spend hours making your game. For a template that requires no code or tech-savviness to build on, here's the best option: 

• Sign up by making a free account here: https://slideswith.com/  
• Click on the game. On the next page, click the button to copy and use the deck. 
• Customize the template using the instructions HERE . 
• During your presentation, press "Start Event" in the top right corner. 
• Ask the group to use their mobile devices to scan the QR code and join the fun. (Also, make sure participants use their mobile devices to submit answers.) 
• Play and engage your audience!  

This template has fun, interactive features built in to keep your large audience engaged. Those features include polls, word clouds, and ratings. Just make sure you sign up for a paid plan to accommodate the large number of people in your group—the free account only works for up to ten players. 

14. Two Truths and a Lie 

This classic game is a fun, energizing way to help your listeners get to know one another. It's perfect for small in-person or virtual groups and is an ideal activity for the beginning of your presentation. 

Here's how to play: Pick any topic (for the purposes of this article, the topic will be "movies"). In no particular order, say two movies you've really watched and one you haven't watched. Ask your audience to guess which statement is the lie. The winner picks the next topic and says two truths and a lie. 

Be Memorable With Presentation Games

Oftentimes, people forget presentations within a week or even days, and that's because the discussions are boring. But you don't work hard preparing a presentation for it to be forgotten. If you want your message to stick, all you have to do is make it enjoyable without being corny.  

If you want to be remembered and actually get people engaged, you need to make your presentation fun and enjoyable, without coming off as corny or desperate to please. Ivan Dimitrijevic, 10 Secrets of Making Every Presentation Fun, Engaging, and Enjoyable

Luckily, the interactive presentation games in this article are unique and exciting—they're far from corny. So, use them for your upcoming presentations to make your messages compelling and memorable. 

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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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2 Responses to “23 PowerPoint Presentation Tips for Creating Engaging and Interactive Presentations”

Very great advices!

Greetings ! A compact composed communication for the host to have an impact -VOICE

Thank You ?

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8 ways to make your presentation more interactive

Get your team on prezi – watch this on demand video.

Chelsi Nakano April 29, 2016

In a recent survey we conducted with the help of Harris Poll, almost half of the respondents admitted to doing something other than listening during a co-worker’s presentation—popular answers included sending a text message (28 percent), checking email (27 percent), and falling asleep (17 percent). To say the least, it can be difficult to hold an audience’s attention, let alone get your message across when presenting.

One of the best ways to get your audience to stay focused is to make them feel like they’re a part of your story. There are a few simple things you can do to get your audience to participate in your presentation, by making it more interactive—here’s how.

1. Break the ice. Each of your audience members comes to your presentation in a completely different mood. A simple ice-breaker can put everyone on the same level and energize them for your presentation. Get your audience to do a simple exercise to reset their minds and refocus on your talk. For example, ask people to stand up and introduce themselves to their neighbors, or have them identify two or three questions they would like to hear addressed during your presentation. By starting with an ice-breaker, you show your audience that your talk will be interactive and require their participation.

2. Tell stories. Stories are food of the brain when it comes to the presentations, according to professional public speaking coach Nathan Gold . Storytelling is the most universal way to captivate your audience’s attention, no matter where they are from or what they do for a living. People automatically tune in when you start telling your story because they want to know what happens next. You can go further than dropping a few anecdotes into your speech. Use the storytelling technique that Nancy Duarte found after studying hundreds of TED talks : Present the status quo and then reveal the path to a better way. By following this formula, you set up a conflict that needs to be resolved. You’ll have the audience hanging on the edge of their seats, craving to hear the end of your story.

3. Add videos . With over 6 billion hours of video being watched each month on YouTube alone, it’s hard to believe that still so few presenters use them in their presentations. Videos are a great tool when it comes to giving an engaging presentation. Videos can evoke emotions in an audience that could be otherwise quite difficult to elicit. Find the clip that will put your audience in the right mood and that reinforces your story. With the seamless integration of YouTube videos in Prezi, there is no excuse for not using them.

4. Embrace the power of non-linear presenting. The Prezi experts agree that the real power of Prezi lies in the ability to present your non-linear story. Instead of flipping through slide after slide, you can show the relationships between your ideas and give your audience the “big picture” view of your topic. Try letting your audience drive the presentation—lay out all of your main points, and then let them choose which topics they want to zoom into. Your audience will get a truly custom presentation based on their interests, which they will appreciate and more easily remember.

