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15 Interactive Presentation Ideas
Engage your audience by creating a stunning, interactive presentation with visme..
Create a stunning and engaging presentation by taking advantage of these 15 interactive presentation ideas . Getting audience participation is a great way to create a memorable experience for your viewers.
This video covers interactive presentation ideas like using icebreakers, incorporating live polls, creating a non-linear presentation, asking discussion questions and more. Watch the video below to learn more.
Video Transcript
Are you giving a presentation and concerned about keeping your audience’s attention? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one and we’re here to help.
Hello world! I’m Mike Ploger here with Visme, the online tool that has changed the way that people give presentations.
For most of us, our biggest fear when giving a presentation is losing our audience. The last thing that we want to see are eyes losing focus, mouths whispering or hands tapping cell phones.
So, how can you combat this? Well, try to interact with your audience. Don’t just talk at them, but include them in your presentation.
Throughout this video, I’m going to share 15 interactive presentation ideas to help you engage your audience in ways that maybe you hadn’t thought of before. Shall we?
1. Start With an Icebreaker
A fun way to begin a presentation is by getting your audience to interact with one another. Get conversations started, whether it’s at multiple tables at a large conference or just amongst those in a small meeting.
Icebreakers are beneficial because they help you and your audience better understand one another. If it’s a large audience, chances are that they might all be complete strangers. So take the opportunity to help them become more familiar with one another.
One example would be the Favorites Icebreaker. Participants simply list the things that they love with one another.
Or simply try asking your listeners to come up with one word when they think of your presentation topic. Listen to their answers and consider them when moving forward with your presentation.
2. Use Video Clips
Now sometimes, there’s no denying that a video has already said or demonstrated something better than you ever could. So, why not include that video in your presentation?
Don’t think that it’ll take away from your work. Rather, it’ll keep your audience more focused and entertained. Even if there’s a video of yourself, it could be useful to share with your audience if the setting is hard to duplicate.
With Visme, videos can be easily embedded into presentations. All you have to do is go to the Media tab on the left side bar and click Insert Video.
3. Make Your Presentation Non-Linear
Most presenters believe that their slides have to go in order from slide 1 to slide 2 to slide 3, but what if I told you that it’s okay to jump to various slides?
By creating a non-linear presentation, your viewer is in control of what slides will come next.
How? Create a Table of Contents slide, linking the sections to different slides. It’ll make for a good homepage to revisit throughout the presentation and it will also keep readers on edge wondering what’s coming next.
4. Have a Q&A Session
Asking your audience questions and giving them the opportunity to do the same with you is a simple yet effective way of making an interactive presentation.
During your preparation phase, leave places within the presentation for you to ask your audience a few questions. They can be simple, funny, complex – it’s totally up to you.
It’ll allow you to get a read on your audience while breaking up your presentation. How do you feel about this, or raise your hand if, are good places to start.
And of course, encourage your audience to ask questions themselves. You don’t want them to be confused early on and be unable to obtain information later because they’re stock on that one topic that they didn’t fully understand.
5. Create an Interactive Quiz
Another way to gauge your audience’s knowledge on your topic is by creating a quiz. Take your verbal questions a step further by writing them into your slides.
Don’t know how? Let Visme help. You can ask questions and, depending on what answer is chosen, a corresponding slide will appear next.
These work great with embedded presentations that some may be watching on their own or, of course, it also works best with audiences right in front of you. Give it a try!
6., Bring Props Along to Your Presentation
If you are looking to bring your presentation to life, add a few props into the mix.
By bringing in physical objects or even living things as I’ll mention here in a second, your audience will be more hooked than if they were just staring at a screen.
However, make sure you keep your prop relevant. It should directly tie in with your presentation topic. If you’re talking about robots, bring a robot. Discussing anatomy? Don’t forget a few bones.
And maybe the most creative example that we’ve ever seen was from the one and only Bill Gates. The founder of Microsoft went the extra mile when he released a swarm of mosquitoes into his audience.
However awful as it may sound, it was perfect given his topic: a TED talk on mosquitoes and the dangers of malaria . I encourage you to check it out for yourself and see what ideas it may spark in your head.
7. Tell Your Audience a Story
Don’t be afraid to share stories with your audience. An anecdote in the beginning of a presentation is an excellent way to draw viewers in.
But it doesn’t have to stop there. A good story can be the most memorable part of a presentation.
They can create suspense, deliver raw emotion or bring a topic to life. We love TED talks here at Visme, and Hans Rosling loves telling stories, which he did all throughout his TED talk here .
8. Add an Audio Narrative
Now, so far, I’ve mentioned a few ideas to give yourself breaks throughout your presentation, and another would be to include an audio narrative.
Maybe there’s a podcast that touched on your topic or somebody else perfectly summed up one of your points. Don’t hesitate to embed those recordings into your slides. It’ll save your voice while creating a much more interactive viewing experience.
9. Poll Your Audience
Earlier I mentioned starting with an icebreaker and including your audience by asking them questions. Well, one great way to do both of those things is with an audience poll.
