ways to make 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.

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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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.

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10 Ways to Make a Presentation More Fun & Interactive [How-to Guide]

Dreading a blank-eyed audience or classroom staring back at you while you talk? It's our worst nightmare — but there are easy solutions! Keep your team or students from being bored using good interaction.

We've been running events for years and have put together a list of great ways to make your presentations interactive — and keep your group engaged.

1. Do a Live Poll 

Live polls are among the best ways to increase interaction during your presentation . This idea not only engages your audience but also provides a fun way to present information so that people don't look at bulleted points the entire time you're talking. 

Here's a pre-made template you can build on to create your live poll (and don't worry—it's super easy to customize and requires no tech skills or code): 

How to customize the template: 

• Access the template by creating a free account here: https://slideswith.com/    
• Click the template and press "Copy and Use this Slide Deck."
• On slides 1, 2, and 7, personalize the copy and update any images.
• Create your own questions and answer options on slides 3-6 (or you can keep the ones already on the slides).
• Add more personal touches by using the navigation menu at the top of the template!

How to play:

• When you're ready to play, log into your account. Click your game. 
• Press "Start Event." It's in the top right corner. 
• Showcase your screen to your audience. If your presentation is virtual, share your screen. 
• Ask your audience to join the fun by scanning the QR code. The game is free for up to ten people!
• Go through each slide and tell everyone to use their mobile devices to submit their answers. 

This template comes with built-in features like avatars, word clouds, ratings, and text answer slides. So, your audience is sure to interact once they start playing! 

2. Use Your Entire Space

Strong, positive body language is critical to connecting with listeners and increasing interaction. Fortunately, there's no better way to show good body language than using your entire space. 

How to use this idea: If you're in a classroom, walk between the rows of desks.

If you're in a conference room, walk around while presenting. And if you're in a huge venue, walk up and down the aisles.

Your audience will feel connected and close to you when you move toward them instead of staying away. And they'll think you're relatable and personable, increasing their desire and comfort to ask questions, raise their hands, and interact. 

3. Create and Trend a Hashtag

Chances are your listeners are checking their phones during your presentation. Even in classrooms, students will sneak a peek at their phones or use their laptops to check social media or text messages. 

Instead of reprimanding listeners for paying attention to your screen and the one on their digital devices, use the battle for their attention in your favor by trending a hashtag. That way, your audience uses their phones to interact with you instead of entertaining distractions.

How to use this idea: 

• Before your presentation, decide on a hashtag that aligns with your topic. 
• Once your presentation starts, share the hashtag with your audience. 
• Tell your audience to share their thoughts and questions on Twitter using the hashtag throughout your presentation.
• At certain points in your presentation, pause to check what listeners are saying and asking on Twitter. Use a few minutes to comment on and answer questions. (When your audience sees you engaging with the hashtag throughout your presentation, they'll be more likely to use it.)
• Leave a good last impression by checking the hashtag after your presentation ends and responding to comments and questions you didn't address! Your audience will appreciate you for taking the extra step, and this will show those who didn't attend the event that you like to interact with listeners.

4. Gamify Your Content

Incorporating games into your presentation will boost your audience's engagement, excitement, energy, and interaction! The best part? This idea is incredibly easy to implement, and there are tons of ways to gamify your presentation content . 

How to use this idea:

• Play the Telephone Game: Whisper something about your presentation topic into someone's ear. Have the individual relay the message to the person sitting next to them and keep this going until the last person gets the message. Ask the last person to tell everyone the final message. Compare the final to the initial statement—if the message is the same, tell everyone to give themselves a round of applause. 
• Play Word of the Day: Choose a word of the day (it can also be a phrase) and tell your audience what it is. Use the word throughout your presentation. Your audience should acknowledge it by shouting it back whenever they hear it.
• Play 20 Questions: Have an audience member you trust choose a picture related to your presentation topic. Make sure you can't see the image (if you're in person or presenting virtually, turn your back to the screen). Start asking yes or no questions about the photo. You can only ask 20 questions to get it right. 

5. Play a Quiz 

Another great way to make your presentation interactive is with a quiz! This idea gives listeners a reason to pay attention and sparks fun, friendly competition to see who can answer the most questions correctly.

However, for this interactive presentation idea to work, you must create a fun quiz. Here's a pre-made template with engaging, built-in features that'll get your audience amped :

• Create a free account to access the template: https://slideswith.com/    
• Click the game and press "Copy and Use this Slide Deck."
• On slides 1, 2, and 8, personalize any images and copy.
• On slides 3 and 4, create your own questions and answer options.
• Duplicate slides to add more questions to your quiz!
• When it's time to play, log into your account and click your game. 
• Look in the top right corner and click "Start Event." 
• Showcase your screen to your listeners. 
• Tell your audience to scan the QR code to play! 
• Go through each slide and quiz your audience. Players can use their mobile devices to submit their answers. 
• Give the person who answered the most questions correctly a round of applause. 

The template accommodates up to 250 people, so it's great for large audiences. Also, it comes with polls, ratings, multiple choice, an answer review slide, a leaderboard slide, and more to keep your audience interacting and engaged the whole time!

6. Take Your Audience's Guidance 

Instead of steering your presentation, let your audience take the wheel and decide what topics to cover first. With this interactive presentation idea, listeners will feel like participants instead of recipients, and that differentiation is critical to boosting interaction. 

• When creating your presentation, include a slide in the beginning that lists all the topics you'll cover.
• At the beginning of your presentation, show your audience the list of topics. 
• Say each topic aloud and ask your listeners to raise their hands to vote for the one they want to discuss first. 
• Move forward with the topic that has the most votes. 
• After covering the first topic, go back to the list and repeat. 

7. Create Discussion Groups

While it's great to ask your audience questions directly, some people interact better in small groups. To ensure more introverted people get a chance to engage, create small discussion groups that make your presentation interactive. 

• Divide your listeners into small groups of five. 
• Tell everyone what to discuss. The topic should be relevant to your presentation. For example, you could ask the groups to solve a specific problem or discuss how they'd implement a solution you recommended. 
• Give the group 10 minutes to chat. 
• Once time is up, ask each group to share what they discussed. 

8. Encourage Your Listeners to Move

It's normal for people to get antsy when sitting in a seat all day. But if you encourage your audience to move around and keep the blood flowing, they won't get distracted or constantly eye the nearest exit. So, instead of letting everyone stay in their seats, make time for listeners to get moving. 

• Before your presentation, think of 15 yes or no questions that pertain to your topic. 
• At the beginning of your presentation, ask five questions. Have people stand if their answer is "yes." People should sit if their answer is "no." 
• In the middle of your presentation, ask the next five questions. Again, standing means "yes," and sitting means "no."
• Toward the end of your presentation, ask the last five questions. Have listeners stand to answer "yes" and sit to answer "no."

9. Solicit Questions (More Than Once)

It's normal to have a Q&A session at the end of your presentation, but an interactive presentation isn't interactive at the end. It's interactive throughout the entire time you're talking. That means your listeners should be able to ask questions before, during, and after your discussion, and you should encourage them to do so to boost engagement. 

• At the beginning of your presentation, break the ice by opening the floor for your audience to ask any questions about you. 
• After answering people's questions, tell your audience that they can ask questions throughout your presentation—they don't need to wait until the end. 
• NOTE: If you want this overall idea to stick, before your presentation, tell a few people you know to help increase engagement by asking questions first or when no one else is doing so. Sometimes, listeners need to see others doing it before they muster the courage to do it as well. 

10. Play Call and Response

One of the most fun and silly ways to increase interaction at your presentation is with call and response. This idea will keep energy levels high, maintain engagement, and ensure your audience stays focused! 

• Pick a phrase that relates to your presentation. You can do this before your presentation or with your audience before your discussion starts. 
• Agree on the action everyone (including you) must take when you say the phrase. The action could be dancing, clapping, standing, or something random like high knees if you have the space.
• Use the phrase throughout your presentation to trigger the action. 

Give Listeners the Interactive Presentation They Want

No matter where you're speaking, today's audience wants an informative presentation that's engaging, interactive, and fun. Gone are the days of creating PowerPoint slides with bullet points and a few images. 

Audiences want you to design a presentation with their preferences in mind, and they prefer content that's intriguing. Failing to give them that means you don't know your audience as well as you think. 

"Designing a presentation without an audience in mind is like writing a love letter and addressing it 'to whom it may concern" - Ken Haemer. Alison Davis,  19 Quotes That Will Inspire You To Create An Amazing Presentation

So, let modern-day listeners know you understand them by giving a presentation that speaks to their desire for interaction and excitement. You want your audience to be on the edge of their seats, facing forward, and tuned in, not slouching with their heads on their hands, ready to fall asleep.

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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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How to Make a Presentation Interactive: Best Tips, Templates & Tools

Written by: Raja Mandal

Delivering a presentation often comes with the fear of losing your audience's attention. You dread seeing unfocused eyes, whispering conversations or cell phone tapping.

If you've experienced this, you’re not alone. Recent surveys highlight that 4 in 5 business professionals admit they tuned out during the last presentation they attended. The reason could be anything from getting bored with the topic to people's decreasing attention spans.

So, how do you tackle this? One of the best solutions for this is to make your presentation interactive.

This way, they will have a lesser chance of getting distracted. In fact, studies show that when the audience participates, the engagement can reach an impressive 92% .

That’s why we've created this guide to help you make your presentations interactive, even if you have no prior design experience.

Stay tuned till the end to get the best tips, templates and tools to turn your ideas into an interactive visual presentation.

Additionally, you can watch this video to learn about 15 more interactive presentation ideas.

Table of Contents

What is an interactive presentation, what makes a presentation interactive, interactive presentation example, 16 interactive presentation ideas, how to make an interactive presentation with visme, interactive presentation faqs.

• An interactive presentation allows the audience to engage with and respond to the material presented.
• To make a presentation interactive, encourage audience participation, ask and answer questions, conduct polls, use technology tools and share engaging stories or scenarios.
• Some interactive presentation design ideas include SWOT analysis, animated videos, data storytelling, case studies, idea mapping, countdown timers, visual animation, timelines, map exploration, and QR codes.
• Visme's presentation software and templates are the best way to create an interactive presentation. Just choose a template, add your content, include interactive features and multimedia, and your presentation is ready to download, share, and present.
• Sign up for Visme and create an interactive presentation that keeps your audience engaged throughout the presentation.

An interactive presentation is a type of presentation that allows the audience to actively participate and engage with the content.

Unlike regular presentations, where the audience simply views the slides, interactive presentations involve the audience in the experience.

For example, they can click on different elements to reveal more information, choose topics they're interested in exploring further and even manipulate data or graphics to see different outcomes.

This hands-on approach makes the audience an important part of the presentation, which ultimately enhances their understanding and retention of the information presented.

Interactive presentations may also feature quizzes, clickable videos and decision trees that allow attendees to control their view or interact with the material.

The primary goal of creating and delivering an interactive presentation is to engage the audience throughout it and help them retain the information for longer.

Here’s an example of an interactive presentation created with Visme

Made with Visme Presentation Maker

A good interactive presentation gets the audience involved in the learning process. But what exactly turns a regular presentation into an interactive one?

Let's break it down into five key elements.

1. Active Participation of the Audience

Unlike standard presentations, the audience doesn’t just sit back and listen in—they need them to get involved. This could mean answering questions, participating in discussions, giving feedback or participating in quizzes.

Presenters might ask the audience to share their experiences or give their opinions on the topic at hand. This not only keeps everyone engaged but can also bring a wealth of different perspectives to the discussion.

2. Polls and Surveys

Real-time polls and surveys are a standout feature of interactive presentations. The presenter can easily collect audience responses with clickers, smartphones, or raising hands and then show everyone the results.

From this immediate feedback, the speaker understands the audience's knowledge or opinions. It can even guide the direction of the presentation.

3. Dynamic and Interactive Elements

Adding dynamic and interactive elements to your presentation can make a big difference. Think about including an interactive menu or a table of contents that lets you jump to the right section by clicking a link.

Interactive elements like custom navigation buttons, hyperlinks, hotspots, transitions and clickable pop-ups or hover effects also spice up presentations and keep your audience hooked to your slide deck .

4. Engaging Animation

Animations like animated graphics, icons and characters bring life to presentations. Whether in 2D or 3D format or cool visual effects, it’s one of the best ways to grab attention and explain complex ideas in an enjoyable way.

5. Interactive Content

Finally, multimedia content like videos, GIFs and even background music or sound effects is a great way to engage your audience. Visual aids like photos, charts, graphs and maps also make information more accessible and fun. Adding these interactive pieces can turn a standard presentation into a dynamic learning experience.

6. Use of Interactive Technology

Modern technology has transformed the art of interactive presentations.

For example, there are digital tools that allow participants to submit questions or comments, vote on issues, or play educational games related to the topic. During interactive whiteboarding, participants can write, draw, or post sticky notes.

These tools make it easier for everyone to engage and interact during virtual presentations, no matter where they are.

7. Storytelling and Scenario-Based Engagement

Telling stories or creating hypothetical scenarios is a proven interactive presentation strategy.

For example, you might present real-world scenarios and ask the audience to discuss or solve them. These role-playing scenarios or case studies encourage participants to think critically or apply what they've learned.

Wondering what an interactive presentation looks like. Below is an example of an interactive presentation created with Visme. Check out this awesome example of an interactive presentation made with Visme.

You can actually engage with various elements of the slides and see interactivity in full effect!

Made with Visme

Whether you’re delivering a physical or virtual presentation, there are many different ways to infuse interactivity into your presentation.

Check out these 16 interactive presentation ideas to wow your audience and leave a lasting impression.

1. Add Visual Flair with Special Effects

Special effects like popups and hover effects are not just for visual purposes; they give extra information and make the experience interactive.

For example, a hover effect might show notes on an image and add more detail to your points without making the original view too messy.

Consider adding a flipbook effect to give a real-world experience in a digital format. It makes the audience feel like they're going through a real document and flipping through content pages, making digital presentations feel more personal and engaging.

With Visme, you can easily incorporate all these special effects and interactive elements and more to elevate your interactive presentations. From creating eye-catching popups and informative hover effects to adding engaging flipbook animations, Visme helps you bring your presentation to life.

2. Explain Complex Ideas with Animated Videos

We all love a good story, especially when it's visually appealing. Animated explainer videos can turn complex ideas into fun, easy-to-understand stories. By incorporating these videos into your presentation, you can capture your audience's attention and explain concepts in a memorable way.

Whether you're explaining a new product, concept, or process, adding animation can breathe life into your words. It's an enjoyable way to break the monotony of traditional presentations and bring your story to life.

Not sure how to make a great video? Visme's online video maker makes it a breeze for anyone to create an explainer video for their interactive presentation.

Get started with our rich variety of explainer video templates covering various industries, business types and sizes.

Here's an explainer video template you can customize and insert in your presentation.

3. Turn Data into Engaging Stories

Static data can sometimes be dry or overwhelming and make your presentation difficult to understand.

Adding a dose of storytelling and interactivity transforms your numbers into engaging narratives.

Interactive data visualization helps your audience understand the significance of the numbers, making the data impactful.

In this example below, check out how 270toWin makes the intricate US presidential election process come alive with an interactive and educational experience!

Visme's advanced data visualization tools help you turn complex data into engaging stories. Choose from 30+ data widgets like radial gauges, progress bars and population arrays.

Additionally, you can use 20+ types of charts and graphs, including pie charts , bar graphs , bubble charts and more.

Additionally, Visme comes with 3D data widgets , charts and graphs to help you add an extra layer of interactivity to the data visualizations.

Customize these data visualization tools to craft compelling narratives and make your data relatable and memorable.

4. Add a Personal Touch with Voiceovers and Music

Another way to enhance your presentation is by incorporating voiceovers or subtle background music to captivate your audience's senses.

A voiceover can act as a secondary storyteller, delivering key points without overwhelming the visuals on the slide. This is especially ideal for asynchronous viewing, where the viewers can watch the presentation at their own pace.

On the other hand, background music is a powerful tool that deeply connects with your audience's emotions. For instance, a stirring classical piece can add a sense of seriousness to historical topics. At the same time, light, airy tunes can maintain a pleasant mood during longer video presentations , preventing attention from waning.

Visme allows you to add voiceovers, songs, background music, and any soundtrack to your presentation. You can either use your device's microphone to record the voiceover or upload your own recording or soundtrack and add them.

Read this article to learn more about creating a narrated presentation with voiceovers . Or watch the video below to learn more about recording an audio voice over in Visme.

5. Use Transitions and Animations to Enhance the Flow

Transitions and animations aren't just for making the presentation look good; they enhance comprehension and retention.

Use transitions to keep your presentation flowing smoothly and prepare your audience for what comes next. Transitions create a connection between slides, like visual punctuation that frames each new slide as a part of the story. They provide a moment for the information to be absorbed before moving on.

With Visme, you can choose from various slide transitions like "flipping page," "enter from side," "simple fade" and more. Additionally, you can choose when the slide should move to the next one, based on a specific time, a click, after a video or a transition delay.