5. Ask questions during your presentation. Presentation expert and best-selling author Carmine Gallo pinpointed that the audience’s attention drops to zero after just 10 minutes of your presentation. That’s right, 10 minutes. To get their attention back, Gallo advises creating soft breaks within your speech. Therefore, take a break from your presentation from time to time and interact with your audience. Ask for their questions and incorporate them already during the presentation. Tools like sli.do allow audience members to ask questions anonymously, so even shy people can participate in the discussion.

6. Poll the audience. Live polls are an incredibly effective tool for instantly engaging with your audience. Unlike rhetorical questions, polls encourage participants to think not only about your questions but also about their answers. Moreover, live polls help create mental breaks, so your audience can regain attention and stay focused throughout your presentation. By including everyone in answering the question, you also create a group experience that leaves the audience feeling like they all have been part your presentation. With sli.do , you can integrate live   polls seamlessly into your prezis and engage the participants without the need to switch between screens or applications.

7. Use props. You don’t need to be giving a product demo to use props during your presentation. Props are a great way how to help the audience to wire in another senses to absorb your message. So bring props on the stage and show them during the right point to help the attendees visualize what you are describing verbally. Neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor brought a real human brain on stage during her touching TED talk to explain to what happened to her when she had a stroke. She touched the audience with this demonstration and left the audience in complete awe.

8. Share the glory. Don’t steal all the glory for yourself. Share the stage with other presenters or the audience members to help you narrate the story and make the whole presentation more interactive. Steve Jobs never pulled off the entire presentation by himself; he always invited several speakers, including designers, partners, and other executives, to help him introduce their latest product. Do the same. Bring someone from the audience onstage and get them do something relevant and fun. This technique should always be arranged with the volunteer in advance.

Juraj Holub is the Social Media and Content Specialist at Sli.do . Sli.do is an award-winning audience engagement platform for live events that allows everyone in the audience to ask questions and vote on live polls via their mobile devices. Sli.do also allows Prezi users to seamlessly integrate live polls into their presentations.

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How to write a problem statement slide, how to write the perfect titles for your slides, pro tips to create an impactful employee induction presentation.

In a survey, almost 50% of the respondents agreed to engage in tasks other than listening during a presentation – 17% fell asleep, 28% were busy sending a text message, and 27% were engrossed in checking email. ( source )

The audience’s average attention span is only 8-10 minutes. Their participation levels begin to diminish after 30 minutes. ( source )

These statistics pinpoint the importance of engaging the audience and highlight the need for presenters to devise innovative strategies to capture the audience’s attention. 

This article outlines various types of engagements, strategies, and tips and tricks to keep your audience engaged. 

Why is Audience Engagement Important? 

A). builds connection.

An engaging presentation resonates with the emotions of the audience and connects them to the presenter on a personal and deeper level. This connection establishes trust, which is essential for enhancing the overall effectiveness of the slideshow.

b). Boosts Memory Retention

Emotionally engaged audiences are in a better state to understand, process, and retain the presented information. It creates an impact on their minds that stays for long after the completion of the presentation.

c). Increases Collaboration and Participation

When it comes to presentation, audience engagement is directly proportional to collaboration and active participation. A collaborative environment makes it easy for the audience to share their viewpoints, feedback, and suggestions.

d). Fosters Long-term Relationships

A positive engagement results in repeat interactions and collaborations. Engaged audiences have stronger brand loyalty, and they are more likely to return to your brand and advocate it to others. 

e). Drives the Desired Action

Engagement helps the presenter achieve the presentation’s goal, which could be to inspire, persuade, educate, or inform the audience. The engaged audience better comprehends and acts on the message.

Types of Engagement

(i). intellectual engagement.

We live in an era of information overload. Thus, it is crucial to create content that piques the audience’s curiosity and gets them thinking. It can be done by asking open-ended questions, introducing debates, panel discussions, etc. 

Here are a few tips for maintaining intellectual engagement-

• Ensure that your content has a strong and logical flow. Consider using readymade presentation slides that give your content a consistent and structured look.
• Weave a narrative around the concept, add a plot twist, and actively engage the viewers.
• Incorporate multiple learning techniques. Not all audience members may be intrigued by stories or anecdotes. Thus, include data, visuals, graphics, etc.