You can have viewers simply raise their hands or go a step further with polling software . It is now available to have live, up to the second answers from your audience. Check out sli.do for some of the best results.
And whatever presentation topic you have, polls can be used for fun, to get opinions or even to prove a point. Use them to your advantage.
10. Include Discussion Questions
If your audience is sitting at a handful of tables, take the opportunity to create round table discussions. Start by putting up a question on a slide and ask your audience to discuss the answer amongst themselves.
You’ll often see this in classrooms with teachers as they engage their students, but it’ll also work in big presentations as well.
It requires very little effort on your part and gets your audience interacting with one another, which as we’ve seen, can be pretty powerful.
11. Encourage Movement in Your Audience
Another great way to create interaction is by encouraging movement in your audience. It could be as simple as taking breaks, asking your audience to stand when speaking or even just raising hands when they’re answering a question.
Or try getting creative. Ask your audience to move to certain spots in the room depending on how they feel about a certain topic.
Or why not get people on stage for a creative activity? It’ll take some brain power, but getting people up and moving is one of the most effective interactive presentation techniques.
12. Share a Hashtag for Social Interaction
Creating a hashtag is one of the latest trends for big events. We see them for conventions, conferences, festivals, weddings, anything where people are brought together.
So, why not use one for your presentation? If a hashtag hasn’t already been created by your event organizer, create your own.
It’s a great way for people to share your content, leading to an even bigger audience. It’s a simple concept that can go a long way towards getting your expertise out to the masses.
13. Add Music
In any setting, the right music will set the mood. So, use that to your advantage when planning a presentation.
You can set simple instrumentals as a light background to complement your speaking, or you can add a spark of loud pop music to grab your audiences’ attention.
Again, Visme makes this so easy in our presentation building tool. Adding audio is just a few clicks away.
14. Play With Transitions and Animations
Animating your slides is key for keeping your audience guessing and engaged. Work with different transitions when introducing new information like we have here next to me.
But you want to be wary when beginning to use transitions. Don’t go overboard. Find that one style that you like and stick with that style throughout your entire presentation.
You don’t want or need 18 different transitions because it’ll start to confuse your audience. Find one look for your animations and stick with it.
15. Use Data Visualizations
And lastly, our 15th tip in this video, whenever possible, visualize your data. Give your facts and statistics importance by turning them into charts and graphs.
By creating data visualizations, your audience will digest information much quicker and easier. A well thought out icon or graphic is much more memorable than a spreadsheet of numbers.
Visme is king of the data visualization world and has the software to make creating graphics a walk in the park. So, head over to Visme.co right now to get started.
Once you have a blueprint for how you want to interact with your audience, Visme can help you bring it altogether in a beautiful presentation .
Be yourself! Get creative and find what works for you. We’re just here to help you get on your feet.
Hey! Thank you so much for watching. If you found that we were helpful, don’t hesitate to subscribe to our channel . We are consistently putting out content to help those with data visualization, design and other marketing questions.
Good luck! I’ll catch you next time. For now, I’m Mike Ploger with Visme, helping you Make Information Beautiful.
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1. Host an Ask Me Anything session.
Though it’s been around for a while, it wasn’t until Reddit forums hit the mainstream that Ask Me Anything became a well-known Q&A format. Often used on internet forums like Reddit, AMA brings a level of fluidity that allows the content to align with the expectation of the audience ” after all, the audience is in control. Because just as the name indicates, the format gives an audience a chance to pose any question they might have of an expert, celebrity, or other person of interest
A session may or may not have a moderator to filter questions. Or, in some cases, questions are sourced in advance, allowing the speaker to be selective.
Why It Works for Live Presentations
- AMA solves for an all-too-real truth – Presentations don’t always align perfectly with what the audience wants to hear.
- It’s a win for the audience and the speaker – AMA means that a speaker doesn’t need to prepare as much, so long as they are well-versed in the specific topic area already.
- It draws in crowds – The level of personalization in an AMA session appeals to attendees who want a more fluid event agenda that they have a say in
Hubspot’s Inbound 2018 Put AMA in the Spotlight
In 2018, Hubspot hosted an AMA with Linkedin founder Reid Hoffman and coveted startup adviser Chris Yeh at their annual conference, Inbound. The combination of forces allowed the two speakers to tackle questions together and build off of one another’s answers, creating a unique AMA experience that engaged the audience by providing multiple perspectives.
70% of conference planners say they are seeing a shift in the presentation formats that attendees prefer. Click To Tweet
2. Get off the stage (and into the audience).
Great presenters aren’t afraid to challenge the norms of speaking, like, say, adherence to the boundaries of the stage. That’s right: We’re talking about getting off the stage and interacting with the crowd. And when speakers aren’t afraid to get down into the crowd and engage directly with the audience, their delivery resonates all that much more. Trust us, it’s not just a move for musicians and talk show hosts.
- Relatability – When speakers leave the stage, they symbolically leave their place in the hierarchy of the presentation, making them more relatable to the audience.
- Excitability – When norms are challenged and something out of the ordinary happens, humans can’t help but snap to attention.
- Connection – Directly interacting with members of the crowd makes the rest of the audience engage as well.