Explore our tutorial article on how to add transitions to your presentation slides to learn more.

6. Encourage Participation with a Q&A Session

Allocate time for questions and answers to turn a one-sided presentation into a conversation, building a good relationship with your audience.

A Q&A session encourages the audience to think about and question the information, creating a two-way exchange of ideas. It's not just for them; the questions they ask can also show you which parts of your presentation were most interesting or might need more explanation.

To make the session productive, ask the audience to think of questions as they listen and consider using a tool to gather questions from the audience. This way, you can address the most important questions from the audience.

Moreover, to ensure the session stays on track, consider timing the Q&A section and other interactive segments like polls and quizzes. Visme offers a Timer feature that can help you manage the length of these activities effectively.

Using the Visme Timer, you can allocate specific time slots to each part of your presentation, ensuring you cover all planned topics and interactive elements without running over your allotted time.

7. Bring Your Content to Life with Animated Characters and Icons

Animated characters and icons can truly bring your presentation to life. Think of them as the sidekicks in your presentation story, adding humor or clarity and making the overall experience more enjoyable and memorable for everyone. And beyond their aesthetics, they help your audience visualize and relate to your content on a personal level.

Transform your interactive presentation into an immersive experience with Visme’s 3D character creator . Choose a pre-designed character that matches your requirements and you can customize everything from the hairstyle, hair color, skin tone, animation style and more.

8. Navigate Through Timelines

Instead of static dates and events on a slide, imagine your audience clicking through a timeline, uncovering detailed explanations or exciting facts at their own pace.

This method turns a simple presentation into a journey through time, where each viewer becomes an active participant, exploring your subject's past, present, or future.

It's a powerful tool for storytelling and engagement, making history lessons, project milestones or future forecasts more compelling.

Visme's interactive presentation templates come with timelines for various purposes, including project management, event planning, history and more. Choose a template and customize the timeline using Visme's online timeline maker and the interactive features you want.

Check out this article to explore 11 timeline presentation templates and use them in your presentation.

9. Incorporate Interactive Maps

Using interactive maps can transform a geographically dense presentation into an interactive exploration. With these maps, your audience can explore different places just by clicking and learning about each location.

Whether you're showing the spread of a trend, the sites of historical events, or your company's offices, interactive maps make learning about geography interesting and informative.

They invite your audience to dive deeper, understanding not just the "where" but also the "why" and "how" behind each pin on the map.

Visme's interactive map maker allows you to customize regions and markers. You can adjust colors, add tooltips and display data values for clarity. This helps to illustrate various information effectively, turning static data into a visual experience that encourages engagement and deeper understanding.

Below is an example of an interactive map created with Visme.

Did you hover over each state to see the different numbers and statistics? Do you see how powerful that is? Users are much less likely to scroll past interactive content. They want to stick around and play with it for a bit first. 

Explore our beautiful, interactive map templates and select one that suits your needs.

10. Surprise Your Audience with a QR Code

Ending your presentation with a QR code is a modern twist that surprises and engages your audience. This could be your call to action, leading them to a website for more information, a video summary of your presentation or a feedback form to capture their thoughts.

The anticipation of scanning the code and discovering what's behind it adds a touch of mystery and interaction. This simple method can extend the conversation beyond the presentation room and keep your audience thinking about your message long after the discussion.

And guess what? Visme also lets you generate a QR code with its free QR maker . You just need to enter the text or paste the URL you want to link the QR code with, and that's it—it's that easy. Additionally, you can customize the appearance of the QR code to match your design.

11. Turn Learning into a Game with Interactive Quizzes

Turn passive reception into active learning by incorporating quizzes into your presentations. Quizzes grab attention, encourage participation and support the material covered.

Craft questions that are engaging yet easy to understand to ensure wide involvement. Interactive sessions can bring new energy to your presentation and add an element of fun and competition. Instant feedback on quiz responses can boost engagement, making the experience even more rewarding for participants.

Creating interactive quizzes and surveys for your presentation is a breeze with Visme. Its intuitive quiz maker allows you to design visually appealing and engaging quizzes with various question types and instant feedback options. You can even track quiz results to gauge audience understanding and tailor your content accordingly.

12. Conduct Polls to Make Your Presentation Fun

Using polls in your presentations is a great way to keep your audience engaged and get immediate feedback. You can ask questions throughout your talk to see what your audience thinks.

Use tools like Survey Monkey , Typeform and Formstack to create your poll and embed it easily into your Visme presentation.

As your audience votes, they can see the results in real time, making the experience more dynamic and interactive. It's a simple but effective way to make your presentations more engaging.

13. Make Your Presentation Non-Linear

Creating a non-linear presentation offers a unique way to engage your audience by allowing them to navigate the content according to their interests and needs.

Here are three key elements to consider:

• Hyperlinks: Hyperlinks allow you to connect different slides or external resources in your presentation. They make it easy for the audience to jump to related topics, examples, or supporting materials.
• Table of Contents: A table of contents in your presentation is like a map for your audience. It shows all the topics covered and lets them choose where to start or which parts to skip.
• Navigation Buttons: The navigation buttons allow the audience to move back and forth between slides freely. This gives them control over their viewing experience. You can customize these buttons to go to specific sections or return to the main menu.

14. Captivate Your Audience with Storytelling

Using storytelling techniques while giving the presentation is one of the best ways to increase audience engagement. You can use relevant and interesting stories to make your content more relatable, engaging and memorable.

Begin with a compelling story to capture your audience's attention, and use anecdotes or real-life examples throughout to illustrate key points. Storytelling makes your presentation more human and helps people understand and remember even complex information. This method can transform a boring presentation into an engaging experience.

A great example of this is Brené Brown's TED Talk, " The Power of Vulnerability ." She uses personal stories and anecdotes to make her research on vulnerability relatable and memorable. This is a great example of how storytelling can make even complex topics engaging.

15. Learn by Doing with Role-Playing

Role-playing is a different dimension of interactivity that you can add to your presentation. To do this, you need to involve your audience in hypothetical scenarios or simulations and enable them to apply what they are learning in a practical context.

For instance, if you're giving a presentation on customer service, you could have audience members role-play a problematic customer interaction, allowing them to practice handling such situations.

This idea is especially helpful for training sessions, workshops and team-building exercises. It reinforces key messages and encourages participants to think creatively and explore different perspectives, which enhances the overall learning experience.

16. Brainstorm and Collaborate with Interactive Whiteboards

Interactive whiteboarding tools change how you and your audience interact together during presentations. These tools let everyone share ideas simultaneously, making group discussions, planning and meetings more interesting and efficient.

Participants can draw, write or add sticky notes directly on the digital board, building a sense of shared ownership and creative problem-solving.

Visme's built-in online whiteboard tool takes this interactivity to the next level. You can bring your presentation slides to this tool and use them effortlessly. This way, you and your audience can sketch out concepts, map out strategies or simply jot down ideas as they arise.

Creating an interactive presentation that captivates and engages your audience is easier than you think. With Visme, you don't need to be a design wizard or tech whiz.

Just follow these five simple tips to create an interactive presentation that looks professional and keeps your audience hooked from start to finish.

The Graphic Content Developer at WOW, Kendra Bradley, used Visme for her interactive presentation creation needs. Her experience says it all: Visme is one of the best presentation makers in terms of interactivity, ease-of-use and high-quality design output.

Here's what she has to say about Visme.

"Previously, we were using PowerPoint, which is fine, but the interactivity you can get with Visme is so much more robust that we've all steered away from PowerPoint."

"PowerPoint templates are plain and boring, and we want to create more fun and engaging content. Visme has multiple slide templates to choose from, which makes this so much easier."

"I just made a deck recently and it took me about 15-20 minutes. I found a template I really liked and tweaked it and put it in our brand colors. In PowerPoint, it would take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half."

Read this case study to learn How WOW! is Saving Nearly 79% in Time and Cost With Visme.

Now, let’s get back to the process.

Step 1: Choose an Interactive Presentation Template

Before starting the process, you'll need a Visme account, which you can create using your email ID or Facebook account. Once done, it's time to choose a template.

Using a template saves you valuable time and gives you a professional starting point.

Look for a template that matches your topic and aligns with your design preferences.

Visme offers thousands of professionally designed presentation templates, so you’re sure to find one that aligns with your vision.

Go to our template library, click "Presentations" from the left panel and choose from various categories, including business , education , pitch deck and creative .

Better yet, head over to the editor, click "New," then "Project," and choose "Presentations" to access the extensive collection of presentation templates Visme offers.

There’s also an option to create your presentation from scratch on a blank canvas.

Step 2: Customize the Template

Customizing your chosen template in Visme is both easy and enjoyable, thanks to our intuitive design tools and features.

Here’s how you can infuse own content and style into your presentation:

Add Content and Edit Text

Visme’s drag-and-drop functionality makes it simple to add various content elements like text, images, charts or other visuals to your template.

Just select the element you want to add, drag it to the desired spot and drop it in place.

Personalizing the existing text is simple. Click on any text box to start editing. You can change the font, size, color and style to better match your brand or your personal preferences.

Change Colors

Adjusting the color palette of your template allows you to align it with your brand guidelines or set a specific mood for your presentation.

Visme enables you to customize the colors of various elements, from background to text and shapes. Simply click on the element you wish to change and select a new color using the color wheel.

With Visme's brand design tool , you can easily save and apply your brand elements. Just copy and paste your website URL, and the tool will extract your brand colors, brand fonts and company logo. You or anyone in your team can then apply them to your projects with just one click.

Add/Change Design Elements

Adding new design elements like icons, illustrations or shapes can significantly enhance the visual appeal of your presentation.

Choose from Visme’s extensive library of design assets, including vector icons , illustrations, shapes and 3D animated graphics .

Select the element you want to change, and either replace it with another from our library or adjust its attributes to better suit your vision.

Include your team members in the design process to get feedback or ideas using Visme's collaborative design feature . Invite your team via email or a shareable link and allow the invitees to comment, annotate and live edit your presentation.

Step 3: Add Interactive Features

Visme offers interactive tools like polls, quizzes, hotspots and clickable links to make presentations more engaging.

Here’s how you can include these interactive elements in your presentation.

Polls and Quizzes: Add polls and quizzes to make your presentation interactive and fun. For polls and quizzes, click on "Apps" from the left panel. Choose an app like Formstack, SurveyMonkey or Typeform to create your poll or quiz. Once you've created it, you can embed it directly into your presentation.

Hotspots: Hotspots allow you to hide extra information behind clickable icons. To create hotspots, select "Actions" from the top toolbar and then choose "Hotspot." You will have options to link to an object, video, or audio. Customize the settings for how you want the popup content to appear and show any additional details.

Clickable Links: Insert links into your presentation to let your audience explore more information easily. To add external links, first click on the object you want to link from. Then, from the top panel, click "Actions" and select "External Link." You'll be given options to link to different types of external sources such as websites or social media. Paste your URL in the provided field to set the link.

Embeddable Content: To embed online content, click "Media" from the left panel and select "Embed Online Content." Paste the URL of the content you want to embed in the provided box, then click "Insert." The content will be embedded in your presentation.

Transitions and Animations: To add transitions and animations to your Visme presentation, click on the object or text box you want to animate. Next, click on the "Animate" tab in the top toolbar and choose your desired animation effect. Finally, adjust the animation settings, such as duration and delay, to tailor it to your presentation's needs.

Step 4: Incorporate Animations, Visuals and Multimedia

Include visuals and multimedia in your presentation to break the monotony of text and convey messages faster. Visme allows you to add images, videos, audio and voiceovers to aid comprehension and improve your storytelling.

Here is how you can leverage these resources efficiently:

• Adding Images and Icons: Navigate to the "Graphics" tab within Visme to access various stock images , 3D characters , animated shapes, icons and special effects. You can easily search for specific visuals that align with your presentation's theme. Once you've found the right image or icon, simply drag and drop it into your slide.
• Incorporating Videos : To add a video, switch to the "Media" tab, where you can either upload your video or embed one from popular platforms like YouTube. Videos are excellent for breaking up the monotony of text-heavy slides. Plus, they can provide a dynamic illustration of your points.
• Implementing Voiceovers: Adding voiceovers to your slides can deliver a personalized touch and cater to auditory learners. In Visme, you can record your voice directly onto a slide or upload pre-recorded audio files. This allows for a more interactive and accessible presentation.

Easily create professional voiceovers and transform your written content into speech using Visme's AI text-to-speech generator . Simply type in or paste your text to generate high-quality speech that enhances presentations and makes them more accessible and engaging to a wider audience.

Read this article about creating multimedia presentations using Visme, or watch the video below to learn more.

Step: Download, Share and Present

Once your interactive presentation is ready, Visme allows you to publish it in multiple ways.

Click on the "Download" button on the upper right corner of the dashboard, choose "Present Offile," and click on "HTML5". Downloading your presentation in HTML5 lets you keep all the interactive and animation features.

Additionally, you can download the presentation in PPTX, JPG, PNG and PDF formats.

Visme also gives you the option to export the presentation directly to your learning management system (LMS) in xAPI and SCORM format.

Click on the "Share" button next to the download button to publish the presentation on social media, share it via a private or public link or embed it on your website with a code snippet.

And the best part? You can present your interactive presentation directly from Visme, so you don't have to leave the app and use all the features of the presentation software on the go. Visme's presenter studio tool comes with various practical features to enhance your ability to deliver presentations confidently.

You can use the presenter notes to keep track of key points you want to cover without cluttering your slides.

With the option to record yourself, you can create personalized asynchronous presentations. This feature is perfect for participants who cannot join live sessions, allowing them to watch the presentation at their own pace while still experiencing a face-to-face connection.

After sharing the presentation, use Visme's advanced analytics features to understand the audience engagement. It collects data, including average time spent, unique visits, total views and even visitor's IPs. This feedback can help refine your presentations, ensuring they effectively capture and retain audience interest. It's especially helpful when you are delivering the presentation virtually.

Q1. What is an interactive presentation tool?

An interactive presentation tool is software that allows you to create presentations with interactive elements like quizzes, polls, and clickable links. Visme is one example of an interactive presentation tool.

Q2. How can I make my presentation more interactive and fun?

You can make your presentation more interactive and fun by incorporating g quizzes, polls, games, storytelling, multimedia and other interactive elements. visuals. Visme offers many features that can help you create interactive presentations.

Q3. How can I make my PowerPoint presentation interactive?

You can make your PowerPoint presentation interactive by using tools like Visme that makes it easy for you to infuse animations and interactive assets embed quizzes, polls and videos or link text and objects to ing to external websites and resources and much more

Q4. How to present creatively without PowerPoint?

There are many ways to present creatively without PowerPoint. You can use various interactive presentation tools like Visme, which offers a wide range of templates, features, and integrations to help you create and deliver engaging presentations.

Put Together Interactive & Beautiful Presentations with Visme

As we've seen, interactive presentations aren't just a trend; they're a powerful tool to combat declining attention spans and make your message memorable. You can turn passive listeners into active participants using interactive elements like clickable buttons, hover effects, menus, polls, videos, maps and QR codes.

With its user-friendly interface, millions of visual assets, and wealth of features like a presenter studio, interactive features and collaboration tools, Visme empowers you to craft interactive presentations that leave a lasting impact.

No design experience? No problem. Choose an interactive presentation template from the Visme library and use the design ideas and step-by-step tutorial explained in this article to create your interactive presentation in minutes.

Create a free account in Visme and start your journey towards more engaging presentations today.

Create beautiful presentations faster with Visme.

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About the Author

Raja Antony Mandal is a Content Writer at Visme. He can quickly adapt to different writing styles, possess strong research skills, and know SEO fundamentals. Raja wants to share valuable information with his audience by telling captivating stories in his articles. He wants to travel and party a lot on the weekends, but his guitar, drum set, and volleyball court don’t let him.

Interactive Presentation 101: Tips, Templates & Tools

Learn how to create an interactive presentation online. See examples of ready-to-use interactive presentation slides that are optimized for engagement.

Dominika Krukowska

7 minute read

Short answer

How can I make a presentation interactive?

• Add a video on the cover slide
• Use narrated scrollytelling design
• Add multimedia (videos, animations, and text-to-speech readers)
• Visualize your data using live graphs and charts
• Group your content in tabs
• Add input options such as embedded apps, surveys, or calculators
• Hide additional data under “read more”
• Incorporate a chatbot
• End with an interactive next step

Interactivity is a core experience, not just cosmetics

These days, everyone's trying to add a touch of flair to their decks. A fancy transition here, a clickable element there. But let's be honest: it won’t transform the core experience.

It's like putting racing stripes on a family car; sure, it looks faster, but under the hood, it's the same old engine.

If you're settling for these surface-level enhancements, you're missing out on the chance to truly engage your audience.

Instead of leaving them with a memorable experience, you're giving them just another presentation they'll forget by the next coffee break.

By using tools that provide interactivity as the core experience rather than cosmetics, you can transform your presentations from passive viewings into immersive experiences.

It's about creating a two-way conversation, where your audience doesn't just watch but participates.