(ii). Linguistic Engagement

Linguistic engagement is the art of communication – how well you can convey your ideas and how effectively your audience can absorb them. A successful presentation hinges on clear, concise language and translating complex ideas into accessible terms. Whether you are delivering a formal pitch or leading an interactive workshop, strong linguistic engagement ensures that your message is heard, understood, and remembered.

To foster linguistic engagement, focus on tailoring your vocabulary and tone to your audience. Use compelling storytelling, vivid descriptions, and rhetorical devices to capture attention and make your points stick. Additionally, encourage interaction by asking for feedback or posing questions that invite discussion. When your audience feels linguistically engaged, they will likely contribute, ask questions, and remain actively involved in the presentation.

(iii). Emotional Engagement

Emotional engagement is the heart of every presentation. It is when your audience feels connected to you on a personal level. Therefore, presentations that stir emotions create a great impact.

It can be done by incorporating personal experiences, using impactful visuals, and showcasing ideas with videos to create a particular emotion.

For instance, consider you wish to raise funding for a social project related to girls’ education. Instead of communicating with numbers and texts, incorporate video testimonies of how your work has helped young girls shatter societal shackles. Include pictures of them studying, laughing, and feeling empowered. By doing so, you can instantly strike the audience’s emotional chord, make them feel connected to the project, and ultimately nudge them to take the desired action.

Here are a few tips to ensure emotional engagement-

• Hit the audience’s hopes and fears.
• Use humor appropriately.
• Consider including visualization techniques, asking the audience to imagine or think of a particular situation, and creating a connection.

(iv). Physical Engagement

Sitting in one place for a long time breeds boredom and stagnation. Thus, you can keep the audience engaged by mindfully incorporating small physical tasks such as polls, noting down activities, nodding, etc. When your audience is physically engaged, they become active participants.

Here are a few tips for physical engagement –

• If your presentation is too long, consider scheduling a break in between.
• Ask questions that require a show of hands.
• Circulate handouts and encourage note-taking.

Tips to Increase Audience Engagement in a Presentation

1. know your audience.

Know your audience well. Study their backgrounds, educational qualifications, linguistic preferences, age, gender, etc. It will help you make content that resonates.

For instance, if you need to deliver a presentation on marketing strategies, commence by analyzing the audience’s backgrounds. If they consist of experts and professionals, include technical aspects, detailed studies, etc. However, if your audience is primarily beginners, it is better to cover the basics.

2. Keep Your Content Relevant

The best way to explain a concept quickly and keep people hooked is by using simple and easy-to-understand language. Instead of using jargon and complicated phrases, use layman’s terms.

3. Add Hooks to Keep Them Focused 

Keeping the audience focused can be challenging. However, by using the right tools, you can increase the impact of your presentation. Have a look at the various techniques mentioned below-

Introducing quizzes can be a fun way to break the ice and drive interactivity. You can offer token prizes to make your quizzes more participative. 

Remember, ask questions relevant to your presentation that can be answered well by the audience. The audience may feel annoyed if you ask vague or highly technical questions.

Polls are questions that ask the audience to choose from multiple options. It can also be yes or no questions. You can make the audience feel involved and connected by including polls after every few slides.

Props are a great way to attract visual learners. These are especially helpful for demonstrative presentations related to training, products, education, etc.

However, it is vital to ensure that your prop functions well before the presentation to avoid any errors or mistakes on stage.

4. Make Beginning Memorable

Do you know that it takes only three seconds for somebody to form an impression of you? Thus, it is vital to begin the presentation strong and foster engagement. Here are some effective strategies to do so-

• Self-Introduction

Start by introducing yourself. Talk about your journey, challenges, and how you got to where you are. To make your introduction more intriguing, weave an anecdote related to your topic.

• Surprising Statistics

Numbers speak louder than words. Thus, start with a bold figure that instantly awes the audience. Let us understand with an example.

For instance, if your presentation is on climate change, you can begin by saying, “Did you know that climate change can cause approximately 2,50,000 more deaths yearly in the future?”

By mentioning such a vast number, you can tap into the audience’s attention from the beginning.