Apollo Robbins pickpockets the crowd at TED conference.
Now we’re not saying that robbing attendees in broad daylight is the move for every speaker, but Apollo Robbins may be the one exception. Hailed as the greatest pickpocketer in the world, Apollo took his talents into the crowd during his TED talk, giving attendees some hands on examples of some of the flaws in human perception that allow him to do his work.
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3. Engage the audience by getting them moving.
We’ve all been there: awkwardly shuffling around, trying to pair up with someone for a partner activity prompted by a presenter. Then, when we finally find one, there’s not enough time to thaw the ice. And ultimately we often walk away without any meaningful engagement. So how can presenters ask the audience to interact with one another in ways that break the ice to begin with? It all starts by giving participants an activity that loosens them up and gets them moving.
Why It Works for Live Sessions
- It’s less awkward – When people are already moving in ways that don’t feel off putting, connections feel more organic.
- Inertia – An object in motion tends to stay in motion, and getting attendees moving and out of their safe space is often most of the battle.
- Energy – When people are moving, their energy is higher and they’re more likely to engage with the content.
MPI makes movement happen with a snowball fight.
Prior to the 2016 iteration of the event, attendees of the MPI (Meeting Planners International) European Meetings and Events Conference had viewed conference sessions as tame and traditional. But 400 international delegates found those expectations turned upside down when they were coerced out of their seats and into a snowball fight during a presentation by the Danish chapter of MPI.
Each participant wrote industry-relevant questions on pieces of paper, scrunched them up, and then were asked to throw them at one another like a good old fashioned snowball fight. Afterwards, snowballs were picked up and the questions written inside were discussed in small groups who were lively and animated due to the excitement that preceded. (It’s by far one of our favorite event concepts !)
4. Ditch the slides and photos for augmented reality.
What could be more engaging than ditching the boring everyday slides for a 3D representation of the topic at hand? Augmented reality is becoming more commonplace in our lives, and slowly but surely, it’s working its way into live events. Now, of all of these interactive presentation ideas, this one is probably the hardest to implement due to event b u dgets and tech demand. But we’re including it anyway because it’s an exciting look at where the future of presentations is headed.
- Visual engagement – An augmented reality representation is such a spectacle that it demands all eyes on it.
- Newness – Augmented reality is still far from commonplace is presentations, making it a novelty that won’t be getting old anytime soon.
- Interactivity – It’s one thing for a speaker to point at an image or slide on the screen, but it’s a whole different ball game when they can walk right up to (almost) the real thing and engage with it directly.
Dongfeng Nissan used AR to unveil their new car model.
At the launch of a new Dongfeng Nissan automobile in China, the manufacturer teamed up with RTT to create an augmented reality presentation that exceeded expectations in terms of form and quality. A virtual image of the car was projected onto the stage and seamlessly orchestrated with the presenter’s movements to make it seem as though he was interacting with the car in real life.
“ A conventional product presentation is no longer enough to communicate all core messages and USPs of a product in an emotionally-charged, memorable way. That’s why we joined forces with RTT and used AR technology for the first time at a launch presentation. The results exceeded our wildest dreams.” -Jason Yang, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company
5. Gamify the presentation to get audience insights in real time.
Audience participation is key to keeping attendees engaged. Luckily, with audience interaction technology like live polling, participation is in the palm of every attendee’s hand. Speakers can use live polling to glean audience insights throughout the presentation, prepping each topic with questions, following up with polling results, and then either challenging or confirming those results with the material that follows.
- Gamification – A whopping 80% of learners say they are more likely to be productive if the work is more game-like.
- Challenging expectations – Often, when speakers are able to shatter expectations with their speech, it wins over the audience. (In this case, those expectations are set in real-time by the audience themselves.)
- Competition – Posing questions and revealing answers makes people participate because of the basic human tendency to want to be correct.
Slido used its own technology to deliver a killer session.
In a session on the customer journey, Slido speaker Martina used the app’s live polling functionality to quiz the audience. After the votes were in (which the audience could see on the screen), she gave the audience the correct answer. It was the perfect blend of competition and context needed to captivate the audience.
6. Play with length and structure.
Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea weighs in at 127 pages cover to cover. Tolstoy’s War and Peace is a girthy 1,225. The point? Both are great works of literature, and not just because of their length.
In much the same way, a presentation isn’t the product of the amount of slides that are presented or words that are spoken. In fact, one of the most engaging things a presenter can do is play with both the length and the structure of the presentation to defy norms and make their content stand out. We’d even go so far as to say, the shorter, the better ” as long as you get your point across.
- Short Attention Spans – According to a study by Microsoft, the human attention span has dropped to eight seconds.
- Keeping it fresh – Changing the expected structure of a presentation gives the audience more reason to pay attention. (Sort of like movies where the scenes are out of order.)
- Prioritization – Keeping it short means you have to prioritize speaking points and boil it down to the key takeaways.
PechaKucha presentations break the mold.