If you want to elevate your content from being just another slide deck to something that resonates and inspires action you’ll wanna stick around.

This post will give you world-leading interactive presentation examples to learn from and templates you can use immediately.

Let’s go!

Why static presentations are bad for business

Let's face it: static presentations are like that dreaded homework from school. Remember the feeling of slogging through pages of text, eyes glazing over, wishing to be done with it and go do something actually interesting?

That's what your audience feels when they read your static slide deck.

Static presentations just dump information. They're a one-way street, and they expect the audience to passively absorb everything. It's a pain, and honestly, no one's a fan.

Now, imagine a presentation that's interactive. It's like stepping into a playground of information.

Your audience isn't just sitting there; they're involved. They can choose their path, delve deeper into what intrigues them, and skip what doesn't. It's a two-way journey, tailored to each viewer's pace and interest.

Here’s what the difference between static and interactive looks like:

Why more interactivity will NOT get you more engagement

When it comes to presentations, there's a clear divide: they're either interactive or they're not. It's like coffee; it's either decaf or it's not. There's no semi-caffeinated middle ground.

As long as you remain within the bounds of the legacy PowerPoint slide format, no amount of interactivity you add to it will make your presentation worth engaging with.

Now, you might be thinking, "But what about those Canva-like solutions? They add some flair, right?" Yes, they can jazz up your slides with a bit of motion and some shiny effects.

But let's be real: a sprinkle of glitter doesn't turn a rock into a diamond. Beneath the surface bling, the core experience remains static, limited, and boring. A bit of animation doesn’t change that.

These tools might give the illusion of interactivity, but it's just that—an illusion. True interactivity means giving your audience the reins and letting them navigate, explore, and engage with your content on their terms.

Anything less is just a dressed-up version of the same old static PowerPoint.

9 tips for making a truly powerful interactive presentation

Creating a presentation that stands out in today's digital overload is no small feat. But with the right tools and approach, you can turn passive viewers into active participants.

Here's how to make a truly powerful interactive presentation:

1) Add a video on the cover slide

Think of a time-lapse of a bustling city or a heartwarming clip from a community event. Such visual hooks not only captivate but also set the context for your narrative.

Here's an example of a deck with a video on the cover slide:

2) Use narrated design

A narrated design means structuring your slides to unfold like a story, guiding the viewer from one point to the next seamlessly. Letting your audience explore at their own pace increases engagement.

Here's a great example of narrated design:

3) Add multimedia elements

Go beyond text. Integrate images, sound bites, and short clips to highlight points, break up the flow, and cater to different learning preferences.

Here's an example of a multimedia deck:

4) Visualize your data using live graphs and charts

Numbers tell a tale, but in chunks, they're snooze-worthy. Use live graphs and charts to represent data in a digestible, visually appealing manner.

Here ' s an example of a presentation with dataviz elements:

5) Group your content in tabs

Think of this as chapters in a book. Tabs help segment and organize your content, allowing viewers to jump to sections that interest them most.

Here's an example of a tabs slide:

6) Add input options such as embedded apps, surveys, or calculators

Embedded apps can provide tailored experiences, surveys gather immediate audience feedback, and calculators allow for real-time data manipulation.

By including them, you invite your audience to actively engage, making the content more memorable and the experience more dynamic.

7) Hide additional data under “read more”

Offer a teaser, then dive deep. This approach ensures you cater to both the skim-readers and the deep-divers in your audience.

8) Incorporate a chatbot

It's like having a 24/7 assistant. Chatbots can provide instant answers, clarify doubts and keep viewers on track.

Here's an example of a deck with a chatbot:

9) End with an interactive next step

Ditch the generic "Thank You" slide. Instead, wrap up with a call to action, a thought-provoking question, or a personalized video message. It's about leaving a lasting impression and sparking action.

Here's an example of a presentation with a smart CTA:

How to create an interactive presentation with AI

As screens around us buzz with endless streams of content, the main challenge is creating presentations that rise above the noise.

Thankfully, with the help of AI, you can create an impactful interactive presentation in 6 easy steps.

1) Define your presentation’s purpose with AI

Start by letting the AI know the goal of your presentation. Whether you're pitching a solution to prospects, explaining a concept during a workshop, or showcasing quarterly results to stakeholders, AI can generate content that's both relevant and engaging.

2) Introduce your context

Provide the AI with a brief overview of who you are, your company's mission, the product or service you're highlighting, and the industry landscape. This helps the AI tailor the presentation to your unique narrative.

3) Choose a design template

No need to build from the ground up. Platforms like Storydoc offer a variety of design templates optimized for real-world performance. Pick one that resonates with your brand's voice and aesthetic.

4) Customize and add interactivity

This is where the magic happens. Integrate your content, adjust the design, and watch as the template adapts to fit your narrative. Spice things up with clickable tabs, real-time data charts, or other interactive elements.

And if you're feeling a bit unsure about your multimedia choices, you can also let the AI suggest some for you.

5) Add dynamic personalization

Modern tools allow for dynamic content adjustments. You can connect to your CRM, fetch relevant data, and use it to create presentations that feel tailor-made for each viewer in a matter of seconds.

This trick will make your audience feel more connected to your content and boost overall engagement.

6) Review, refine, and stay in control

Before hitting send, give your presentation a once-over. Make sure it flows seamlessly and your message shines through.

And here's the best part: since platforms like Storydoc are online-based, you can make on-the-fly adjustments even after sharing your presentation. No more “Did I just share the old draft?” panic.

7) Advanced: Use analytics to make continuous improvements

Every presentation you create with Storydoc comes with access to a robust analytics suite. This gives you a bird's-eye view of how your content performs, from viewer engagement metrics to slide-by-slide analysis.

Use this data to refine, tweak, and perfect your presentations over time.

Here's a short video explaining how our AI presentation maker works:

Best interactive presentation examples to inspire your own

Dive into our gallery and let these interactive presentation examples spark your inspiration and guide your next presentation journey.

Remember those captivating story books from childhood? The ones where you could choose your own adventure, turning to different pages based on your choices, and every read felt fresh and new?

That's the magic interactive presentation templates bring to the table.

While traditional presentations often feel like a boring lecture, we flip the script. These templates don't just present; they engage. Every element, every interaction, is optimized to ensure your audience isn't just watching—they're participating.

And it's not just about aesthetics. These templates have been in the trenches, battle-tested in real-world scenarios, and have come out as champions, driving results and making lasting impressions.

Best tools for making interactive presentations

While tools like Canva might add a touch of sparkle, they often fall short of creating a truly interactive experience.

So, if you're looking to elevate your presentations from static to dynamic, here's a list of the best tools that genuinely make a difference:

Storydoc is leading the charge in creating AI-powered interactive business presentations for sales, marketing, and reporting. It transforms traditional business decks into dynamic, immersive stories. With AI-driven design, content suggestions, and built-in deck analytics, it brings a storytelling experience into business communications.

Genially offers educational presentations used to enrich learning materials inside and outside the classroom. From dynamic infographics to gamification and thousands of classroom-ready templates, it comes with a range of tools to make your content interactive and engaging.

Foleon is an intuitive all-in-one platform that focuses on creating mini-sites that provide immersive content experiences that work across devices, packed with rich media and interactive elements.

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 Presentations Interactive: Our Top 10 Tips

Table of contents.

Feeling like your presentations have reached a plateau? Are you looking to incorporate something which brings a spark back into your presentation and ignites the excitement in your audience?

If so, you probably need to make your presentations more interactive. In a recent study on evaluating the effect of interactive digital presentations on students’ performance during technology class , interactive presentations not only made learning more enjoyable but it actually helped students.

With interactive presentations having proven positive results, why wouldn’t you make your next presentation interactive?

Adding interactivity in your slide design will create a more engaging experience for the audience allowing you to share important points easier. Interactivity will help make a longer presentation more enjoyable and will create social interaction amongst a larger audience.

In today’s article, we will share with you different ideas on how to make a presentation interactive that will take into account audience input and get your audience involved.

What Is An Interactive Presentation?

An interactive presentation is the accumulation and usage of various engagement methods combined into a format used to share with an audience in an effort to persuade, act or make the audience feel a certain way.

An interactive presentation takes the idea of a presentation one step further by incorporating elements to get them engaged both mentally and physically. Understanding the basics of presentation psychology , the more senses of your audience that you can target, the more memorable your presentation will be.

This is exactly what an interactive presentation manages to do. By having your presentation be interactive, you are able to target more senses of your audience and as a result make your presentation and the contents of your presentation more memorable.

What Makes A Presentation Interactive?

Now that we know what an interactive presentation is, we need to know what makes a presentation interactive.

To make your presentation interactive, you need to foster an interactive environment. This means an environment in which your audience is engaged. This can be achieved through interactive elements such as videos, games or questions. Essentially anything you add to your presentation which engages the audience more than just having them sit and listen will transform your presentation into an interactive one.

Why Your Presentation Should Be Interactive

Interactive presentations connect with your audience members more:

Whether it’s a fun icebreaker game or a personal anecdote, interactive presentations make it easier for your audience to connect with you.

If you are trying to influence or persuade your audience, you need to find a way to connect with them. Without the personal connection and your presentation won’t serve your end goal.

Interactive presentations help your audience members remember more:

Similar to visual aids or presentation aids , adding different elements to your presentation encourages people to constantly be engaged with your presentation. The more your audience is actively engaged with your presentation, the more likely they will remember the main points of your presentation. The following tips specifically refers to traditional, in-person presentations, however it is still possible to engage with your audience in a virtual event engagement as well if you are looking for some advice.

10 Ways To Make Your Presentation Interactive

Now that we understand the basics of why your presentation slides should be interactive presentation slides, we’ll go over 10 key points we implement in our own presentation designs and share with you interactive presentation ideas.

1 – Add A Video

One of the first ways you can make your presentation interactive is a method you are probably familiar with and have already incorporated into your own past presentations.

Adding a video is an easy yet impactful way to make your presentation interactive. Videos are interactive and impactful because they take the audience’s attention from the current present somewhere else. It is like a time-traveling machine. Also, it doesn’t take much presentation design skill to insert video elements throughout your presentation.

Videos are also great to use because there is often a lot more time and production value that goes into creating them. You can feature guests who are not currently there in-person and you can even have them address the audience. Think of Cameo for example where celebrities can record short video clips of themselves reading a message of your choosing. If you had a Cameo created for your audience, you can have it embedded in the presentation.

2 – Incorporate A Quiz

If the desired end result of your presentation is to have your audience remember as much of what you presented as possible, then one of the best ways to do so is by incorporating a quiz. We as a society and people tend to best remember things when we know we are required to. We are required to remember things when we know we will be asked to recall them.

So, at the beginning of your presentation you should inform your audience there will be a quiz at the end. Alternatively, you can sprinkle small quizzes throughout your presentation. This will encourage your audience to mentally take notes in order to be able to recall them later on.

But, be careful in using this tactic.

It works great if you have a cooperative audience but it will backfire if you don’t.

Imagine you told your audience to take a quiz and they all answered incorrectly, even when you warned them ahead of time that there would be a quiz. If even then your audience fails to recall key information, it will reflect badly on you because you either did not have an engaging enough presentation or you delivered the information poorly.

3 – Use A Poll

Similar to a quiz, live polls allow you to get your audience’s feedback in real-time.

Depending on the polling software you use, you can create instant data visualization elements like creating charts of how your audience has responded. This works great if you’re asking a question and want to see the audience’s answer.

If you are starting out fresh and don’t have the means to incorporate polling software in your presentation then don’t worry – the old-fashioned method of simply asking your audience to raise their hands is sufficient. Although it is limited to binary questions which can be answered with a yes or a no, it is still effective as an interactive element.

4 – Turn To Social Media & Use A Hashtag

Your presentation won’t always be limited to the live audience you have physically in front of you. At times, you might have a virtual presentation where your audience is tuning in from across the world. In instances like this, turning to social media is a great tool to keep your presentation interactive.

Turning to social media to engage your audience is great as it incorporates several of the tactics on this list into one. Social media can be used like a real-time forum or discussion group where your audience can be active participants in the discussion by asking questions, discussing amongst one another or even contributing to the ideas you are presenting.

If executed properly, you may even use social media and a branded hashtag as a public relations tactic. This will allow you to reach new audiences which is critical if you’re trying to sell things or establish yourself as a thought-leader in a specific industry.

5 – Use Your Entire Venue Space

Body language is a critical presentation skill you need to master in order to create great presentations. One way to almost guarantee you will have a boring presentation and one the audience will surely forget is by staying in one spot the entire presentation.

Instead, you want to maximize the space you are given and walk around.

Walking around will allow you to get up close and personal with your audience entering their space. If you keep the room divided between “the stage” and “the audience”, then you will have a disconnect. Once you enter the audience’s space, you are creating a new area of interaction.

6 – Use Props

Think back to when you were a kid and you were sitting at school assemblies or listening to presentations. I don’t know about you, but personally, the ones that come to mind easily are the ones that had props!

What might be seen as a gimmick, props are great tools to use especially when you are making a presentation interactive.

Props are tools that you as the presenter can use which can tie the audience in. Think of props as a link. If your presentation is using props that your audience can also use, it breaks down the third-wall of presenting by connecting your audience to you. There doesn’t feel like there are these two, completely separate sections between the audience and the presenter. Everything feels unified.

7 – Do A Demonstration

Depending on the presentation you are engaging in, for example a sales presentation, a demonstration is a great way to get the audience involved.

A demonstration allows you to highlight the real-world benefits of a product or a service. Rather than simply explaining what you or your product can do, show it – especially if it gives you an opportunity to engage your audience.

People don’t want to know they are being sold on something. Oftentimes, they want to be entertained. Try and make your demonstration as entertaining as possible while highlighting the benefits of your product or service.

8 – Let Your Presentation Be Directed By The Audience

A unique way your presentation can be interactive is by having your audience decide how the whole presentation will progress. This is a fun way to get the audience engaged because even you as the presenter will be kept on your toes not knowing 100% how the presentation will unfold.

It will encourage people to get emotionally invested in the presentation and give them a sense of risk or reward. It will also give the audience a sense of autonomy. Unlike other presenters who have a pre-cut presentation like a Ted Talk, having the progression of your slide deck be decided in real-time by the audience in an undeniable strategy on how to make your presentation more interactive.

9 – Add Effects Like Music & Transitions

Presentation effects are a great way to keep your audience’s senses engaged. From visual effects to sound effects, all these small and unique elements can help keep your audience engaged.

You can use music clips, audio files, user-generated content and more to have your audience engaged. These elements work extremely well during live events as it turns the presentation into more of a spectacle rather than a “boring” presentation.

10 – Incorporate Your Audience In Your Presentation

What might seem like the most obvious option to make a presentation interactive is one which is not executed often enough. To make your presentation more interactive, you need to incorporate your audience.

Whether you use audience questions, sharing video clips like user-generated content or even having a guest speaker, incorporating your audience is the literal definition of having an interactive presentation.

Our Final Thoughts On How To Make Presentations Interactive

If you are looking for a way to grab your audience’s attention in a digital age where our attention spans are decreasing at alarming rates, making an interactive presentation is your best option.

What might seem daunting can actually be done quite easily if you are open to engaging help of expert presentation designers and consultants . Make a presentation interactive with the help of Presentation Geeks. From adding background music, videos or even self-guided presentations, the experts at Presentation Geeks can do it all.

We hope you found this article helpful. If you’re looking for more great resources on crafting presentations or looking for presentation design support, contact our team at Presentation Geeks to learn more.

Author:  Content Team

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11 Ways to Make an Interactive Presentation That Engages & Wins

content creator

Helen Colman See full bio →

Gone are the days when a simple slideshow would suffice. Instead, the era of interactive presentations has dawned, revolutionizing the way we communicate, engage, and inspire our audiences. 

This article will serve as your ultimate guide on how to create interactive presentations that not only convey your message but also transform passive audiences into active participants. From incorporating storytelling to building engaging quizzes, we’ll explore the strategies that will elevate your presentations from mundane to memorable.

What Is an Interactive Presentation?

An interactive presentation is a dynamic way of delivering content that actively involves the audience. Unlike traditional presentations, which often follow a one-way communication model from presenter to audience, interactive presentations foster a two-way exchange. This approach encourages audience engagement, making the experience more impactful.

11 Ways to Make Your Presentation Interactive

As mentioned, a presentation becomes interactive when it moves beyond a one-way flow of information and actively involves the audience in the content. This can be achieved by using a few key practices.

1. Use ice-breaker questions

Start your presentation with a question that encourages audience participation. These questions could be related to the topic of your presentation, or they could be lighthearted to help put the audience at ease.

For example, you can ask the audience to share their personal experiences related to the topic, or you can ask a fun question that will make everyone feel comfortable, such as “What’s your favorite vacation destination?” This will help to set a positive tone and create a more welcoming atmosphere.

Microsoft PowerPoint is the quintessential presentation software that has set the standard for creating visual aids for speeches, lectures, and meetings. With tons of templates, themes, and tools, it allows you to create interactive presentation slides that grab an audience’s attention.