Commencing with a powerful quote can instantly set the tone of the presentation. A well-picked quote paves the way for the audience towards the content and offers great insights.

5. Pay Attention to Body Language

Authoritative body language is the most important non-verbal cue that can determine the value of your message. It speaks volumes about your confidence and esteem as a presenter and shows your credibility.

Posture is the foundation of physical presence on stage. How would you feel looking at a presenter with slouched shoulders and restless movements? You would question their ability and talent, wouldn’t you?

Therefore, stand tall with your back straight and shoulders rolled, signaling strength, courage, and stature. 

Gestures are essential for emphasizing your points and bringing energy to your presentation. Purposeful hand gestures can highlight important ideas, illustrate concepts, and engage the audience visually. 

However, avoid overusing or making repetitive, distracting gestures that could divert attention away from your message. When done right, gestures add dynamism to your delivery and help you communicate with clarity and impact.

• Facial Expression

Expressions are the first impressions your audience forms of you. Even if they do not listen to what you say, they will always see how you react. Maintain a cheerful smile, change your expression according to your content, and do not hold a blank face at any point. 

• Eye Contact

Eye contact establishes a direct connection with your audience, making them feel acknowledged and engaged. Maintaining consistent eye contact with different sections of the audience creates a sense of inclusiveness and attentiveness. 

Avoiding eye contact can come across as nervous or insincere. Contrary to this, strong eye contact conveys confidence, helps gauge the audience’s reactions, and encourages them to stay focused on you and your message.

• Movement on the Stage

Moving on the stage adds vitality to your presentation, but it needs to be controlled. Fidgeting or roaming around without a purpose can depict unpreparedness. However, strategic movements such as covering the stage mindfully, moving closer to the audience, etc., add dynamism.

6. Engage with Your Voice

Imagine sitting for a presentation, and the presenter speaks in a fixed tone. There is no modulation, pitch change, or even volume variation. Would it not feel like a monologue and instantly disengage you? Of course, it would.

Therefore, engaging with your voice is highly crucial. You can change your pitch to convey urgent information, modulate your voice to communicate different emotions, adjust your volume, etc. 

7. Conclude Your Presentation with a Bang

A powerful conclusion ties everything together and motivates your audience to take action, think deeply, or simply remember your key points. Rather than fading out with a weak or abrupt ending, aim to leave your audience energized and inspired. The final moments of your presentation are your opportunity to reinforce your message and ensure it sticks long after the event.

• The Summary

Summarize your presentation in a few bullet points. Cover all essential topics and necessary information in the slide. It will also help those who have missed certain parts of the presentation to come on the same page with everyone else.Summarize your presentation in a few bullet points. Cover all essential topics and necessary information in the slide. It will also help those who have missed certain parts of the presentation to come on the same page with everyone else.

• A Thought-Provoking Question

Posing a thought-provoking question at the end of your presentation is a great way to spark reflection and engage the audience even after you’ve finished speaking. It encourages your listeners to continue thinking about your topic and how it applies to their lives or work. This open-ended approach invites curiosity and can lead to meaningful discussions or personal insights beyond the presentation.

Every presentation has a purpose. Whether implementing a strategy, signing up for email, buying a product, or striking up a conversation, providing clear next steps can reinforce the message and help the audience do what is necessary.

Include your contact information, such as social handles, email address, and phone number, so the audience can reach out if they face difficulties following the steps.

• The Heartfelt Gratitude

Gratitude is the biggest of all virtues. Expressing thankfulness towards the audience and those involved can be a great way to end your presentation. By thanking them, you showcase goodwill and gather genuine respect.

Grabbing and holding on to the audience’s engagement is crucial. By harnessing the power of various types of engagement and using techniques to incorporate the same, you can become a maestro at maintaining audience engagement.

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7 Game-Changing Tips to Run Interactive Webinars (+ Bonus Tip)

Lead magnet or snoozefest? With webinars, it can go either way.

And as marketers, we aim for the latter.

To do that, it’s time to ditch lectures and PowerPoint slides in favor of interaction, participation, and value.

If your webinars aren’t bringing in attendees or you’re just not seeing enough engagement, then this article is for you.

We’ll show you how to make your webinar interactive with these expert tips!

How to Make Webinars Engaging: 6 Tips That Work

Tip #1: select a compelling topic.