20 slides. 20 seconds of commentary per slide. That’s a PechaKucha presentation in a nutshell. Now famous worldwide, the format is celebrated for the manner in which it forces speakers to stretch their creativity to deliver key points with concision and clarity. In fact, many businesses have adopted it as a means of peer-to-peer communication.
7. Do a fireside chat for your interactive presentation.
A fireside chat is an informal conversation between a moderator and her guest. The term was actually first used to describe a series of 30 evening radio addresses by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1944.
Since then, the concept evolved from one-way addresses to two-way debates. It was popularized by tech startup community events, such as Startup Grind, TechFire, or the SaaStr Conference.
To pull off a successful fireside chat, invite an expert who is confident with addressing a whole range of questions and a skilled moderator who can lead an engaging discussion. Since one of the objectives is to involve delegates in the discussion, many fireside chats use audience interaction tools to crowd-source questions from the audience. To learn more, check out this article on how to organize fireside chats .
8. Tech-powered panel discussions are great interactive presentations for events.
Panel discussions usually have a weak reputation among delegates. But with a meaningful use of technology and a few moderation tricks, they can be a whole new story. The key to making your panels truly interactive is to involve your audience early, ideally within the first five minutes as Scott Kirsner, a seasoned panel moderator, proposed.
To maximize the effectiveness of the discussion, crowd-source the audience questions with live interaction technology (such as Slido ). Next, let people upvote the topics they want to hear discussed. You can even go the extra mile and pre-load a number of questions yourself to kick-off the conversation and lead the way.
From our experience, many delegates then jump on the bandwagon and submit their own questions. If you’re interested in the topic, here are fou r case studies of some great panels .
9. Unconferences are a clever event presentation idea that’s interactive.
Invented by the Silicon Valley techies as an alternative to conventional conferences, unconferences are participant-driven meetings. They truly put the reins into the hands of participants.
You won’t have an agenda for an unconference. The agenda is created by the participants at the beginning of the meeting. It revolves around the overarching theme announced by a facilitator, and it adapts to your specific attendees’ interests that day.
The content is attendee-driven. The facilitator crowd-sources the topics from the audience, consolidates them, and then your attendees form discussion groups.
Unconferences are typically designed with open discussions rather than a presentation by a single speaker. In a nutshell, the intention of the unconference is to tap into the wisdom of the crowd rather than rely on a sage on the stage.
78% of millennials would rather spend money on live experience than physical goods. Click To Tweet
10. Quiz-enhanced presentations are interactive ways to impress event audiences.
Live polls are not only great for measuring attendee comprehension of your speakers. It’s also for keeping the audience energized during traditionally longer interactive presentations, like at medical conferences.
MIMS Clinical Update Conference in London came up with a brilliant idea. Instead of letting their presenters”general practitioners”just broadcast their learnings, they used live polls to allow participants to actively engage with the presented information.
The medical experts presented a series of pictures with patient conditions and introduced potential remedies. After this introduction, the experts showed audience members photos of medical cases and asked people to choose the best treatment via live polls. The speakers then analyzed results and provided further advice on how to treat the illnesses.
11. Live barometer is another idea for creating an event interactive presentation
Live barometer, also called body voting, is a great way to get people moving and interacting with each other while also gauging their opinion on the topic of your session. A presenter introduces a statement or a challenge. For instance: Women are better leaders than men.
Attendees then move physically to the left or right side of the room based on whether they are for or against the argument. On each side, the distance from the center expresses how much they agree or disagree with the given statement.
A facilitator can then initiate a discussion by encouraging people on both sides to share their views and advice. As the debate progresses, he or she can ask participants if their opinion has changed. They can stay on the same spot, move closer to the center or completely switch sides.
12. Speed networking is a helpful interactive event component
While we allocate ample resources to bringing in inspiring speakers, we frequently overlook the networking part. 75% of the delegates mark networking as one of their main attendance drivers.
If you facilitate them well, speed networking can bring immense value to your conference’s delegates. Primarily, the practice involves multiple people that gather in a single space in order to exchange information. Participants greet each other in a series of brief exchanges during a set period of time.
The sessions start with the ring of a bell that announces the first round. Rounds usually last three to five minutes, but you can easily extend their duration based on your audience. Once the time is up, the facilitator rings a bell to call for the next round of meetings.
Now You Can Bring the Best Interactive Event Presentation Ideas to Life!
A successful event presentation isn’t judged by the same standards as it was even just a decade ago. And as technology and the way we consume information continue to evolve, so too will the expectations around sessions and the special sauce that makes them great. Luckily, with these six interactive presentation ideas in hand, you’ll have the toolkit you need to deliver an impactful experience your audience won’t soon forget.
Which interactive presentation ideas are part of your agenda? Leave a comment on Twitter @socialtables.
Up next, learn more about how to create the best event seating plan , and get ideas for the best event and meeting icebreakers .
Create better interactive presentation seating
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Build excitement beforehand by engaging the audience on social media and frequently putting out info about the event. Let people know ahead of time that the presentation will be interactive so people can prepare accordingly. Try multiple different methods of engaging the crowd – digital polls, Q&A, and getting people up and moving are all great examples.