PowerPoint offers a rich feature set, including text formatting, animations, transitions, and multimedia integration, so you can make both straightforward and sophisticated presentations. 

It’s used across various sectors — educational, corporate, and more — because it’s reliable, compatible with numerous devices, and remains a go-to software for professionals who want a tried-and-true solution to get their point across.

Also read →   How to Create an Interactive PowerPoint Presentation

2. iSpring Suite

iSpring Suite is a powerful tool designed for creating engaging presentations, especially for eLearning and corporate training. As it integrates seamlessly with PowerPoint, it enables you to transform conventional slides into dynamic online learning experiences with quizzes, role-plays, screen recordings, and interactions. 

Its responsive design ensures presentations are accessible across various devices. Besides, you can save them as SCORM and xAPI packages to upload to a learning management system (LMS) and track learner progress and results with ease. 

iSpring Suite is extremely easy to use, and with all its awesome features, it’s a must-have for anyone who wants to create immersive content for teaching and training.

Prezi is an online presentation tool that breaks away from the traditional slide-based format. It offers a dynamic platform for storytelling and information sharing. 

With Prezi, you can create non-linear presentations on an endless canvas that allows you to zoom in to and out from details and move around freely. This approach keeps your audience engaged and makes the entire experience more interactive and memorable. 

With its user-friendly interface, wide range of templates, and the ability to collaborate in real time, Prezi is a popular choice among professionals, educators, and students who want to go beyond static slides.

Visme is another online tool designed for creating presentations, infographics, and other visual content. Offering a wide range of customizable templates, graphics, and data visualization tools, it stands out with its emphasis on design and ease of use.

It’s Visme’s collaborative capabilities allow teams to work together seamlessly that makes it a good choice for businesses and marketers who want to transmit complex ideas in a more appealing format. 

With its comprehensive suite of design tools, Visme is a great alternative to traditional presentation software that empowers users to bring their ideas to life in a visually compelling manner.

5. SlideDog

SlideDog is a unique presentation tool that stands out for its ability to mix and match all kinds of multimedia and presentation styles within a single interface. Unlike traditional presentation software that locks you into one format, SlideDog lets you combine PowerPoint slides, PDFs, Prezis, web pages, video clips, and even live feeds in a single presentation.

The tool is easy to use with its drag-and-drop interface and has neat features like live sharing, audience engagement tools, and remote control via smartphone. It’s a flexible and innovative solution for anyone looking to bring some energy and interaction to their sessions without being limited to a single platform or format.

To learn about other tools that are available on the market, read this article on the best interactive presentation software .

How to Create an Interactive Presentation with iSpring Suite in 5 Easy Steps

As mentioned, iSpring Suite is a powerful tool for crafting presentations that captivate and involve your audience. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to unleash the full potential of this tool and make presentations interactive. 

Step 1. Install iSpring Suite

First, you’ll need to have iSpring Suite installed on your computer. It works as an add-in to PowerPoint, so make sure you have PowerPoint installed as well. Once installed, open PowerPoint, and you’ll see the iSpring Suite tab added to your ribbon, signaling that you’re ready to start.

Step 4. Narrate your slides

A voice-over is a great way to guide your audience through the content and ensure they’re following along. With iSpring Suite, you can record audio narration for each slide, adding a personal touch and making your interactive slideshow more engaging. 

Or you can use a built-in text-to-speech tool that allows you to generate a natural sounding voice-over without a narrator. Just choose a language and voice, add text, and your narration is ready!

Can I convert my existing PowerPoint presentation into an interactive one?

Yes. Tools like iSpring Suite allow you to add interactive elements directly to your PowerPoint slides, transforming them into engaging, interactive content without starting from scratch.

How much interactivity is too much?

The level of interactivity should match the content and context of your presentation. Too much interactivity can overwhelm your audience members or detract from the key messages. Balance is key — ensure that interactive elements serve a clear purpose and enhance the understanding of your content.

Can interactive presentations be too distracting?

First of all, you should make sure your content answers all your audience’s questions. Next, you need to decide which interactive elements you’ll use. If not carefully planned out, they can become distractions. To avoid this, make sure that each interactive component is directly related to your content and contributes to your audience’s understanding of or engagement with the material.

How can I measure the effectiveness of my presentation?

You can assess the effectiveness of your interactive presentations in a few ways:

• Audience feedback : Gather direct feedback or use post-presentation surveys.
• Engagement metrics : Monitor participation rates in polls, quizzes, and Q&A sessions.
• Retention rates : If your presentation is educational, assess the audience’s retention of information through follow-up quizzes or discussions.
• Behavioral changes : For corporate settings, observe any changes in behavior or improvements in performance following the presentation.

Creating a presentation is not just about sharing information. It’s about engaging with your audience and making the learning process both enjoyable and memorable. In this article, we explored various strategies to make your presentation interactive and transform a passive viewing experience into an active learning journey.

We also discovered that the right tools can significantly enhance your ability to create compelling content. To learn how you can take your interactive presentations to new heights with iSpring Suite and experience its full potential, download a free 14-day trial .

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Interactive Presentation: How to Create Yours with AhaSlides | Ultimate Guide 2024

Jasmine • 06 September, 2024 • 16 min read

We live in an age where attention is like gold dust. Precious and hard to come by.

TikTokers spend hours editing videos, all in an effort to hook viewers in the first three seconds.

YouTubers agonise over thumbnails and titles, each one needing to stand out in a sea of endless content.

And journalists? They wrestle with their opening lines. Get it right, and readers stick around. Get it wrong, and poof - they're gone.

This isn't just about entertainment. It's a reflection of a deeper shift in how we consume information and interact with the world around us.

This challenge isn't just online. It's everywhere. In classrooms, boardrooms, at big events. The question's always the same: How do we not just grab attention, but hold it? How do we turn fleeting interest into meaningful engagement ?

It's not as hard as you might think. AhaSlides has found the answer: interaction breeds connection .

Whether you're teaching in class, getting everyone on the same page at work, or bringing a community together, AhaSlides is the best interactive presentation tool that you need to communicate, engage, and inspire.

So, let’s discover how to make an interactive presentation using AhaSlides that your audiences will never forget!

Table of Contents

What is an interactive presentation.

An interactive presentation is an engaging method of sharing information where the audience actively participates rather than just passively listening. This approach uses live polls, quizzes, Q&As, and games to get viewers directly involved with the content. Instead of one-way communication, it supports two-way communication, letting the audience shape the presentation's flow and outcome. Interactive presentation is designed to get people active, help them remember things, and create a more collaborative learning or discussion environment.

Main benefits of interactive presentations:

Increased audience engagement: Audience members stay interested and focused when they actively take part.

Better memory: Interactive activities help you remember important points and reinforce what you've gained.

Enhanced learning outcomes: In educational settings, interaction leads to a better understanding.

Better teamwork: Interactive presentations make it easier for people to talk to each other and share ideas.

Real-time feedback: Live polls and surveys give useful feedback in real-time.

Why Choose AhaSlides For Interactive Presentations?

There is a lot of engaging presentation software out there, but AhaSlides stands out as the best. Let's look into why AhaSlides really shines:

Various features

While other tools may offer a few interactive elements, AhaSlides boasts a comprehensive suite of features. This interactive presentation platform lets you make your slides fit your needs perfectly, with features like live polls , quizzes , Q&A sessions , and word clouds that will keep your audience interested the whole time.

Affordability

Good tools shouldn't cost the earth. AhaSlides packs a punch without the hefty price tag. You don't have to break the bank to create stunning, interactive presentations.

Lots of templates

Whether you're a seasoned presenter or just starting, AhaSlides' vast library of pre-designed templates makes it easy to get started. Customize them to match your brand or create something entirely unique - the choice is yours.

Seamless integration

There are endless possibilities with AhaSlides because it works well with the tools you already know and love. AhaSlides is now available as an  extension for PowerPoint , Google Slides and Microsoft Teams . You can also add YouTube videos, Google Slides/PowerPoint content, or things from other platforms without stopping the flow of your show.

Real-time insights

AhaSlides doesn't just make your presentations interactive, it provides you with valuable data. Keep track of who is participating, how people are reacting to certain slides, and learn more about what your audience likes. This feedback loop works in real time, so you can change your talks at the last minute and keep getting better.

Key features of AhaSlides:

• Live polls: Gather instant feedback from your audience on various topics.
• Quizzes and games: Add an element of fun and competition to your presentations.
• Q&A sessions: Encourage open dialogue and address audience queries in real-time.
• Word clouds: Visualize collective opinions and ideas.
• Spinner wheel: Inject excitement and randomness into your presentations.
• Integration with popular tools: AhaSlides works well with the tools you already know and love, such as PowerPoint, Google Slides, and MS Teams.
• Data analytics: Track audience participation and gain valuable insights.
• Customisation options: Make your presentations fit your brand or your own style.

AhaSlides is more than just a tool for making interactive presentations. It, actually, is a way to connect, engage, and communicate effectively. This is the best choice if you want to improve your talks and make an impact on your audience that lasts.

Comparison with other presentation tools:

Other interactive presentation tools, like Slido, Kahoot, and Mentimeter, have dynamic features, but AhaSlides is the best because it is cheap, easy to use, and flexible. Having a lot of features and integrations makes AhaSlides an ideal option for all your interactive presentation needs. Let's see why AhaSlides is one of the best Kahoot alternatives :

How To Create An Interactive Presentation With AhaSlides

Step-by-step guide for you to make an interactive presentation using AhaSlides in a few minutes:

Create a free AhaSlides account or choose a suitable plan based on your needs.

2. Create a new presentatio n

To create your first presentation, click the button labelled ' New presentation' or use one of the many pre-designed templates.

Next, give your presentation a name, and if you want, a customised access code.

You will be taken directly to the editor, where you can start to edit your presentation.

3. Add slides

Choose from various slide types.

4. Customise your slides

Add content, adjust fonts and colours, and insert multimedia elements.

5. Add interactive activities

Set up polls, quizzes, Q&A sessions, and other features.

6. Present your slideshow

Share your presentation with your audience via a unique link or QR code, and enjoy the taste of connection!

5 Effective Techniques To Make Presentations Interactive

Still wondering how to make a presentation interactive and super engaging? Here are keys:

Icebreaker activities

Icebreaker activities are a great way to kick off your presentation and create a welcoming atmosphere. They help to break the ice between you and your audience, and they can also help to get your audience engaged in the material. Here are some ideas for icebreaker activities:

• Name games: Ask participants to share their name and an interesting fact about themselves.
• Two truths and a lie: Have each person in your audience share three statements about themselves, two of which are true and one of which is a lie. The other members of the audience guess which statement is the lie.
• Would you rather?: Ask your audience a series of "Would you rather?" questions. This is a great way to get your audience thinking and talking.
• Polls: Use a polling tool to ask your audience a fun question. This is a great way to get everyone involved and to break the ice.

Storytelling

Storytelling is a powerful way to captivate your audience and make your message more relatable. When you tell a story, you are tapping into your audience's emotions and imagination. This can make your presentation more memorable and impactful.

To craft compelling stories:

• Start with a strong hook: Grab your audience's attention from the beginning with a strong hook. This could be a question, a surprising fact, or a personal anecdote.
• Keep your story relevant: Make sure your story is relevant to your presentation topic. Your story should help to illustrate your points and make your message more memorable.
• Use vivid language: Use vivid language to paint a picture in your audience's mind. This will help them to connect with your story on an emotional level.
• Vary your pace: Don't speak in a monotone. Vary your pace and volume to keep your audience engaged.
• Use visuals: Use visuals to complement your story. This could be images, videos, or even props.

Live feedback tools

Live feedback tools are a great way to encourage active participation and gather valuable insights from your audience. These tools can help you gauge your audience's understanding of the material, identify areas where they need more clarification, and get feedback on your presentation overall.

Consider using:

• Polls: Use polls to ask your audience questions throughout your presentation. This is a great way to get their feedback on your content and to keep them engaged.
• Q&A sessions: Use a Q&A tool to allow your audience to submit questions anonymously throughout your presentation. This is a great way to address any concerns they may have and keep them engaged in the material.
• Word clouds: Use a word cloud tool to collect feedback from your audience on a specific topic. This is a great way to see what words and phrases come to mind when they think about your presentation topic.

Gamify the presentation

Gamifying your presentation is a great way to keep your audience engaged and motivated. Interactive presentation games can make your presentation more fun and interactive, and it can also help your audience to learn and retain information more effectively.

Try these gamification strategies:

• Use quizzes and polls: Use quizzes and polls to test your audience's knowledge of the material. You can also use them to award points to the audience members who answer correctly.
• Create challenges: Create challenges for your audience to complete throughout your presentation. This could be anything from answering a question correctly to completing a task.
• Use a leaderboard: Use a leaderboard to track your audience's progress throughout the presentation. This will help to keep them motivated and engaged.
• Offer rewards: Offer rewards to the audience members who win the game. This could be anything from a prize to a bonus point on their next exam.

Pre and post-event surveys

Pre and post-event surveys are a great way to gather feedback from your audience and improve your presentations over time. Pre-event surveys can help you to identify your audience's expectations and tailor your presentation accordingly. Post-event surveys can help you to see what your audience liked and disliked about your presentation, and they can also help you to identify areas for improvement.

Here are some tips for using pre and post-event surveys:

• Keep your surveys short and sweet. Your audience is more likely to complete a short survey than a long one.
• Ask open-ended questions. Open-ended questions will give you more valuable feedback than closed-ended questions.
• Use a variety of question types. Use a mix of question types, such as multiple choice, open-ended, and rating scales.
• Analyze your results. Take the time to analyze your survey results so that you can make improvements to your presentations in the future.

👉Learn more interactive presentation techniques to create great experiences with your audience.

4 Types Of Interactive Activities You Can Include

Quizzes and games.

Test your audience's knowledge, create friendly competition, and add an element of fun to your presentation.

Live polls and surveys

Gather real-time feedback on various topics, gauge audience opinions, and spark discussions. You can use them to gauge their understanding of the material, gather their opinions on a topic, or even just break the ice with a fun question.

Q&A sessions

A Q&A session allows your audience to submit questions anonymously throughout your presentation. This can be a great way to address any concerns they may have and keep them engaged in the material.

Brainstorming activities

Brainstorming sessions and breakout rooms are a great way to get your audience working together and sharing ideas. This can be a great way to generate new ideas or solve problems.

👉 Get more  interactive presentation ideas  from AhaSlides.

9 Steps For Interactive Presenters To Wow Audiences

Identify your goals.

Effective interactive presentations don't happen by chance. They need to be carefully planned and organized. First, make sure that each interactive part of your show has a clear goal. What do you want to achieve? Is it to gauge understanding, spark discussion, or reinforce key points? Is it to see how much people understand, start a conversation, or stress important points? Pick activities that fit with your material and audience once you know what your goals are. Lastly, practice your whole presentation, including the parts where people can connect with you. This practice run will help you find problems before the big day and make sure everything goes smoothly.

Know your audience

For an interactive slideshow to work, you need to know who you're talking to. You should think about your audience's age, job, and amount of tech knowledge, among other things. This knowledge will help you make your content more relevant and pick the right interactive parts. Find out how much your audience already knows about the subject. When you're talking to experts, you might use more complex interactive activities. When you're talking to regular people, you might use easier, more straightforward ones.

Start strong

The presentation intro can set the tone for the rest of your talk. To get people interested right away, use an icebreaker game. This could be as easy as a quick question or a short activity to get people to know each other. Make it clear how you want the audience to participate. To help people connect with you, show them how any tools or platforms you use work. This makes sure that everyone is ready to take part and knows what to expect.

Balance content and interaction

Interactivity is great, but it shouldn't take away from your main point. When you're giving your presentation, use interactive features wisely. Too many interactions can be annoying and take attention away from your main points. Spread out your interactive parts so that people are still interested in the whole show. This pace helps your audience stay focused without being too much. Make sure you give both your information and the interactive parts enough time. Nothing irritates an audience more than feeling like they are being rushed through activities or that the show is going too slowly because there are too many interactions.

Encourage participation

The key to a good interactive presentation is making sure that everyone feels like they can participate. To get people to take part, stress that there are no wrong choices. Use language that makes everyone feel welcome and encourages them to join in. However, don't put people on the spot, as this can make them feel anxious. When talking about sensitive topics or with people who are more shy, you might want to use tools that let people respond anonymously. This can get more people to take part and get more honest comments.

Be flexible

Things don't always go as planned, even when you plan them out very well. For every engaging part, you should have a backup plan in case the technology fails or the activity doesn't work for your audience. You should be ready to read the room and change how you talk based on how people react and how energetic they are. Don't be afraid to move on if something isn't working. On the other hand, if a certain exchange is leading to a lot of discussion, be ready to spend more time on it. Give yourself some room to be spontaneous in your talk. Most of the time, the most memorable times happen when people interact in ways that no one expected.