Similar to the hook of a good article, your webinar topic is what reels attendees in.

And to conduct a successful webinar, nailing the right topic is key. Your topic choice should address two critical questions:

1. Why is this webinar relevant to the attendees?

2. What insights will participants walk away with?

For inspiration, consider a leaf from our own playbook, when we recently conducted a webinar on our “demo-led” SEO strategy.

In Q1, we faced a challenge: increasing signups for our PLG product with an optimized onboarding experience. Despite good conversion rates, PLG revenue growth was slower than expected due to low website traffic.

Our Solution? We made the most of interactive demos by transforming them into an SEO engine, publishing ~100 demo pages targeting high-ranking keywords. After initial success, we scaled to over 1,500 pages.

• 6x increase in website traffic (25k to 150k in 3 months)
• 90% of demo-led SEO pages ranked in the Top 20
• 20% landed in the Top 3

The webinar "How to Crack Demo-Led SEO" took a deep dive into this growth experiment. In the post-helpful content update era, this was extremely relevant, informative, and helpful to the entire SEO community and to those interested in replicating our success with their own creative twist.

Here’s the TLDR on selecting your webinar topic: 

• Address your audience's key challenges
• Offer unique insights or solutions
• Ensure the content is timely and relevant
• Provide clear, actionable takeaways

Ideally, a well-chosen topic sets the stage for an interactive and engaging webinar from the start.

Also read: How does Demo-led SEO compare to regular blogs?

Tip #2: Implement Engaging Pre-Webinar Activities

Engagement with your webinar shouldn’t just start on D-day.

Ideally, participants should be able to engage in pre-webinar activities such as:

• Surveys to gauge attendee interests and tailor content
• Social media teasers with previews of what to expect
• Pre-reading materials or short videos to set the context
• Interactive polls to initiate discussions early

These pre-event interactions boost attendance rates and prime your audience for active participation during the webinar.

For instance, take Clearscope's content teardown webinars. 

These ‘content teardowns’ work this way: Participants can share a website that they work on or want to analyze content for, and the expert panel does that. Along with registration, participants must fill out a form that lets them submit the article or blog for which they want a content review.

This generates buzz and significantly drives attendee rates. It’s like getting a free content audit and information for attendees and a great way to generate leads for the brand. Essentially, a win-win.

Suggested read: 20 Lead Magnet Ideas that actually work

Tip #3: Use Interactive Demos

Nothing says interactive more than having your attendees “interact” with the topic.

Take product demo webinars, for instance. Rather than have a 20-slide presentation explaining a new product feature or update, why not have attendees browse through it themselves as you explain?

Again, taking a leaf from our playbook, Storylane recently launched DemoHub, a new feature that lets users create a library of demos to send prospects. 

And while it wasn’t a webinar per se, we included a QR Code in our product demo video for attendees to scan and go through the interactive demo of the product.

Basically, attendees could get instant access and check the product in real-time. 

This was a bonus point for engagement and receiving real-time feedback. 

And while not every topic lends itself to product demonstrations, try to make your topic interactive or use content that your audience can engage with. 

Also read: The Product launch playbook that drove 700+ signups

Tip #4: Encourage Continuous Attendee Interaction

The key to truly interactive webinars lies in consistent engagement throughout the session. 

Give instructions for interactions and have participants complete them. These can be done for intervals of 2-3 minutes.

Here are some effective webinar engagement activities:

• Guest cameos

Even just having someone else speak can jolt people's attention. Make sure they're prepped and know exactly the point you want them to make

Polls are an efficient way to "take the temperature" of the group in an organized way, reflect it back to them, and respond to it. This works at any size, but you would have to pre-write the poll and have it ready to go

• Transitions

Essentially any transition from one "mode" to another lights up people's change-detection neurons & jolts them into attention. The challenge is to have numerous transitions while maintaining the momentum of the call, minimizing time/energy leakages, & having it all make sense.

Provide fill-in-the-blank worksheets or templates that attendees can complete during the webinar. This keeps them actively engaged with the content and provides a valuable takeaway.

Share your screen and demonstrate a technique, action, tool, or tip live. You can even share QR codes on the webinar for attendees to scan and link to an interactive demo for them to experience at their own pace. 