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10 interactive presentation ideas that leave a lasting impression
Attention is the gatekeeper of our memories. If you can’t get the audience to sit up and pay attention, your presentation will soon be forgotten.
In her webinar, Using neuroscience to create presentations with lasting impact , Dr. Carmen Simon, cognitive scientist and founder of Memzy , emphasized the importance of attention when forming new memories. According to Simon, one of the best ways to win attention is to insert a “cut” every three minutes.
Attention is definitely mandatory to people remembering the right things, and not just random things.
“Cuts” are simply a break from your normal presenting style, such as switching from a lecture to a Q&A or trivia question. Switching styles this ways keeps the audience intrigued about what comes next. Below are 10 interactive presentation ideas you can use as “cuts” in your own presentations.
Some of these ideas rely on Poll Everywhere, a live audience response system that lets you ask the audience a question and show live results. Try it out by signing up for a free account today.
Warm up the audience with an interactive icebreaker
Signal to the audience that this will be an interactive presentation by opening with an easy icebreaker. Kick it off before your presentation starts, as people are finding their seats, to get everyone familiar with the ins and outs of Poll Everywhere in a low-stakes setting.
Doing so speeds up the time it takes to complete subsequent activities because the audience will expect them. They’re also more likely to engage with you on Poll Everywhere if they’re already comfortable with the process.
Icebreakers come in many styles , but one of the most popular among Poll Everywhere users is the word cloud. Choose a question that calls for a personal response – What’s your favorite food? – that everyone can answer.
Plant engaged audience members ahead of time
This isn’t as sneaky as it sounds.
Sometimes all it takes is a few engaged people in the audience to get the discussion flowing, and give other people the courage to contribute. But what if you can’t count on your attendees to speak up on their own?
Ahead of your presentation, ask a few audience members who you already know and trust to pose specific questions during your presentation.
Maybe you want them to chime in with an easy “gimme” to kick things off and encourage that level of engagement. Or, maybe you want your designated attendee to ask a question that everybody else may be too afraid to ask (i.e. “How do we know we can trust this data?”).
This strategy won’t be necessary for every presentation. But when you’re worried that your request for questions will be met with lowered heads and shifting glances, this is an effective way to get the ball rolling.
Read more: From classroom to boardroom: A high school teacher’s presentation tips
Repeatedly ask questions to build involvement
You can’t expect your audience to engage and interact with you if you don’t give them an opportunity. So, make sure to have plenty of spots throughout your presentation where you can pause and ask a question.
This doesn’t need to be a threatening, pop quiz-style way to scare your audience into paying attention. Even the simplest questions can make people feel a little more involved in what you’re presenting. Think of things like:
- Have you heard of this before?
- Can you read what’s on that slide for me?
- Does anybody know where/what [thing] is?
They’re straightforward questions that require a one-word answer or super easy response, yet they do the job of reminding your audience that you’re talking with them – and not just at them.
Get people moving and out of their seats
It’s time to get your audience’s blood pumping. No, you don’t need to have them do jumping jacks or pushups, but think of some creative ways that you can get them moving around a little bit.
It could be something as simple as asking people to stand up, rather than requesting a show of hands. Or, you could think of some ways to incorporate movement with the content of your presentation. For example, have them walk up and introduce themselves to somebody new to implement the elevator pitch techniques you just taught them.
Give some thought to the different ways you could get your audience out of their seats at a few different points throughout your presentation. If nothing else, you can rest assured that they’re awake.
Read more: 8 interactive presentation games for large teams
Use interactive questions to assess the audience
If you want to know if the audience really understands what you’re presenting, ask.
Christopher Robertson , who teaches at University of Arizona’s James. E. Rogers College of Law, uses Poll Everywhere to identify and resolve any misunderstandings his students have about the complexities of law.
“Law students can easily go an entire semester passively attending class and both the professor and student discover on the final exam that they have not grasped the concepts covered in class,” said Robertson.
I find polling in class encourages active student participation and uncovers misunderstanding of how to apply the law that warrant a second look.
Taking time to test the audience this way gives them a chance to reflect on what you told them, and apply that knowledge on the spot. This can improve the chances they’ll remember that information after your presentation ends.
Enable anonymity to encourage candid feedback
Dr. Mark, physician and author of The Productive Physician , uses anonymous polling in his medical classes. He cites how this extra layer of security helps put students’ minds at ease, and lets them focus on the lesson instead of worrying about scrutiny from their peers.
“Poll Everywhere allows both anonymous and signed-in polling,” explained Dr. Mark, “but I prefer to use the anonymous mode as I feel it increases learner psychological safety: my students might be more inclined to test their knowledge without the fear of being seen to be wrong in front of their peers.”
You can enable anonymity for all Poll Everywhere activity types. The audience responds from the privacy of their phones – not in front of their peers – giving everyone an equal opportunity to make their voice heard.
Split your audience into smaller discussion groups
There’s nothing worse than explicitly asking your audience to engage with you and being met with only crickets and blank stares.
But, here’s the thing: Not everybody is comfortable speaking up in front of a crowd.
For that reason, it can be smart to divide your audience into smaller groups to discuss something relevant to your presentation topic – even if it’s just for five minutes.