Use interactive presentation tools wisely

Presentation technologies can make our talks a lot better, but if it's not used correctly, it can also be annoying. Before you give a show, you should always test your IT and tools. Make sure that all of the software is up to date and works with the systems at the presentation place. Set up a plan for tech help. If you have any technical problems during your talk, know who to call. It's also a good idea to have non-tech options for each engaging part. This could be as easy as having handouts on paper or things to do on a whiteboard ready in case something goes wrong with the technology.

Manage time

In interactive presentations, keeping track of time is very important. Set clear due dates for each engaging part, and make sure you follow them. A timer that people can see can help you, and they stay on track. Be ready to end things early if you need to. If you're short on time, know ahead of time which parts of your talk can be shortened. It's better to squish together a few exchanges that work well than to rush through all of them.

Gather feedback

To make the best interactive presentation the next time, you should keep improving with every talk. Get feedback by giving surveys after the show. Ask the people who attended what they liked best and worst about the presentation and what they would like to see more of in future ones. Use what you've learned to improve how you create interactive presentations in the future.

Thousands Of Successful Interactive Presentations Using AhaSlides…

Teachers all around the world have used AhaSlides to gamify their lessons, boost student engagement, and create a more interactive learning environment.

Marek Serkowski - Teacher in Poland 

"I really appreciate you and your presentation tool. Thanks to you, me and my high school students are having a great time! Please continue to be great 🙂 " Marek Serkowski (A teacher in Poland )

Corporate training

Trainers have leveraged AhaSlides to deliver training sessions, facilitate team-building activities, and enhance knowledge retention.

"It's a very very fun way to build teams. Regional managers are super happy to have AhaSlides because it really energises people. It's fun and visually attractive. " Gabor Toth (Talent Development and Training Coordinator at Ferrero Rocher )

Conferences and events

Presenters have utilised AhaSlides to create memorable keynote speeches, gather audience feedback, and foster networking opportunities.

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18 Ways to Make Presentations More Interactive and Engaging

Table of Contents

People are 22 times more likely to remember facts when they’re presented in a story framework.

Additionally, studies have confirmed that the human brain understands and remembers images much better than words.

When you present the content in the form of a story and pair your ideas with visual elements, it’s much easier to achieve the presentation goal — to communicate a message that engages the audience and persuades them to take action.

So, if you want to learn how to make an interactive and engaging presentation that will help you stand out as a presenter and make an impact, we have your back.

In this blog post, you’ll learn more about:

• How an interactive and engaging presentation makes a significant difference,
• What the greatest benefits of an interactive presentation are,
• What the most effective ways for incorporating interactive elements into a presentation are, and
• What experts say about how to make a presentation more engaging.

So, let’s rock your next presentation!

What is an interactive presentation?

As the name suggests, an interactive presentation is a dynamic type of presentation the audience can interact with. 

If you’ve wondered how to modify your audience experience from passive to active and engaging, incorporating interactive elements into a presentation is a key answer. 

To support greater interactivity and engagement, you can rely on various ways of presenting information such as using:

• Video or audio material, 
• Charts, and

Along with leveraging these elements, the storytelling framework is the most powerful tool for making a presentation interactive and keeping the audience engaged .

But, before we dive into the most compelling ways of making interactive and engaging presentations, let’s clarify why an interactive presentation makes a difference and highlight the greatest benefits that shape your audience’s experience. 

4 Main benefits of interactive presentations

Most presenters focus primarily on themselves in order to stand out with their presentational skills and seem confident of what they are presenting.

However, as with all communication modes, presentation is a two-way process where the audience is involved and should be a priority.

By using interactive elements and making your audience included and connected to the presentation content, you ensure your presentation delivers a message effectively.

Here are the most important benefits that you should keep in mind when making your presentation next time:

• Interactive presentations resonate more deeply with the audience,
• Interactive presentations boost the audience’s engagement and increase their attention span,
• Interactive presentations help the audience understand and retain the content better, and
• Interactive presentations help presenters to get valid feedback.

So, let’s dig deeper into each of these benefits. 

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Benefit #1: Interactive presentations resonate more deeply with the audience

In her influential work Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences , Nancy Duarte emphasizes the importance of making a presentation resonate with the audience. This is the key step for making an impact and moving them to action.

According to her, a presentation is a powerful persuasive tool for transforming the audience, but only if it’s packaged in storytelling — the most powerful tool for delivering information . 

Using a story framework is much more than entertaining the listeners. 

Duarte says: 

“ Information is static; stories are dynamic — they help an audience visualize what you do or what you believe. Tell a story, and people will be more engaged and receptive to the ideas you are communicating. “

With a compelling story, a presenter can easily arouse the audience’s emotions and vivid imagination, which certainly helps them understand and memorize the message. 

Benefit #2: Interactive presentations boost the audience’s engagement and increase their attention span 

An effective presentation is a two-way process ― it communicates a message that engages listeners, so both sides should be involved. 

To achieve so, successful presenters leverage interactive elements and include stories in the presentation content to:

• Get the audience to listen actively,
• Increase their attention span, and
• Keep them interested.

Furthermore, researchers are confident that storytelling is the best engagement tool. 

Based on neuroscience evidence , people react differently to descriptive and non-descriptive information. 

Namely, descriptive information presented in story frameworks engages with the whole brain — it triggers the sensory cortex, which is responsible for perceiving sensory experience. 

On the other hand, non-descriptive information activates the part of the brain that is responsible for language processing. Thus, we simply process non-descriptive information but do not experience it. 

Furthermore, keeping your audience engaged is an effective way for holding their attention. 

Benefit #3: Interactive presentations help the audience understand and retain the content better

When building a presentation, we should keep in mind our primary goal — to get the point across. 

Thus, we need to ensure that listeners understand and memorize the content. To accomplish that, making an interactive presentation is a key step. 

As we previously mentioned, conceptualizing the topic in the form of a story is a far more effective way to present information, than relying on raw data. 

According to the Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning article : 

“ Storytelling helps with learning because stories are easy to remember. Organizational psychologist Peg Neuhauser found that learning that stems from a well-told story is remembered more accurately, and for far longer, than learning derived from facts and figures. ” 

Therefore, storytellers are more influential presenters — along with entertaining their audience, they make a lasting impact by helping their listeners understand information better and remember it.

Moreover, studies have confirmed the positive impact of interactive digital presentations on the student’s learning process, which consequently improved their memorization.

Our contributors and experienced professionals believe better retention is the greatest benefit of the interactive presentation. 

Here is what Edoardo Binda Zane , a communication and leadership expert, says about the power of interactive presentation: 

“ Think of any presentation you have been given that has not involved you, and that was just a person blaring information at you. After a while, your attention fades away because you are not feeling involved or part of the presentation itself — you might as well be watching a video or listening to a podcast on the topic. Interaction turns the whole event into a dialogue where you also feel heard, and with that comes a stronger drive to pay attention and retain information. ”

Thus, an interactive presentation is an effective tool for making the audience involved, which consequently helps them to stay focused and remember important information.  

Benefit #4: Interactive presentations help presenters to get valid feedback

Interactive presentations might also bring value to presenters. When you involve your audience and allow them to be heard, you learn more about their needs and points of view, so you can improve your presentation skills in the future. 

Here’s what Trish Nitschke , a communication professional, said: 

“ From a speaker perspective, it’s much easier to get buy-in and support from your audience when the live results validate the points you are making .”

Similarly, Dr. Raffaello Antonino , a senior lecturer in counseling psychology, is aware of the influence of interactive presentations on establishing a strong relationship between the presenter and listeners:

“ A less known benefit of interactive presentations is that they can also help to build trust between the presenter and the audience. By encouraging the audience to participate and share their thoughts and opinions, the presenter demonstrates that they value the audience’s input and are open to feedback. This can help to establish a strong relationship between the presenter and the audience, which can be useful in a variety of settings — from sales presentations to educational lectures. ”

💡 Pumble Pro tip 

Public speaking anxiety is one of the most common social fears. To learn how to deal with anxiety before a presentation, make sure to read our blog post:

• How not to be nervous for a presentation

18 Ways for making interactive and engaging presentations

Considering all this evidence that explains the power of interactive and engaging presentations, we can modify the presentation skills that will bring us better results. 

So, let’s see what the best ways for making an interactive and engaging presentation are.

Way #1: Research the audience and the topic 

Research is an essential step in creating an effective presentation. To make it interactive, it’s crucial to understand your audience — how they think and what they want to know. 

Try to answer these questions:

• Why is your audience here?
• What are their expectations?
• What are their motivations?
• What do they want to know?
• What will keep them engaged?

Once you’ve had these answers, making a good presentation is much easier than you thought. 

Here is what Steve Gamlin , a speaker, author, and visualization coach, had to say on this topic: 

“ Prior to an event, have conversations with them (or the event planners). Understand their biggest pains/challenges. Ask for examples of successes they have enjoyed, or awards they have achieved. Learn some of their ‘industry lingo’ and use it properly. Be aware of their city/town and insert local references when possible (local sports teams, big events, etc). ”  

A human resource generalist at COING, Ena Popovic , is also well aware that researching a topic is essential: 

“ Behind every good presentation is time invested in detailed research about the topic. ”

Thus, aside from getting familiar with the audience’s expectations and point of view, giving a great presentation means that you’re the expert in the topic.  

Way #2: Use icebreakers or a round of creative personal introductions to start 

An icebreaker has a role to break the ice between the presenter and the audience — it helps both sides to feel comfortable and get connected. 

Ena Popovic adds:

“ The objective here is to get your audience’s undivided attention. By using an icebreaker or creative personal introductions at the very beginning, you set the tone for the rest of the presentation. ”

To break the ice effectively, you should know your audience and be aware of their similarities and differences. Also, bear in mind the audience size. 

If you present to a small audience of 2-10 people, you can start with a word game or introduction with a twist, so everyone has to say something unusual about them. 

However, when presenting to a large group of people, you should consider other types of icebreakers, such as brainstorming sessions or splitting them into smaller groups and playing a game.

To learn more about how to run effective virtual ice breaker sessions, check out our blog post:

• 150 Ice breaker questions for virtual meetings

Way #3: Follow the 10/20/30 rule of PowerPoint

A popular speaker and a best-seller author, Guy Kawasaki, suggested a method of the 10/20/30 rule of PowerPoint. It implies 3 main rules for making an effective presentation .

• The optimal number of presentation slides is 10 : He explained: “ This is because a normal human being cannot comprehend more than 10 concepts in a meeting .”
• Presentations shouldn’t last more than 20 minutes : If a presentation lasts longer, the audience will more likely feel daunted, which leads to less focus and motivation to follow the presentation flow.
• Good presenters use no less than 30-point font : Firstly, this way, you ensure you don’t include too much text on a slide. Secondly, fewer words force presenters to know the content deeply. Kawasaki believed the worst mistake a presenter can make is not being prepared sufficiently.

If you want to learn more about how to prepare for a presentation and stand out with your presentation skills, check out our guide:

• How to prepare for a presentation: Your 9-step guide to a successful presentation

Way #4: Use the non-linear flow of your interactive presentation

The non-linear flow of presentation allows navigation through the content without following a fixed path. 

By adding hyperlinks or action buttons, you can quickly jump over the slides and make a presentation more interactive. 

The non-linear style of presentation goes beyond regular structure in more ways:

• It increases audience engagement,
• It encourages participation, and
• It enables following directions of the audience’s interests and questions.

Way #5: Incorporate multimedia elements

Leveraging multimedia elements is a powerful method for making interactive presentations that make your audience engaged and focused. 

You can make multimedia experience using various forms such as:

• Interactive slides,
• Images, and
• Infographics.

As we mentioned earlier, it’s easier to remember pictures than words. Thus, make sure to take advantage of visual aids to help your listeners better understand and remember important information.

Visual data can efficiently convey a message to your audience. This is especially important when you need to explain complex concepts.

Moreover, according to research , visual aids are a powerful persuasion tool. Namely, presentations with visual elements have a greater impact on audience response. 

Simply put, if you want to motivate your audience to take action, make sure to add visuals. 

Additionally, we can use visual metaphors to take greater advantage of visual aids and make our messages more understandable and memorable. 

So, let’s consider the following steps that make this process successful:

Step #1: Make a list of a few key messages in advance

First of all, ponder over the main ideas you want your audience to pay attention to and remember. Jot them down, and make sure to focus on them when presenting. 

For instance, if you present your SEO results to the team, you probably want to outline the growth of your website on the search engine results pages for the last quarter.  

Step #2: Find relevant images that fit your keyword(s)

Try to figure out what image is relevant to represent your key ideas. 

In our previous example about SEO results, it could be a rocketship taking off or a man climbing stairs. 

Way #6: Add something funny

Ena Popovic usually takes advantage of incorporating funny images into presentations: 

“They help to make your talk not so boring. Images, videos, and even GIFs can add a visual element that will help draw attention back to your slides and give people something else to focus on.”

Thus, visual cues go beyond better retention — they can easily entertain your audience and hold their attention.  

Also, Ena highlights the importance of making a positive atmosphere by using humor:

“ Showing your personality and sense of humor can lighten the mood and build good rapport with the crowd. The participants are more likely to remember you if you make them laugh and in turn remember your ideas and key points. ”

Humor ensures your presentation is memorable, so make sure to use relevant funny quotes or analogies that will engage your listeners. 

Way #7: Include interactive charts or graphs to show numbers or statistics

In some presentations, numbers and statistics are the key points that the audience has to pay attention to. 

Instead of presenting the raw data, try to convert them into charts or graphs that people will understand and remember better. 

This way, they digest information much more easily. 

Way #8: Be aware of the F-shaped pattern

A key step in creating an engaging presentation is getting familiar with what engages the brain. 

Fortunately, the eye-tracking study has revealed how people typically read and consume content, which is a great help for all presenters to organize their content on slides wisely. 

Namely, the evidence has shown that people read web pages in an F-shaped pattern, so they favor the top and left sides. 

Therefore, presenters should avoid using bullet points, since they don’t support scanning behavior. Making things worse, bullet points may lead to your audience feeling cognitively overwhelmed and distracted from what you’re saying.

According to the Harvard Business Review article : 

“ Bullet points are the least effective way to get your point across. Take Steve Jobs, considered to be one of the most extraordinary presenters of his time. He rarely showed slides with just text and bullets. He used photos and text instead. ”

So, instead of bullet points, try to deliver important information according to the F-shaped pattern.

Way #9: Turn the presentation into a story

Now that we’re confident storytelling is a powerful tool for engaging the audience, the question is: How do we incorporate it into a presentation?

First of all, no matter whether your presentation covers data-heavy content or not, it can be turned into an inspiring story. 

You just need to follow the next steps that ensure your story is a good fit for your presentation:

• Know your audience : We’ve already concluded that knowing your audience well is critical to connecting with them. But, aside from understanding their interests and motivations, it’s important to understand whether and how much they are familiar with the topic. Duarte says: “ It’s important to know your audience so that you can understand how your views are both similar to and different from theirs ”.
• Clarify your objective: Secondly, getting clear on your presentation goals is equally important as understanding your listeners. This way, you ensure that your presentation objective aligns with your audience’s goal. For example, if you’re making a sales presentation, your goal here is clear: you want to motivate prospects to become paying customers. On the other hand, their goal is to get relevant information and grasp whether your service/product can help them solve a problem. 
• Set the basic structure: Once you’re familiar with your audience’s goal and your presentation objective, it’s time to set the basic structure that defines the beginning, middle, and end of the presentation.
• Add details: Finally, don’t forget to add details that vividly present your ideas. This is a key step for making your story compelling and enticing.

Way #10: Set the basic structure of your story 

If you’re creating an educational presentation, at the beginning of your story, make your listeners aware of the importance of the topic, and motivate them to learn more about it. On the other hand, in sales presentations, you should discuss pain points that can be solved by the product/service you’re offering. 

Nancy Duarte calls the beginning of the story a “call to adventure” , because you call your listeners to leave their comfort zone. 

She states: 

“ The first turning point to occur in a presentation is the call to adventure, which triggers a significant shift in the content. The call to adventure asks the audience to jump into a situation that, unbeknownst to them, requires their attention and action. This moment sets the presentation in motion. ”

She also added: 

“You can use historical information about what has been or the current state of what is, which often includes the problem you’re currently facing. You should deliver a concise formulation of what everyone agrees is true .” 

When creating a compelling beginning of the story , the goal is to make your audience see the contrast between what is and what could be.

According to Nancy, in the middle of the story , the focus is on contrast. This is because a presenter has a role to make and resolve a problem through contrast. That way, the audience pays attention and stays interested. 

Even though presenters typically end with a call to action , a more inspirational way to do so is to include “the picture of the potential reward”.

Way #11: Give it a personal touch 

Ena Popovic pointed out that storytelling should include personal touch:

“ Personal stories have the power to connect us with others. If you are able to find a link between the information presented and your day-to-day life or experiences, take advantage of the pull that this resource can generate .”

Thus, adding a personal touch helps presenters to appear more relatable — this way, you can show your vulnerability, which helps your listeners get emotionally involved.