• Storytelling

Mix in relevant case studies and live demonstrations to illustrate your points. Varied content keeps your audience attentive and engaged throughout the session.

Tip #5: Utilize the Chat Feature

When used effectively, the chat feature can help generate leads during your webinar. 

Begin your webinar by asking an easy question in the chat, such as where attendees are joining from. This simple act will break the ice and familiarize participants with the chat function. 

Throughout the webinar, engage your audience with these simple prompts: 

• Ask thought-provoking questions
• Encourage attendees to share experiences
• Read out and respond to interesting comments
• Aim for chat interaction every 4-5 minutes

Have your team on standby, continuing engagement and answering prospect questions within the chat. 

That way, you can also gauge the engagement levels and follow up with highly engaged leads after the webinar. 

Tip #6: Choose Interactive Webinar Platforms

Why juggle a million integrations when a single platform can do the job?

With so many interactive webinar platforms out there, it’s best to look for ones that offer: 

• Robust polling capabilities
• Interactive quiz functions
• Breakout room options

Additionally, the platform should be:

• Easy to use: The platform should be easy to use for both you and your attendees.
• Scalable: The platform should be able to accommodate your expected number of attendees.
• Offer required features: The platform should offer the features that you need, such as live chat, recording, and analytics.
• Cost-effective: The platform should be affordable for your budget.

Consider platforms like Butter for a seamless, interactive experience. To maintain engagement, remember to vary your interaction methods every 7-15 minutes.

Lastly, be sure to test it before your webinar to ensure everything is working properly. 

Tip #7: Use Social Media

Social media is everywhere, and if you can't beat it, we say join it!

You can use social media for:

• Pre-event promotion, live engagement or posting during the event
• You can create event hashtags and share sneak peeks of content.
• This creates buzz around the promotion and continues the conversation post-webinar on social platforms. 

For instance, here’s a post by Chima Mmeje, promoting a Moz Webinar on Linkedin hours before the event. This approach extends the life of your webinar content and promotes ongoing engagement with your audience. 

You can also consider creating a LinkedIn group or a Slack channel for webinar attendees to continue discussions, networking, and join future sessions. 

Bonus Tip: Maximize Post-Webinar Engagement

Webinars, although in a recorded format, can work as a content machine for your brand post-event. 

The key is to repurpose it effectively. Here’s how to do it:

• Share follow-up materials such as session recordings and additional resources via email.
• Convert the webinar into an on-demand one and make it accessible on your website for visitors or past attendees. 
• Create a dedicated Slack or LinkedIn community forum for continued discussion. This can be a valuable source of insights and future webinar topics.
• Repurpose your webinar content across various formats (blog posts, infographics, short video clips). This way, you optimize it and improve brand visibility, making your content discoverable across different customer touchpoints.

A creative take could also be creating a series of micro-learning content pieces from your webinar. These bite-sized chunks of information can be easily consumed and shared, extending the reach of your original content.

This increases your online visibility and establishes your brand as a thought leader in your industry.

Wrapping up

By implementing these six strategies and the bonus tip, you can transform your webinars from standard PowerPoint slides to engaging, interactive experiences.

Ultimately, it's about providing tangible value for your attendees, both in terms of the webinar experience and the takeaway. 

As you prepare for your next webinar, consider how you can incorporate these strategies to create a more dynamic and impactful event.

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Blog > 10 Tips and Tricks for successful PowerPoint Presentations

10 Tips and Tricks for successful PowerPoint Presentations

23.06.2024   •  #powerpoint #tipps.

Whether you're giving a company presentation, a training seminar or a lecture, MS PowerPoint is an indispensable tool for getting your message across effectively. But to create truly memorable and professional presentations, you need more than just basic knowledge. There are many hacks and tricks that can help you make your presentations not only more engaging, but also more time efficient. From using innovative AI tools to clever design strategies, here are 10 essential PowerPoint hacks and tricks that will take your next presentation to the next level.

1. Use the presenter view

Presenter View is a useful feature in PowerPoint that helps you control and present your presentation professionally. This view allows you to see notes, the current slide and a preview of the next slide, while your audience only sees the current slide. - Really cool, isn't it?

How can I activate the presenter view now? Go to Slide Show > Presenter View and activate the Use Presenter View option.