If you want the whole audience to come back together and share what they learned during those conversations, it’s likely that a spokesperson will naturally arise from each group; meaning the people who aren’t comfortable chiming in on a large scale don’t have to.
The best thing about this strategy? The previously-reserved attendees will have a little more confidence to speak up when they know the rest of their group is there to jump in if needed.
Read more: How to present an effective PowerPoint presentation
Encourage questions throughout your presentation
It’s natural to want your audience to hold on to all of their questions until a Q&A portion at the conclusion of your talk. However, that’s pretty much the exact opposite of an interactive presentation.
Instead, be upfront at the beginning of your presentation that you want people to chime in with thoughts or questions, rather than biting their tongue until the very end. Of course, you’ll need to be willing to step in and get things back on track if a question steers the conversation too far off course.
If you don’t want the interruptions, find a way for people to submit questions asynchronously , such as in a chat window or shared document. You can respond to those submissions at your own pace throughout the presentation.
Either way, encouraging people to contribute to the topic in real-time is far more interactive and engaging than forcing them to sit and wait until the end.
Let the audience decide what’s next
Presentations don’t always need to flow in a straight line. With a quick question, you can empower your audience and let them decide what to learn about next.
Poll Everywhere’s own Katie Wilson gave a webinar on this very topic. In it, she explained how corporate trainers use polling to create choose-your-own-adventure style presentations .
Present your audience with a multiple choice activity, and let their votes determine which topic you tackle next. In Katie’s example, a corporate trainer is asking about how best to respond to a customer complaint.
Three options are available, and the audience votes on which one they think is most appropriate. Once the results are in, the presenter navigates to the slide associated with that option and discusses the results.
Use surveys to extend interaction after your presentation ends
Audience interaction doesn’t have to end with the presentation.
Jez Wiles, lecturer at the London College of Music, continues the conversation with his students both before and after his lectures with online questionnaires.
“Getting [students] to use a survey as a post-class reflective tool, or pre-lecture poll to find out what they know about something…this has all extended the use of [Poll Everywhere] for me, and boosted engagement,” said Wiles.
Poll Everywhere surveys can include any type of activity – from multiple choice to open-ended – and can be completed asynchronously at the audience’s own pace. This is a great way to help reinforce the topics of your presentation, or to collect audience feedback on the presentation itself.
I like the sense of fun Poll Everywhere naturally brings. I always find engagement goes up when I use it.
These are just some of the ways the Poll Everywhere community uses live audience engagement to drive interactive presentations. Each of these ideas is a type of cut you can use to keep your audience alert and engaged with what you’re saying.
The hybrid work solution that enables audience engagement through live, inclusive conversations across organizations. Whether it’s remote meetings, in-person events, or hybrid workspaces, Poll Everywhere gives your audience a voice and delivers authentic feedback at scale.
11 Interactive Presentation Games to Win Easy Engagement in 2023
Lawrence Haywood • 20 Feb 2023 • 9 min read
So, how to make presentation engaging? Audience attention is a slippery snake. It’s not easy to grasp and even less easy to hold, yet you need it to have a successful presentation.
No to Death by PowerPoint , no to drawing monologues; it’s time to bring out the interactive presentation games !
These 11 games below are perfect for an interactive presentation . They’ll score you mega-plus points with colleagues, students, or wherever else you need a kick of super-engaging interactivity… So let’s check out those interesting presentation formats!
#1: Live Quiz
#2: what would you do, #3: key number, #4: guess the order, #5: 2 truths, 1 lie.
- #6: 4 Corners
#7: Obscure Word Cloud
- #8: Heart, Gun, Bomb
- #9: Match Up
#10: Spin the Wheel
- #11: Q&A Balloons
Presentation Games for PowerPoint – Yes or No?
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Is there any event that hasn’t been immediately improved with some trivia?
A live quiz is an evergreen, ever-engaging way to consolidate your presentation’s info and check the understanding of it all amongst your audience. Expect big laughs as your audience competes fiercely over who was listening to your presentation the most complex.
How to make it…
- Set up your questions on free quizzing software .
- Present your quiz to your players, who join by typing your unique code into their phones.
- Take your players through each question, and they race to get the correct answer the fastest.
- Check the final leaderboard to reveal the winner!
Learn how to set up your presentation quiz for free in just a few minutes! 👇
Put your audience in your shoes. Give them a scenario related to your presentation and see how they would deal with it.
Let’s say you’re a teacher giving a presentation on dinosaurs. After presenting your info, you would ask something like…
A stegosaurus is chasing you, ready to snap you up for dinner. How do you escape?
After each person submits their answer, you can take a vote to see which is the crowd’s favourite response to the scenario.
This is one of the best presentation games for students as it gets young minds whirring creatively. But it also works great in a work setting and can have a similar freeing effect, which is especially significant as a meeting ice breaker .
- Create a brainstorming slide and write your scenario at the top.
- Participants join your presentation on their phones and type their responses to your scenario.
- Afterwards, each participant votes for their favourite (or top 3 favourites) answers.