Way #12: Make the presentation more conversational 

To encourage the presentation to be more of a dialogue, ask whether your listeners have a question before you move to the next slide. 

In addition, Ena suggests encouraging your audience to participate and surprising your audience in the following way:

“Hide small pieces of interesting information within the presentation itself. It could be a video, audio, or new information. Hide it and let the audience track them.”

That way, you encourage the participants to think actively and find the answers by themselves. This practice is a good option for turning passive audiences into active participants. 

Way #13: Encourage the audience to participate 

You can use different strategies to make your audience participate, but Ena suggests dividing into small groups:

“ Try dividing your participants into small groups to conduct a short task, then feed back their findings into your key presentation points. This makes them feel important, builds trust, and radically increases engagement levels. ”

This way, you also encourage your audience to collaborate and exchange their ideas and thoughts.

Way #14: Add a Q&As and discussion session

According to Edoardo Binda Zane, asking questions is a powerful technique to engage the audience: 

“ By far, the most effective tactic is to ask questions to the audience or involve them. Even something as simple as ‘Raise your hand if…’ can make a world of a difference. In remote communication, you can also do something similar.” 

If you need to present remotely, you can take advantage of your business communication software’s video conferencing option and share your screen to communicate complex ideas clearly, so everyone is on the same page.

Way #15: Listen to feedback

Aside from engaging the participants and making them feel heard, asking questions is a great method to get feedback.  This can dramatically improve the quality of your speech and presentations in the future.

Therefore, listen to the audience’s questions and comments well, and use this data when creating your next presentation.

For example, if you notice that the participants don’t understand some concepts from your presentation well, in the future, incorporate examples that will fill the gap.

Way #16: Make an eye contact 

The great importance of eye contact is usually overlooked. However, this is a powerful tool for making connections with your listeners and conveying your confidence. 

Plus, it helps you deliver your message effectively and facilitate your audience’s engagement.

Secure, real-time communication for professionals.

Way #17: End on a more serious tone 

Presenters have to end a presentation effectively. 

Ena advises considering the two following practices:

• End on a more serious tone, and
• Add a reflection at the very end. 

She elaborates:

“When all is said and done, you will want the audience to remember the core concepts and keep thinking about what you have said after the presentation is over. This is why you should let things naturally calm down and end with an important idea, quote or even a question.”

Way #18: Add a reflection at the very end

A good way to end your presentation is asking reflective questions, which help your audience to think about what they just learned and how they can take advantage of that knowledge. 

Here’s what Ena says about this practice:

“ Reflective questions make sure the presentation receives a good ending. A reflective question gives you an idea of the audience’s take-away from the presentation while encouraging them to share their feedback and inputs.”

You can ask your listeners the following questions:

• “What did you learn from the presentation that you didn’t know before?” , or
• “ How will you use that knowledge in the future?”

Hold your amazing presentations over Pumble

If you work remotely but still have to hold a presentation or have remote coworkers who can’t make it for your in-person presentation, Pumble is the perfect solution. 

Thanks to the video conferencing feature, you can gather all your colleagues in one place and hold a presentation for them. 

Furthermore, the screen-sharing option allows you to share the presentation slides with other participants in the call, making your presentation more engaging. 

If timing is particularly important, Pumble offers reminders that can pop up in your personal chat at specific times to remind you to say or do something during your presentation. 

Finally, since prompting participants to actually participate during a presentation seems to be the hardest job, you can utilize Pumble’s in-call chat to invite people to join in on the discussion, share their opinions, or ask questions. 

With Pumble, your presentations will be more interactive, engaging, and successful! So send that DM or channel message and invite everyone to come and see your presentation!

Visnja is a communication author and researcher at Pumble, applying her knowledge about psychology to writing blog posts on business communication and remote work. She is passionate about understanding the ways communication influences organizational behavior, employee satisfaction, and productivity. When she's not writing, she's probably researching various industrial-organizational psychology topics.

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Home Blog Presentation Ideas How To Make a Presentation Interactive

How To Make a Presentation Interactive

This article provides a short list of proven techniques for adding interactivity to your presentations. Based on our experience and available research, we know applying them will enhance your presentation experience.

Table of Contents

Definition of Interactive Presentation

Benefits of interactive presentation, interactive presentation techniques, recommended templates for interactive presentations.

An interactive presentation actively engages the audience, transforming them from passive listeners into active participants. It incorporates various elements that invite audience interaction, encourage learning and discussion.

• Interactive presentations generate connection, bringing audiences and presenters closer. 
• They enhance comprehension, simplifying complex concepts. 
• They boost engagement, keeping audiences active and interested. 
• They encourage cooperation, promoting collaborative learning and problem-solving.

The following list is a suggestion of audience interaction techniques that, in our experience, helped presenters make their presentations interactive. They all present an actionable example that can be easily implemented in your next PowerPoint presentation .

Use of Icebreakers

In recent years, researchers have theorized that Icebreakers help establish a conducive communication environment, favoring participation. Effective icebreakers can range from simple questions to fun activities to break down barriers and encourage interaction. The key is to choose an icebreaker that aligns with the audience and the topic of the presentation.

Icebreaker examples

We present two examples of the same technique based on the context of the presentation delivery method.

Scenario 1 – Physical Audience (in the Context of a Summit)

In summits, the audience is gathered for a shared interest. So, the hypothesis is that the people in the room, ready to listen to the presentation, have some interests in common. The presenter can break the ice with a simple “know the people around you.” Each participant should present themselves to the person at the right and the left and ask them the purpose of their assistance.

The presenter will then share the 3 “possible answers,” introducing how the presentation will cover those interests. If time is well measured, it can even do a “rise the hands” round to roughly estimate the answers.

This technique requires good control of the room, so it is important to constantly gauge the possible distraction generated vs the communication effect that wants to be reached. We suggest our subscribers present quickly, clear the icebreaker exercise, and invest time in the wrap-up (post-exercise) activity.

Scenario 2 – Virtual Audience (in the context of a course)

During virtual presentations (like in Google Meet or Zoom ), the interaction between participants requires separate meeting rooms or moderated chat, which incurs complexity and additional effort. So, our experience in virtual presentations shows that a single round of attendee introductions is a good icebreaker for the audience-presenter pair. 

The main task the presenter needs to prepare is to define beforehand the number of people that will introduce themselves and the 3 questions they should answer about them.

For example:

• What’s your name? (or any demographic that might fit the audience)
• What do you expect from the presentation?
• Do you have a specific question or topic you would like the presenter to address?

This technique of micro-interactions increases the audience’s affinity with its remote peers and triggers curiosity. For the presenter, it sets a standard of expectations to focus on during the speech. [3]

Incorporation of Multimedia Elements & Other Interactive Presentation Ideas

According to audience studies , incorporating multimedia elements into presentations significantly enhances audience engagement . This technique uses videos, reels, TikTok, audio clips, animations, memes, and images to convey information more effectively. These elements can simplify complex concepts, stimulate discussion, and maintain audience interest. They also cater to different learning styles, ensuring a more comprehensive understanding of the presented material.

Use of Non-linear Flow

Non-linear flow in interactive presentations allows for a flexible, audience-driven progression. It consists of allowing the listener to decide the path of the presentation. This technique enhances engagement by adapting to audience responses. Two studies ([1],[2]) conclude that the use of a non-linear presentation reinforces learning and improves understanding of concepts and results.

Storytelling Approach

The storytelling approach involves weaving a narrative around your topic, connecting facts and figures with characters and plots. This method engages the audience emotionally, stimulating their imagination, making it more relatable and memorable, and enhancing their understanding of the subject matter. The interaction materializes between the message and the emotions of the receiver. 

Do not misunderstand the usage of storytelling presentations as merely fictional creative plots. The presenter needs to create a story that delivers the message and also, is backed up with arguments or data.

Storytelling Example

For instance, imagine a mid-manager working on customer trends and behavior analysis in a retail company. In the previous quarter, numbers show a decrease in the sales of brewed coffee. The trends and survey analysis show that consumers prefer to brew at home.

So, instead of just showcasing numbers, the presenter elaborates on a customer persona (“Emily”) and creates a story about Emily’s regular day and decision-making process.

“Emily is a hard-working mom of 2 boys. She has a white-collar job, 9 to 5, in a big city. She is a conscious mom about their children’s nutrition and makes her grocery every morning in our stores. She values our quality and freshness. As part of her daily routine, she picks a fresh coffee from our store barista and quickly covers her shopping list., ready to deliver the goods at home and run to her job.

Her morning routine has recently been affected since Emily’s budget has seen an increase in groceries, and a detailed analysis of cost benefits has replaced the almost automatic process of selecting top-of-the-line healthy products. Prices have seen alterations due to inflation and have hit the shelves. Emily’s routine has changed so that she does not even take her “to go coffee”; she decided to brew at home.”

This story is more relatable and can trigger the audience’s experience about the topic. This is no bidirectional communication but generates an internal action in the audience.

Use of Q&A and Discussion Sessions

Question and Answer (Q&A) sessions and discussions complement interactive presentations. They provide a platform for the audience to drill down into concepts and exchange ideas. This methodology promotes dynamic involvement, inviting passive spectators to become active participants. Moreover, the presenter can extract invaluable insights from these sessions, transforming the presentation into a reciprocal learning experience. For further reading and techniques of Q&A sessions, please check our post on how to moderate questions and answers .

Quizzes and Polls

In interactive presentations, quizzes and polls are frequently employed to receive input from the audience at scale. Using technology, you can get quick answers to a grid of questions predefined or even built during the presentation itself. The audience input is received and quickly processed to share in a summary. Results can then be discussed during the presentation. 

Quizzes and Polls Examples

As technology for this technique, we suggest using Microsoft Forms or Google Forms. Booths are proven technologies that can be accessed from almost every network and guarantee you will not fail during your presentation. This tool reduces the risk of having a glitch failure.

If you have an Office 365 subscription, you can use Microsoft Forms, which integrates with PowerPoint to show the results of a poll or quiz.

If you use Google Forms, even though you do not have direct interaction, you can use the web viewer add-in of PowerPoint and, after some time, edit the presentation, refresh the preview, and show the examples.

Here is a list of interactive presentation ideas & templates that you can use in PowerPoint or Google Slides.

1. Interactive Jeopardy Game Template for PowerPoint & Google Slides

Welcome to Jeopardy! If you intend to make a memorable presentation and evaluate your attendees’ knowledge of the topics you disclose, this is the ideal resource to make a presentation interactive.

Use This Template

2. Quiz Maker for Interactive Presentations Template

When looking for how to make presentations interactive, this slide deck with a quiz theme can bring light to training sessions or even inspirational presentations. Easy to edit, you can build expectation with multiple-choice format, or work with true/false statements.

3. Six Thinking Hats PowerPoint Template for Interactive Presentations

Induce interactive activities for presentations by implementing this creative thinking template featuring the Six Thinking Hats model. It is ideal for teams to discuss a problem from different points of view.

4. Futuristic Concept Roadmap for Interactive Presentation Ideas

When looking for how to create an interactive PowerPoint presentation, this roadmap template stands out by its highly detailed graphic aesthetic, which makes facts easier to remember. Participants can add their insights to collectively build a roadmap for the organization, highlighting 3 key milestones.

We presented several methods to make your presentation interactive. You can navigate our presentations gallery and choose professional PowerPoint templates to apply these new techniques.

• Das, Anup & Dutta, Bidyarthi. (2002). Presentation of Results of Research: Linear and Non-Linear Forms.
• Rumpa, Lantana & Sampelawang, Petrus & Lolang, Enos & Tangkeallo, Daud & Rubianus,. (2018). NON-LINEAR PRESENTATION ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE: APPLYING PREZI ON ENGINEERING EDUCATION.
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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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What’s an interactive presentation?

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

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

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

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

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

How do you make a clickable slide?

The best way to make slides clickable is to use Genially’s free interactive presentation program. Design your slide then apply an interaction. In a couple of clicks, you can add popup windows, hyperlinks, close-up images, games, animations, multimedia and other content. 

Choose from the library of hotspot buttons and icons to show people what to click on. Go to Presenter View to get a preview and see how your content will appear to your audience.

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9 ways to create an interactive presentation.

• January 25, 2023

Table of Contents

Are you tired of delivering the same old boring presentation? It’s time to ditch the traditional approach and step up your game with interactive presentation ideas that will completely mesmerize your audience. Creating an interactive presentation can be challenging, but with the right tools and techniques, it’s easier than you think. From icebreakers to data visualization, we’ve got you covered with nine ways to make your presentation interactive. Don’t settle for a dull and unengaging presentation, let us show you how to make a presentation interactive and blow your audience’s mind.

1. Start With an Icebreaker

Starting your presentation with an icebreaker is a great way to set the tone for the rest of your presentation and get your participants’ attention right off the bat. Although this may seem tedious, coming up with an icebreaker can be as simple as asking a question related to your topic, playing a quick game, or giving your audience a task to complete. The goal is to make both you and your audience feel more comfortable and relaxed. As a result, your attendees will be more receptive for the rest of your presentation. 

Ice breaker ideas to use in your presentation:

• Invite your audience members to introduce themselves and to share an interesting personal fact.
• Ask them to complete a quick survey or quiz related to your topic. 
• Give your audience a task to complete. For example, create a word puzzle that is related to your presentation and have them work together to solve it. 

There are endless possibilities to what you can do! If you want to keep your attendees on their toes, you need to think outside of the box. 

2. Use Videos in Your Presentation

Videos are a powerful tool for keeping your audience captivated and will add visual interest to your presentation. We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is worth a million. The power of video is undeniable. It can help you convey information in a way that words alone simply cannot. You can show examples, demonstrate a process, or tell a story that will captivate your viewers in a way that will leave a strong impression on them. And the best part? It’s easy to do. With emaze, you can easily embed videos into your presentation and make it more dynamic and engaging. So why settle for a boring presentation when you can have one that truly comes to life? Add videos to your next presentation and notice the difference they make!

3. Have a Q&A Session

The best way to create an interactive presentation that your audience thoroughly understands is to have a Q&A session. Encourage your participants to ask questions and provide clear and concise answers that will not only keep them engaged, but will also give them the opportunity to dive deeper into the topic of your presentation. To make your presentation even more interesting, try to incorporate a Q&A session throughout your presentation and not just at the end. This way, you can address questions as they come up, make sure that your audience is paying attention , and guarantee that the information you’re presenting is being understood. Opening up the floor to your participants will only help them retain the information that you want them to. 

4. Gather Feedback on Your Presentation

Use the end of your presentation as an opportunity to gather feedback from the attendees. We’re always ready to rate our Uber and food delivery drivers, so why should presentations be any different? Gathering feedback is the best way for you to find out how you can improve your presentation for next time, steering clear of creating a boring presentation.

With emaze, you can gather valuable feedback from your audience and use it to make your presentation even more engaging. Our platform offers a large selection of interactive surveys and training templates that you can customize to match your brand and style. 

You can ask questions such as: 

• How would you rate today’s presentation on a scale of 1-10?
• What could be improved for next time?
• What was your favorite part of the presentation?

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to gather feedback and improve your presentation. Click here to begin creating surveys and other training materials with our editor.

5. Use Props

Props may seem like an old-fashioned technique, but when it comes to how to make a presentation interactive, they can be a powerful tool to keep your participants engaged. Props can be used to showcase examples, demonstrate a process, or tell a story in a way that words cannot. They can also be used to create interactive elements, such as hands-on activities or demonstrations. Imagine being able to physically show your audience a product or process, or even giving them the opportunity to experience it for themselves through hands-on activities. This will not only help them understand your message better but also make your presentation more dynamic and impactful. Use props to make your point and take your presentation to new heights in terms of interactivity.

6. Add an Audio Narrative or Music to Your Presentation Slides

Bring your presentation to life with an audio narrative or music! A well-crafted audio narrative can tell a compelling story, while carefully selected music can set the perfect mood for your presentation. These elements will transport your viewers into an immersive experience, making your presentation truly unforgettable.

Use an audio narrative to:

• Spin a captivating tale
• Share customer testimonials

Use music to:

• Get your audience pumped with upbeat tracks
• Create a relaxed atmosphere with soothing music

Don’t just rely on your slides, use audio and music to take your presentation to the next level and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

7. Play Around With Animations, Effects, and Styles

Using animations, effects, and styles may sound outdated, but they can be the key to making your presentation engaging. Emaze offers a wide range of animations, effects, and styles that you can use to add some flair to your presentation. And for designers, we even provide an infrastructure for writing CSS code to create custom effects!

Here are some ways you can use animations, effects, and styles in your presentations:

• Animations: Bring static images, text, and objects to life.
• Effects: Add entrance and exit effects to objects, such as Bounce In or Slide Out and watch the magic unfold. 
• Styles: Give your presentation a unique look by adding Shadows or Filters to images, text, and objects. 

Playing around with animations, effects, and styles will not only make creating your presentation more enjoyable, but will also leave a lasting impression on your audience.