2. Learn shortcuts

Shortcuts can help you work more efficiently and create your presentation faster.Here are some useful shortcuts you should know:

3. Embed fonts

If you want to display your presentation on another computer, it can happen that the fonts used are not installed and your layout is changed as a result. To avoid this, embed the fonts in your presentation.

To do this, go to: File > Options > Save and activate the Embed fonts in the file option. This way, the design of your presentation remains the same evrywhere.

4. Discover the power of artificial intelligence

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the AI in PowerPoint: LIZ. An artificial intelligence specifically designed to enhance your presentations. LIZ can translate presentation texts, summarize key information, generate suitable titles, and even insert appropriate images. But that’s not all—LIZ extracts company knowledge directly from your slides, and you can ask her questions at any time to get quick, precise answers. Additionally, LIZ can generate entire slides based on other documents, such as Word files. With LIZ, you can ensure that your presentations are not only content-appropriate but also visually compelling. Why not make the most of PowerPoint and take your presentations to the next level with LIZ?

5. Fit images into a shape or cut them out

To creatively insert images into your presentation, you can fit or crop them into different shapes. Select an image, click on Image tools > Format > Crop > Crop to shape and select the desired shape. To crop images, you can use Image Tools > Format > Remove Background. These techniques will help you to make your images appealing and individual.

6. Use morph transitions

Morph is an impressive transition effect that allows seamless animations between slides. Instead of using simple fade-in and fade-out transitions, you can use Morph to create dynamic effects that make your presentation look lively and professional. Morph helps to move, scale and change elements between slides, creating a smooth transition.

Here you can find a detailed tutorial on how to use morph transitions: Morph-Tutorial

7. Less is more! Use infographics

Too much text on a slide can overwhelm your audience. Instead, use infographics to present complex information visually. Charts, tables and graphs are great tools to present data in a clear and understandable way. Infographics help to convey your message clearly and concisely.

• Charts and graphs: Use bar charts, pie charts or line graphs to present data and statistics.
• Process diagrams: Ideal for explaining processes or steps visually.
• Hierarchy diagrams: Use organizational charts or pyramids to show hierarchies or structural information.
• Timelines: Perfect for showing historical events or project plans.
• Comparison charts Use tables or Venn diagrams to draw comparisons between different data points.

8. Use pre-made layouts and templates

Save time and improve the look of your presentations by using pre-made layouts and design templates. PowerPoint offers a variety of options to help you create appealing slides quickly and easily. These templates are professionally designed and ensure a consistent look throughout your presentation.

9. Icons instead of empty words

Icons are an effective way to convey information quickly and visually. Instead of using long passages of text, icons can illustrate complex concepts or instructions in a simple way. There are many free icons available in Microsoft PowerPoint, which can be accessed directly via the integrated icon library. These icons are thematically diverse and can be easily inserted into your presentations to visually enhance them and increase comprehensibility.

10. slide master, slide master, slide master

The slide master is an extremely useful tool in PowerPoint that allows you to keep the design and layout of your presentation consistent. It is the central place where you set basic design elements that will be applied to all slides in your presentation. This includes aspects such as background colors, fonts, logos, placeholders for text and images as well as the positioning of objects.

But you're probably wondering how it all works? We have the answer for you: Open and edit the slide master: Go to View > Master views > Slide master. There you can open the slide master and define the basic layout of your presentation.

• Customize the design: You can define the entire design of your presentation in the slide master. Change the background colors, add a logo and define placeholders for title, subtitle, date, footer and content.
• Create layouts: Create different layouts for different slide types, such as title slides, content slides or image and text slides. To do this, click on "new layout" in the slide master and customize it to your liking
• Apply changes: All changes you make in the slide master are automatically applied to all slides in your presentation. This ensures a uniform and professional appearance across all slides.

Overall, PowerPoint offers a wide range of options for creating professional and convincing presentations. From using the speaker view for to including icons instead of text, these tips and tricks will help you not only increase the efficiency of your work, but also present your content clearly and effectively. By using these hacks in a targeted way, you can ensure that your next presentations are both informtaive and visually appealing

Related articles

About the author.

Sibel Altay

Sibel is a design intern at SlideLizard. With an eye for detail and a passion for user-friendly designs, she brings a fresh perspective to the digital world.

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