- The participant with the most votes is revealed as the winner!
No matter the topic of your presentation, there’s sure to be a lot of numbers and figures flying around.
As an audience member, keeping track of them isn’t always easy, but one of the interactive presentation games that makes it easier is Key Number .
Here, you offer a simple prompt of a number, and the audience responds with what they think it refers to. For example, if you write ‘ $25′ , your audience might respond with ‘our cost per acquisition’ , ‘our daily budget for TikTok advertising’ or ‘the amount John spends on jelly tots every day’ .
- Create a few multiple-choice slides (or open-ended slides to make it more complicated).
- Write your key number at the top of each slide.
- Write the answer options.
- Participants join your presentation on their phones.
- Participants select the answer they think the critical number relates to (or type in their answer if open-ended).
If keeping track of numbers and figures is challenging, it can be even tougher to follow entire processes or workflows explained in a presentation.
To cement this information in your audience’s mind, Guess the Order is a fantastic game for presentations.
You write the steps of a process, jumble them up, and then see who can put them in the right order the fastest.
- Create a ‘Correct Order’ slide and write your statements.
- Statements are automatically jumbled up.
- Players join your presentation on their phones.
- Players race to put the statements in the correct order.
You might have heard of this one as a great icebreaker, but it’s also one of the top presentation games for checking who’s paying attention.
And it’s pretty simple to do. Just think of two statements using the information in your presentation, and make another one up. Players have to guess which is the one you’ve made up.
This one is a great re-capping game and works for students and colleagues.
- Create a list of 2 truths and one lie covering different topics in your presentation.
- Read out two truths and one lie and get participants to guess the lie.
- Participants vote for the lie either by hand or through a multiple-choice slide in your presentation.
#6: 4 Corners – Interactive Presentation Games
The best presentations are ones that spark a bit of creative thinking and discussion. There’s no better presentation game for evoking this than 4 Corners.
The concept is simple. Present a statement based on something from your presentation that’s open to different points of view. Depending on each player’s opinion, they move to a corner of the room labelled ‘strongly agree’, ‘agree’, ‘disagree’ or ‘strongly disagree’ .
Maybe something like this:
An individual is shaped more by nature than nurture.
Once everyone is in their corner, you could have a structured debate between the four sides to bring different opinions to the table.
- Set up the ‘strongly agree’, ‘agree’, ‘disagree’ and ‘strongly disagree’ corners of your room (if running a virtual presentation, then a simple show of hands could work).
- Write some statements which are open to different opinions.
- Read out the statement.
- Each player stands in the right corner of the room, depending on their view.
- Discuss the four different viewpoints.
Live word clouds are always a beautiful addition to any interactive presentation. If you want our advice, include them whenever you can – presentation games or not.
If you do plan to use one for a game in your presentation, a great one to try is Obscure Word Cloud .
It works on the same concept as the popular UK game show Pointless . Your players are given a statement and have to name the most obscure answer they can. The least-mentioned correct answer is the winner!
Take this example statement:
Name one of our top 10 countries for customer satisfaction.
The most popular answers may be India, USA and Brazil , but the points go to the least mentioned correct country.
- Create a word cloud slide with your statement at the top.
- Players submit the most obscure answer they can think of.
- The most obscure one appears most diminutive on the board. Whoever submitted that answer is the winner!
Word Clouds for Every Presentation
Get these word cloud templates when you sign up for free with AhaSlides!
For Ice Breaking
For Testing
#8: Heart, Gun, Bomb.- Interactive Presentation Games
This one’s a great game to use in the classroom, but if you’re not looking for presentation games for students, it also works wonders in a casual work setting.
Heart, Gun, Bomb is a game in which teams take turns to answer questions presented in a grid. If they get an answer right, they either get a heart, a gun or a bomb…
- A ❤️ grants the team an extra life.
- A 🔫 takes away one life from any other team.
- A 💣 takes away one heart from the team who got it.
All teams start with five hearts. The team with the most hearts at the end, or the only surviving team, is the winner!
- Before starting, create a grid table for yourself with either a heart, gun or bomb occupying each grid (on a 5×5 grid, this should be 12 hearts, nine guns and four bombs).
- Present another grid table to your players (5×5 for two teams, 6×6 for three teams, etc.)
- Write a figure stat (like 25%) from your presentation into each grid.
- Split players into the desired number of teams.
- Team 1 chooses a grid and says the meaning behind the number ( for example, the number of customers last quarter ).
- If they’re wrong, they lose a heart. If they’re right, they get either a heart, gun or bomb, depending on what the grid corresponds to on your grid table.
- Repeat this with all the teams until there’s a winner!
>>> Get more interactive presentation ideas with AhaSlides
#9: Match Up – Interactive Presentation Games
Here’s another quiz-type question that can be a great addition to your roster of presentation games.
It involves a set of prompt statements and a set of answers. Each set is jumbled; the players’ job is to match the statement with the correct answer as quickly as possible.
Again, this one works well when the answers are numbers and figures.
- Create a ‘Match Pairs’ question.
- Fill out the set of prompts and answers, which will automatically shuffle.