8. Tell Your Audience a Story

One of the most effective interactive presentation ideas is to tell a story! Storytelling is a powerful tool to engage your audience and make your message more personal. By weaving a captivating tale, you can convey important information, make a point, and create a deeper emotional connection with your attendees. Storytelling will make it easier for your audience to understand and remember your message.

Here are some examples of stories you can tell:

• Share a personal story related to your topic, such as how your company helped a customer solve a problem.
• Use a fictional story to illustrate the consequences of a particular course of action.
• Use a case study to show how your solution helped a business overcome a challenge.

Don’t just rely on facts and figures, use storytelling to bring your message to life!

9. Use Data Visualization in Your Presentation

Bring Your Presentation to Life

Are you ready to say goodbye to the dreaded “boring presentation” and hello to an interactive and mesmerizing experience? By incorporating techniques such as icebreakers, video clips, surveys, props, audio narratives, and data visualization, you can create a presentation that will engage your audience members and make your message more memorable. The key is to think creatively and use interactive presentation ideas that will make your presentation stand out from the rest. Emaze is the perfect platform to bring your ideas to life and create a visually stunning and interactive presentation that will leave your audience begging for more. Instead of settling for a boring presentation, set the bar higher. Create your unique interactive presentation today by clicking  here !

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How to create an interactive presentation and keep viewers engaged.

For most people, the word “presentation” is synonymous with boredom. Pair it with “business” or “educational” and you make it even worse. Before they even sit down to watch, your audience has flashbacks to that endless chemistry PowerPoint in the 10th grade. Yikes.

But here’s the thing: online presentations don’t have to be mind-numbing. Like most trends that started in 1990, they just need a makeover.

According to the experts , the best way to make your presentation more interesting, engaging, and effective is to make it interactive . It’s not even that hard to do. With the right tools, you can make your presentation interactive in just a few minutes.

What is an interactive presentation?

Unlike a static presentation, an interactive presentation includes opportunities for your audience to get involved in real-time. This can mean including video clips for discussion, live polls or quizzes, in-person activities, or incorporating stories to create a more engaging experience.

In a standard presentation, audience members watch something. In an interactive presentation, they do something. And when we learn by doing , we retain material significantly better .

There are tonnes of benefits to making your presentation interactive.

• Boost engagement: interactive elements make your presentation more engaging. When your audience knows they’re going to be a part of the experience, they’re more likely to stay present and focused throughout.
• Connect with your audience: the lecture format is one-sided. The presenter becomes the talking head, and everyone else is free to doze off. Making your presentation interactive transforms the lecture into a conversation, allowing you to connect with the other people in the room.
• Share the workload: interactive presentations make presenting easier. When you toss questions or activities to the crowd, you share the burden of transmitting the information. More work from the audience can mean less work for you.
• Personalised delivery: because they’re informed by participants, each interactive presentation is unique. That means you can tailor your presentation to the people you’re speaking to, personalising the experience to make it that much more meaningful.

The main types of interactive presentation

Before we get into how to build the perfect interactive presentation, you've first got to decide what type of presentation you want to run.

Is it formal? Entertaining? A live webinar or a delayed video uploaded to YouTube?Are you speaking to investors for your non-profit , prospective clients, or just trying to convince your partner to let you splash out some cash on a new TV?

The type of presentation you're running influences everything from your tone to the kind of online tools you might use to build it.

Your interactive elements should be relevant to the type of presentation you’re giving. You might include a Kahoot poll if you teach third-grade history, but you’ll need something a little more professional for a sales pitch.

8 ways to make your presentation interactive with Paperform

Paperform is a form builder first and foremost, but you can also use our tools as an interactive presentation software. Just treat each page of your form as a slide to create a custom presentation your audience will love.

It’s not a replacement for Powerpoint or Prezi, but it’s a great way to bridge some gaps and add interactive elements to your presentation. One of our own, Josh, uses Paperform to help his son Jesse create presentations for school.

Most recently, Jesse and his dad made an incredible presentation on the Amazon, complete with wild jungle GIFs, interactive animal quiz questions, and plenty of surprising jungle facts. We made this quick replica to show you how to use Paperform as an interactive presentation software.

When you host your slides on Paperform, you get access to all the sweet features that make our digital suite of tools so unique, like conditional logic , advanced calculations , heaps of design options, and built-in robust data analytics.

Making an effective presentation shouldn’t be a chore. Let’s walk through eight interactive presentation ideas you can try out today, and how you can implement them with Paperform.

1. Make use of visual elements

There’s nothing worse for your presentation design than endless blocks of text. Nobody wants to be lulled to sleep with a bedtime story about this quarter's financial goals.

As a general rule of thumb, if you’re going to say it, you don’t need to write it. The text should be used to remind you of your key points and topics, not to explain them in detail. That’s what you’re there to do. Try to use graphs, charts, or visualisations of data whenever possible.

Paperform it: If you’ve collected your data via a Paperform poll or survey , we’ll make the visuals for you. Just head to our built-in analytics dashboard and download custom graphs created from your form results.

And if you create your interactive presentation slides with Paperform, you can also make use of our native integration with Unsplash and Giphy. Just think: all the royalty-free images and GIFs you might want, all without leaving the editor. You can even edit the images with our built-in editor.

Our integration with Adobe creative cloud allows you to import your branding and colour palette automatically, so creating personalised presentations is easy. And once you make one you like, you can share it as a template with the rest of your team so everyone can start from the same square one.

If you’re not using Paperform to host your presentation, you can always find your visuals separately and incorporate them into your slides on Prezi or Powerpoint. Wherever you host your slideshow, aim to have at least one visual for every two slides.

2. Start with icebreakers to set the tone

Icebreakers aren’t just for summer camp and blind dates. You can use them to build rapport, set the tone for what's to follow, and show that you have created a safe space that encourages audience participation. They can even be—dare we say?—fun.

When picking your icebreakers, try to be creative and topical. It’s a great opportunity to introduce audience interaction and gain some information that might be relevant to your presentation.

Let’s say you’re giving a presentation to your colleagues about the success of a recent advertising campaign. You could ask everyone what their favourite commercial is and why. Down the line, you can return to these answers for a brainstorming session about your next ad campaign.

If you're working with a small group (say 5-10 people) you can chat with your audience directly. If you’re working with a larger audience, you can ask folks to chat in pairs or send small groups off in virtual breakout rooms.

Paperform it: With Paperform, you can send out your icebreaker as a quick, interactive poll. Include it within the presentation itself, or make a separate one and add the link to your slideshow software of choice.

However you choose to share it, your respondents can answer your Paperform in a few clicks, and you can view the results in real-time. It’s a constructive way to connect efficiently with your audience when presenting remotely.

3. Find your narrative

A story can be a great hook. Draw people in with an engaging personal anecdote, and return to it throughout the presentation. It’ll keep them engaged from the beginning, and recenter them along the way if they drift off.

Take our ad campaign presentation. You might start off with a short story about how much you loved Frosted Flakes commercials as a kid, and how you went as Tony the Tiger for Halloween one year. You can return to elements of this story throughout (maybe even a photo of the infamous costume).

Why use stories in a business presentation? For the same reason we tell fables to children. Stories to help us learn. When there’s a narrative behind your presentation, your audience will be inherently more connected to it, and more likely to remember what you say.

Paperform it: Incorporating a story can be done in just about any presentation software. But if you want to get really creative with it, you could use Paperform to build your narrative into an escape room .

Just pick your story, create a few puzzles that relate to it, and use our advanced conditional logic to create a lock and key or branching-style escape room. You can present the escape room alongside your presentation, or hide the clues within the presentation itself to keep your participants hanging on every slide.

4. Let your audience decide the presentation order

Most presenters use a slide deck to support their presentations. Whether you use Powerpoint, Prezi, Google Slides, or heaps of cardstock like Andrew Lincoln in Love Actually , slide decks are a great way to keep yourself on track.

There are three main ways to progress through a slide deck.

• Standard navigation: this is the presentation you’re probably familiar with. A presenter clicks through their slides in real time, but the order is predetermined.
• A video presentation: a linear presentation where slides automatically play one after the other. This is great for presentations that will be inserted into a website or landing page , and not necessarily accompanied by a live person.
• Flexible navigation: this kind of presentation is influenced by the audience and the presenter. The presenter clicks through slides but can skip around freely and use interactive elements like buttons, clickable images, and direct download links .

Paperform it: Paperform can help with all three. For standard navigation, simply add each “slide” as a new page in your Paperform, and progress through the pages as needed. Your respondents can do this, too.

Just send the link and allow latecomers or no-shows to progress through the presentation on their own time.

You can do the same thing with video presentations. Just add your recordings on individual pages, and include a short quiz after each video. With a little conditional logic, you can block viewers from progressing until they answer the comprehension questions correctly.

And then there’s the funky one: flexible navigation. It’s a great way to keep viewers engaged and on their toes. By using conditional logic, you can allow your audience members to alter the course of the presentation in real-time based on their feedback.

Take the ad campaign presentation, for example. You could ask folks what they would rather go over first: Instagram or YouTube stats. If they go with Instagram, you would click that option and your presentation would navigate you to the appropriate page.

Your audience doesn't need to (and probably shouldn't) decide the order of your entire presentation. But adding just one or two opportunities for viewer choice can make a huge difference in engagement levels.

5. Add polls and quizzes for gathering feedback

Polling audience members shows them that their opinion matters. It's also a fantastic way to get a sense of how the presentation is going, and whether attendees are understanding the topic.

Consider adding a true or false question with a surprising answer, or a quick pop quiz at the end of each section. If you’re presenting in person, you can answer the questions yourself based on feedback from the audience, like voting by applause or raised hands.

If your presentation is virtual, you can have respondents answer the poll on their own devices, either in the presentation itself or via a separate link.

Paperform it: Paperform makes creating polls and quizzes easy. We have over 25 field types to choose from, so you can gather the right type of data every time. You can send out a lightning-fast yes or no poll, or ask your officemates to rank all the Harry Potter movies. We’ve got ranking and rating fields for that express purpose.

All Paperforms are mobile-optimised, so you can be sure your presentation polls and quizzes will look great on any device. And if you’re making a longer quiz but don’t want to overwhelm respondents , you can toggle on guided mode to display one question at a time.

Form a better life now.

6. share a hashtag to promote social interaction.

We live in the era of the second-screen experience. The chances are that while you're speaking, folks are simultaneously tweeting, emailing, or operating their entire small business on their phones.

Sure, that means your audience might be distracted. But fighting the current by asking them to turn their phones off is a losing battle. If you can’t beat them, join them.

Try making a branded hashtag to encourage participants to engage with your presentation on social media. It's a combination of word-of-mouth marketing, event promotion and social interaction all rolled into one.

When done well, social hashtags can:

• Encourage people to promote your event on social media
• Give attendees a way to share further discussions online
• Allow you to look at tagged responses to analyse customer opinions
• Draw attention to your presentation
• Keep attendees engaged with the material

Paperform it: Paperform integrates with all your favourite social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. With this connection in place, you can automatically post a tweet when someone submits your form.

You could use this integration to give folks a shout-out when they complete your digital presentation at home. Just include a short Paperform at the end of your presentation, ask for their handle and permission to shout them out online, and have a congratulatory post shared on your platform automatically.

It’s a great way to celebrate your audience members and boost awareness about your online presentation or webinar at the same time.

7. Include multiple Q&A opportunities

Sometimes, the best ideas are the simplest ones. If you want to know how your audience is going, just ask them. Q&A sessions give you the chance to do just that.

The trouble with traditional Q&A sessions is that they come too late into the presentation, and are too short to be meaningful. How often have you sat through an hour-long presentation, only to be asked if you have any questions at the very end?

One-time, end-of-presentation Q&As are not ideal. It’s easy for participants to forget their questions, and it puts pressure on them to make their time count.

There’s a better way: incorporate several, shorter Q&A sessions throughout your presentation. At the end of each section, take some time to answer audience questions and listen to audience input.

When your participants know they’ll be able to ask questions regularly, they’re more likely to stay present with each section. It also takes some of the pressure off and gives more shy participants several chances to consider raising a hand.

Paperform it: If you host your presentation on Paperform, you can create a customised Q&A slide that you can use at the end of each section of your presentation.

Worried about time? Embed the video of a favourite song, and allow participants to ask questions while it plays. You get yourself a built-in timer, and you break up your presentation with some music clips. Win-win.

8. Improve based on participant feedback

You might have your own markers of a successful presentation—whether people laughed, followed you on Twitter, or sent you an email saying how much they loved it. That's all well and good, but it doesn’t give you a lot of tangible data . The best way to measure the success of your presentation is with a post-event survey .

Leave your audience with one final moment of interaction by sending out a feedback form after your presentation. They get to share their thoughts, and you gain actionable insights on how you can improve for your next presentation.

Paperform it: Paperform has over 45 feedback form templates for you to choose from, each made by one of our in-house experts. Of course, you can make your own from scratch, or pick one of our other 650+ ready-made templates just because you like the style.

Whether you’re looking for a quick CSAT rating or lengthy open-text responses, Paperform can help you do it. Our no-code platform is designed to be easy to use, without skimping on all the advanced features you want.

Level up your presentation today

With the help of a PowerPoint maker , you can connect with your audience through interactive experiences, original content, and thoughtful slide design, you can put an end to boring presentations. Whether you’re working on your next pitch for the sales team or creating an interactive webinar for your website, Paperform can help you do it.

Our software is designed to be versatile, intuitive, and genuinely helpful. It’s a powerful tool that allows you to automate more of the mundane through our 3,000 direct and Zapier integrations, as well as our built-in shortcuts like automatic emails.

Want to give it a go for yourself? Try Paperform today with our 14-day free trial , and discover what you can create.

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14 tips on how to make a presentation interactive [2024]

August 07, 2024 - 7 min read

Author: Mary Mattingly

Fed up with colleagues and clients yawning through your presentations or checking their phones every two minutes?

Well, humans sometimes have the attention span of goldfish and get bored easily.

Plus, we’re talking about work here, not their favorite TV series. 

So, how can you change that?

Easy! By holding an interactive presentation.

Now, take a seat for some pointers on what this means and how to make a presentation interactive.

Let’s begin!

Table of Contents

What is an interactive presentation?

Why should presentations be interactive, top 14 ways to make your presentations interactive.

• What mistakes to avoid when creating interactive presentations
• How interactive presentation software can help

Ever wondered what makes a presentation not just seen but experienced?

An interactive presentation is a type of presentation that uses interactive elements to create an engaging experience and encourage audience participation .

Forget about old-school PowerPoint presentations and think TED Talks — a more engaging and dynamic way to tell a story that makes people actually listen to what you have to say. 

But we’re talking about multimedia elements and Q&A sessions.

Instead of putting people to sleep with a long and boring lecture, it’s time to invite your audience members to an open discussion. The secret to this is to be honest, check in regularly with your workers, and act on their feedback. 

What do you get out of this? Your employees will speak their minds without fearing you won’t listen to them. 

And the best part is that this works just as well in person as it does online due to all the powerful tools that technology bestowed upon us.

Now, let’s see why you should make your presentations interactive.

Now that you’ve got your definitions straight, let’s explore why interactive presentations are worth your time.

Here are the three main benefits:

1. Attract your audience’s attention . If you enhance your presentation with data visualization, animations, and video clips you’re far more likely to keep your audience engaged compared to giving them static text-heavy slides. 

2. Engage your audience . It’s difficult to engage people when you talk at them instead of with them throughout an entire presentation.

It’s like that friend who constantly talks about their problems, but never bothers asking about yours. 🙄

But once you begin asking your audience ice breaker questions and seeking their feedback, you turn them into active participants whose opinions matter.

3. Help the audience understand your points better . Remember those complex math problems that sounded like a foreign language to you?

Well, clients and teammates could feel the same way about the information you’re presenting. 

However, one of the main interactive content benefits is that it helps your audience understand it better. 

Plus, by seeking audience input you’ll be able to determine which part of that complex math problem is still unclear to them and explain it better.

Ultimately, this interactive experience will make your presentations memorable and boost information retention.

So, let’s see how you can turn into the best presenter at your company. 😎

You’ve got plenty of powerful tools to help you turn bored clients and colleagues into adoring students.

Today’s class will focus on 14 of our favorite and most effective interactive presentation ideas, but there are many more.

Let’s dive in.

1. Start with icebreaker questions

How you begin your presentation sets the stage for the entire interactive experience. It’s an engaging way for people to get to know each other before the session, encouraging them to be active participants in the talk. Plus, you energize them, shifting their mentality from passive to active. 

Don’t fret; it’s easier than it sounds.

You just need to come up with a thought-provoking icebreaker question or divide your audience into small groups for a surprise icebreaker game.

Here are some great icebreaker questions you can use:

• What's the best piece of career advice you've ever received?
• What’s your #lifehack of the week?
• What's your go-to productivity hack when you're feeling overwhelmed?
• What’s your favorite question to ask during a job interview?

As for icebreaker games, you can try trivia, charades, or two truths and a lie.

For instance, let’s take two truths and a lie. Each person says three facts about themselves, but one is a lie. The others need to find the lie to win. 

If you want to play this game at the office, make everyone sit in a circle. One person shares their statements and the others discusses and votes on which one they think is a lie. 

When it comes to playing this game virtually, it’s also super easy to do. You only need to use a video conferencing tool (like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc.). The host selects the chosen one and the participants use the poll feature to vote on the lie. 

What if you have 100 people in your company? Create smaller groups! Easy, right? And totally doable! This rule also applies to any other game. 

The purpose? It will engage your audience from the very beginning and pique their interest.

Likewise, it will help you create a more relaxed experience, in which your learners will feel more comfortable becoming active participants.

For example, you can use a shocking fact or a personal experience to create a context, then ask a related question that your participants can relate to.

2. Tell a story

Remember how much you enjoyed fairy tales and other stories as a kid?

Well, surprise, surprise: Grown-ups enjoy them too!

According to Harvard Business Publishing , “storytelling forges connections among people, and between people and ideas.”

So, here are two ways you can use storytelling in your next presentation:

• Tell a personal story that attracts the audience’s attention, taps into their emotions, and makes the content of your presentation more relatable and easy to understand.
• Present complex information in the form of a story . Whether it’s data, figures, or statistics, storytelling makes it easier for non-specialists to follow, comprehend, and remember them.

3. Use video in your presentation

Let’s make one thing clear: We’re not saying you can no longer use PowerPoint slideshows. Just avoid linear presentations and add interactivity into the mix.

For instance, one of the easiest ways to create interactive presentation slides is to embed video clips.

According to a study published in Science Direct , “participants claimed to be more engaged during video watching as it elicited more emotions than texts.”

Think about all those funny TikTok videos and Instagram reels you watch every day. They’re dynamic and short, making it easy to consume as you get almost instant gratification. Plus, they’re relatable and authentic, capturing real-life moments or reactions that make us all warm inside. 

And that’s definitely a feeling you want to capture in your presentations. 

Long story short, include such assets in your slide deck to refocus your audience’s attention throughout the presentation and spark open discussions.

Plus, you might have visual learners in the audience, in which case a short video clip can increase information retention.

4. Include interactive quizzes

Simply put, quizzes can help you create an engaging experience, serving as both icebreakers and a way to measure engagement. As icebreakers, quizzes can make participants more comfortable with each other by asking personal questions or allowing them to share their experiences. 

On the other hand, you can use quizzes throughout the presentation as a way to “wake people up” or check their knowledge. For example, sprinkling quizzes here and there encourages active participation from your peers, which is a lot better than passive listening. 

Plus, they are a lot of fun because they don’t involve getting grades like they used to in school.

Now, you can create a fun contest and even reward the quickest answers to ensure audience interaction.

You can use quizzes in several ways throughout your presentation:

• Assess your audience’s knowledge level at the beginning of the presentation. As such, you can adjust your language and examples accordingly.
• Create an icebreaker introduction that encourages audience participation.
• Check the level of understanding of your audience throughout your presentation and offer additional explanations if needed.
• Boost information retention towards the end of your presentation.

It’s ‘imagine’ time! 

Let’s say you’re giving a presentation on the basics of digital marketing. Your goal is to make sure the info is relevant to all participants. So, pop a quiz. Ask your participants: 

“ What is your experience with digital marketing ?” 

• Need to train more
• I’m a master at it, but I want to learn more
• I’m the sensei of digital marketing

Based on the results, you can adjust the way you address your audience. For example, if people in your audience are mostly beginners, you might spend more time explaining unknown terms.

Tip : An interactive presentation tool, like Ceros, can come in handy here as it can help you design an online interactive quiz without any need for coding knowledge.

5. Fostering interactions through questions

Wondering how to foster meaningful audience interactions when presenting? Here are two easy steps to follow:

Ask your audience questions

In addition to quizzes, you can also ask questions that create an interactive experience and engage your participants.

A good example here is the traditional “what if” questions that invite your audience to reflect on a specific scenario and come up with their own solutions.

Here are some examples:

• What if you were put in the client’s shoes? How would you solve this problem?
• If you were a consumer learning about this product for the very first time, would you understand its capabilities from this ad? What would you change about it?
• If we are to exceed this year’s target sales, what would be your goals for next year?
• When you’re scrolling through your social media feed, what type of ads attract your attention and why?

To make this even more interactive, you can separate your audience members into small groups, ask them to have an open discussion, and then choose a group representative to present their conclusions.

Open the floor for questions at the end of (or during!) your presentation 

Keep in mind this is not an interrogation where you ask all the questions.

Your audience members should feel comfortable asking questions whenever they don’t understand something to increase comprehension and retention.

You should let them know from the very beginning that it’s ok to interrupt if something’s unclear.

At the same time, you should make time for a Q&A session at the end of your presentation.

6. Use interactive infographics

Even if you have the best presentation skills in the world, it’s still hard to get non-specialists to understand complex topics and lots of figures.

And even if people understand them, they may easily get bored.

However, by using interactive infographics you can get your message across quickly and effectively before your audience loses interest.

Here’s an example from Ceros’ gallery : 

Also, this strategy helps your audience visualize the data, which makes it easier to understand and retain.

Now, we get that you might not know how to create interactive infographics. We suggest teaming up with an interactive presentation software, like Ceros .

Ceros can help you create eye-catching infographics using its unique templates. Then, you can animate your infographics with delays to make them more visually engaging.

Image source: Ceros

7. Take polls and surveys

Seeking audience input on the topics of your presentation engages your participants and improves comprehension.

But just like classrooms, meetings are often full of quiet and shy people.

So, how do you turn them into active participants?

A good solution is to organize live polls or surveys that everyone can take part in anonymously.

Once you get the results, start an open debate and ask your audience to share their opinions.

8. Add animations

Forget about static presentations and make them dynamic with animations.

Anything from visual effects to sound effects will spice up your presentation, attracting your audience’s attention and sparking their curiosity.

If you’re using Microsoft PowerPoint, you can use the Animation tab to choose the effects you want.

But if you want to really give your presentations that wow factor, you should join forces with Ceros. We’re all tired of PowerPoint’s preset animations that, between you and me, look kinda dated. 

Ceros, on the other hand, has fully customizable and dynamic options that make your presentation look *chef’s kiss*

Ceros offers 150 pre-loaded interactive presentation templates and the option to add interactivity, layers, and movement to your designs. They’re also suitable for any industry, whether you’re in healthcare, marketing, or finance. 

What makes Ceros special from other competitors is the complex animations and hover effects, as well as the multimedia integration (video and audio). 

So, everything you want your presentation to be can become reality.

9. Include interactive timelines

If only history teachers had known about interactive timelines back in the day. This would’ve made all those boring history lessons so much easier to understand and remember.

First off, an interactive timeline helps you visually display a series of work processes or events, making it easier for your participants to remember the key points.

Moreover, it includes interactive elements that offer context and additional info about the main timeline processes or events, facilitating a deeper understanding.

Whether you include pop-up descriptions or multimedia elements, you’ll make your content engaging and memorable.

This may sound a bit technical, but, again, you don’t have to go through this alone. 

You can use Ceros to help you with creating interactive timelines. 

Here’s how it’ll work:

10. Combine interactive diagrams with product demos

Sometimes, communicating complex ideas and their product applications to clients is like trying to explain quantum physics to literature majors.

So, to make things easier for them to comprehend and ensure they don’t fall asleep during your presentation, combine interactive diagrams with product demos.

Interactive diagrams allow you to display complex ideas in a simpler, visual manner that facilitates retention.

Then, by integrating short product demo videos that showcase functionality and features in action, you can better explain how the complex ideas apply to the product.

Ultimately, these visuals will captivate and engage your clients and simplify complex information into bite-sized content. It’s going to be easier to digest and participants will leave your session with something to chew on. 

11. Use social media and hashtags

Instead of letting your audience scroll randomly on social media (which they’ll do!), use it to your advantage to create real-time discussion groups.

For example, if your audience mainly uses X, create a hashtag to spark a conversation. Or create a group on LinkedIn where people can share their opinion about the presentation. 

This way, even remote participants can pitch in and become active participants.

Also, you can create a hashtag for your presentation so that participants can share important info they discovered or ask additional questions directly on social media.

12. Use humor

People will always remember the funny teacher who spiced up their lessons with good jokes.

Well, according to the Management Library , humor helps the audience relax and connect with the speaker and piques their interest.

As such, they’ll feel much more comfortable asking questions and giving their input.

Plus, if you make people laugh while explaining a complex issue, they are much more likely to remember it later on.

13. Make eye contact and be aware of body language

Remember those high school colleagues of yours who used to read their presentations from a piece of paper and never made eye contact?

Avoid that!

Eye contact and confident body language show your audience that you know what you’re talking about and help you create a connection with them.

So, move around and make eye contact with all the participants to attract their attention and keep them engaged.

14. Have Q&A sessions

We’ve already mentioned that getting your audience to ask questions boosts comprehension, retention, and engagement.

Thus, you should always include a Q&A session in your presentations.

However, to break from the linear presentation pattern, hold Q&A sessions at the end of every section of your presentation instead of at the very end of the whole thing.

Giving real-time answers along the way is more engaging and helps you identify problem areas that need further explanations.

Plus, your audience will likely be too tired or in a rush at the end of the presentation to pay any more attention to the questions and answers.

There you have it, 14 tips on how to make your presentation interactive.

But wait, there’s more!

Check out the pitfalls to avoid below.

Mistakes to avoid when creating interactive presentations

While you might encounter small hiccups during your first interactive presentation, you shouldn’t beat yourself up about it as this takes a little getting used to.

We want to help you make a good impression on your first assignment, though, so we’ve prepared a list of common mistakes you should avoid:

• Not tailoring the presentation to the audience . Interactive elements are effective as long as you tailor them to your target audience.

For instance, you might have to oversimplify complex ideas for clients, but doing the same for your team members might offend them or make them feel bored.

• Overloading slides . Whether you’re using static or interactive presentation slides, try not to overload them with text or interactive elements.

Instead, use short slides that clearly present the key point you want them to remember.

• Failing to test interactive elements . Technical issues can occur at any moment. 

But while you have no power over your laptop breaking down when you least expect it, you can make sure the interactive components of your presentation work properly before the big day.

• Forgetting clear instructions . If you’re sharing your presentation with your audience so they can interact with it directly, you should clearly explain how it works.

Otherwise, your audience won’t know what to do and get frustrated or disengaged.

• Interactive elements with no purpose . Every interactive element you use should attract attention, increase engagement, or enhance comprehension and retention.

If it doesn’t serve any of these purposes, it’s simply distracting.

• Neglecting audience feedback . Pay attention to your audience’s reactions, comments, and questions, and adjust your presentation if needed.

For example, be open to your participants asking burning questions before the Q&A so you don’t miss a good opportunity to interact and connect with them.

As long as you steer clear of these mistakes, you’ve got nothing to worry about.

Now, before we finish today’s class, we want to give you an extra tip. 😉

Listen closely.

How interactive presentation software can help 

If you want your interactive presentation to stand out, using the classic PowerPoint slide templates and animation effects won’t do the trick.

You need to come up with something fresh to keep your audience guessing and wanting more.

That’s why teaming up with interactive presentation software , like Ceros, can help you become an interactive presentation master.

Ceros is very friendly and will gladly offer you plenty of interactive presentation templates to choose from, as you’ve seen a little further up. 😉

Once you get the hang of it, you can start building your own templates and add more and more interactive elements to your presentations.

Want to get to know Ceros before teaming up? Just book a free demo .

We promise you’ll enjoy your new assistant.

Class dismissed! See you next time!

Innovative Presentation Ideas: Captivate Your Audience with Creative Approaches

Creating an engaging presentation requires more than just delivering information—it’s about capturing your audience's attention, making your message memorable, and encouraging interaction. To help you stand out and leave a lasting impression, here are some innovative presentation ideas that can elevate your content and captivate your audience.

1. Interactive Polls and Q&A Sessions

Engagement through interaction.

Integrating interactive elements such as live polls or Q&A sessions can significantly increase audience participation and engagement. These tools make your presentation more dynamic and allow you to tailor your content based on real-time feedback.

How to Implement:

• Live Polls: Use platforms like Slido or Mentimeter to conduct live polls where the audience can vote on questions or provide opinions. Display the results immediately to spark discussions.
• Q&A Sessions: Allocate time for a Q&A segment where the audience can ask questions. Consider using a tool that allows anonymous submissions to encourage more candid questions.

Scenario: During a marketing strategy presentation, start with a live poll asking the audience about their biggest marketing challenges. Use the poll results to shape the rest of your presentation, addressing the most common issues.

2. Storytelling with Visuals

Bring your message to life.

Storytelling is a powerful technique for making your presentation memorable. Combine storytelling with compelling visuals to create a narrative that resonates with your audience and makes your message more impactful.

• Narrative Arc: Structure your presentation as a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Introduce characters, conflicts, and resolutions to make your content relatable.
• Visual Aids: Use high-quality images, videos, and infographics to illustrate key points and evoke emotions. Tools like Canva or Adobe Spark can help create visually appealing content.

Scenario: In a pitch for a new product, start with a story about a customer’s journey before and after using your product. Use images and video clips to illustrate the transformation, making the benefits of your product tangible and relatable.

3. Gamification

Make learning fun.

Gamification involves incorporating game-like elements into your presentation to make learning more engaging. This approach can turn routine information into an interactive experience, boosting motivation and retention.

• Quizzes and Challenges: Include quizzes or challenges throughout your presentation. Award points or prizes for correct answers to keep the audience engaged.
• Interactive Scenarios: Create scenarios or simulations where the audience can make decisions and see the outcomes. This can be particularly effective in training or educational presentations.

Scenario: During a workshop on project management, organize a team-based challenge where groups compete to solve a case study. Use a leaderboard to track progress and provide rewards for the winning team.

4. Live Demonstrations and Showcases

Show, don’t just tell.

Live demonstrations can make your presentation more engaging by providing practical, hands-on examples of your product or concept. This approach allows your audience to see your ideas in action and better understand their application.

• Product Demos: If you’re presenting a new product, demonstrate its features and benefits live. Allow the audience to interact with the product if possible.
• Live Simulations: For educational or technical presentations, conduct a live simulation to showcase how a process works in real time.

Scenario: In a tech conference presentation, perform a live demo of your software, showing its key features and benefits. Allow the audience to ask questions and interact with the software during the demo.

5. Audience Participation Activities

Encourage active involvement.

Involving your audience in activities can make your presentation more interactive and memorable. Participation activities can range from group discussions to hands-on exercises, depending on your presentation’s goals.

• Breakout Sessions: Divide the audience into small groups to discuss specific topics or solve problems. Have each group share their findings with the larger audience.
• Interactive Exercises: Incorporate activities such as role-playing, brainstorming sessions, or creative workshops to engage the audience actively.

Scenario: During a leadership training session, organize a role-playing exercise where participants act out different leadership scenarios. Facilitate a discussion afterward to reflect on the exercise and extract key lessons.

6. Incorporating Augmented Reality (AR)

Enhance the presentation experience.

Augmented Reality (AR) can create immersive experiences that captivate your audience and bring your content to life. This technology can be particularly effective for presentations involving complex data or concepts.

• AR Apps: Use AR applications to overlay digital content onto physical objects or environments. Tools like Zappar or ARKit can help integrate AR into your presentation.
• Interactive Models: Create interactive 3D models that the audience can explore using AR, enhancing their understanding of the subject matter.

Scenario: In a presentation about architectural design, use AR to allow the audience to view 3D models of building projects through their smartphones or tablets, giving them a better sense of the design and layout.

7. Utilizing Data Visualization

Simplify complex information.

Effective data visualization can help simplify complex information and make it more accessible. Using charts, graphs, and infographics can enhance understanding and retention.

• Infographics: Create infographics that summarize key data points and trends. Tools like Piktochart or Tableau can assist in designing effective visualizations.
• Interactive Charts: Use interactive charts and graphs that allow the audience to explore data in real time.

Scenario: During a financial report presentation, use interactive charts to display revenue trends and projections. Allow the audience to filter the data by different criteria to explore various scenarios.

8. Incorporating Live Feedback

Adapt and improve in real time.

Collecting live feedback during your presentation allows you to adjust your content based on audience responses and interests. This approach can help you address the most relevant issues and maintain engagement.

• Live Feedback Tools: Use tools like Mentimeter or Slido to gather real-time feedback from your audience. Pose questions or request opinions throughout the presentation.
• Instant Polls: Conduct quick polls to gauge the audience’s understanding or interest in specific topics, and adjust your content accordingly.

Scenario: In a product launch presentation, use live polls to ask the audience about their preferences or concerns regarding the product. Use the feedback to address these points in real time.

Innovative presentation ideas can significantly enhance your ability to engage and captivate your audience. By incorporating interactive elements, storytelling, gamification, live demonstrations, audience participation, AR, data visualization, and live feedback, you can create a presentation that is not only informative but also memorable and impactful. Tailor these ideas to fit your presentation’s goals and audience to ensure a successful and engaging experience.

Table of contents

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