- Players match each prompt with its answer as fast as possible to score the most points.
If there’s a more versatile presentation game tool than the humble spinner wheel , we aren’t aware of it.
Adding the random factor of a spinner wheel might be just what you need to keep engagement in your presentation high. There are presentation games you can use with this, including…
- Choosing a random participant to answer a question.
- Choosing a bonus prize after getting an answer correct.
- Choosing the next person to ask a Q&A question or give a presentation.
- Create a spinner wheel slide and write the title at the top.
- Write the entries for the spinner wheel.
- Spin the wheel and see where it lands!
Tip 💡 You can choose the AhaSlides spinner wheel to use your participants’ names, so you don’t have to manually fill in the entries! Learn more interactive presentation techniques with AhaSlides
#11: Q&A Balloons – Interactive Presentation Games
This one’s a great way to turn a regular end-of-presentation feature into a fun, engaging game.
It’s got all the hallmarks of a standard Q&A, but this time, all the questions are written on balloons.
It’s a super simple one to set up and play, but you’ll see how motivated participants are to ask questions when it involves balloons!
- Hand out a deflated balloon and a sharpie to each participant.
- Each participant blows up the balloon and writes their question on it.
- Each participant bats their balloon to where the speaker is standing.
- The speaker answers the question and then pops or throws away the balloon.
So, how do you feel about AhaSlides’s creative ideas for presentations? Being by far the most popular presentation tool on the planet, you may want to know if there are any presentation games to play on PowerPoint.
Unfortunately, the answer is no. PowerPoint takes presentations incredibly seriously and doesn’t have a lot of time for interactivity or fun of any kind.
But there’s good news…
It is possible to directly embed presentation games into PowerPoint presentations with free help from AhaSlides.
You can simply import your PowerPoint presentation to AhaSlides with the click of a button, then place interactive presentation games like the ones above directly between your presentation slides.
💡 PowerPoint presentation games in less than 5 minutes ? Check the video below or our quick tutorial here to find out how!
Lawrence Haywood
Former ESL teacher and quiz master converted to the wild slide. Now a content creator, traveller, musician and big time slider preaching the good word of interactivity.
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20 Interactive Presentation Ideas
Giving a presentation at work can be intimidating, even if this isn’t your first rodeo. You want to convey the information clearly and intelligently, but you also want it to be a crowd-pleaser. But how? The presentation has to be conducted professionally, but you don’t want to bore everyone or yourself, for that matter.
Tedious, boring meetings serve no one and are a waste of time. This is a pity, as often good information is shared, but delivered in such a sterile way, that the audience doesn’t find it useful. What you want to give is an interactive presentation – where your audience feels seen by you and where real communication of ideas has occurred.
What Are The Benefits of an Interactive Presentation?
While you might feel that you just want to present the information and get this over with, audience engagement is crucial. Going the extra mile to make your presentation engaging and interactive won’t just make it more enjoyable for you and the audience, but a better learning experience for both of you.
Think of interaction as a means of making your presentation more consumable for the audience. Trying to pull all of this together can drive you mad, but MeetingPulse is here to help. We’re an online platform, completely customizable for your company or organization.
We offer live interactive opportunities throughout your meeting with your audience, using computers, tablets, even their phones. Your audience will be completely engaged with your presentation, and you won’t have to worry about it. We can take this task off your plate.
Related: Top Interactive Online Meeting Ideas
Putting together a creative and interactive presentation can be challenging. Here are 20 interactive presentation ideas:
We love icebreakers, don’t we? We secretly dread the ones that embarrass us, but the good news is, they don’t have to be embarrassing. The goal of ice-breakers is to warm up the audience and to initiate a rapport with them. This usually happens by getting to know one another better.
In a small audience, you might share a bit of information about yourself and ask each audience member to do the same. In a large meeting, you might ask the audience to introduce themselves to the person sitting next to them, or another favorite is Five of Anything .
Video Clips
We’ve all heard of death by Powerpoint, haven’t we? It’s a ghastly way to go. But fortunately, if you include a video clip or two in your slides, boredom may be avoided. A new voice can help your audience to remain engaged, and you can have help presenting bits of information.
Pro Tip: Let the video do the boring bit. A video clip can be a presentation within your presentation.
Keep the audience guessing. One slide doesn’t have to follow the next. You can mix things up a bit. Moving around your presentation, not following a predicted order, will engage your audience as you pique their interest. One exciting idea is to allow the audience to determine the course of topics — more on this one later.
Q&A Session
Asking and answering questions is a great way to get the audience involved. This can be more than a brief time at the end of a presentation for the audience to ask questions. Open questions may be asked of the audience throughout or breaks taken between sections for questions to be answered.
Interactive Quiz
Take your question-asking to a new level, and create an interactive quiz . The audience may engage with it on any device they have with them — even their phones. MeetingPulse is the expert on that. The quiz may also be embedded within your presentation, with questions strategically placed to gage audience expertise, attention, and engagement.
Bring Props
No, we don’t mean a bag of cool, but random stuff. Delivering an excellent presentation has a lot to do with storytelling. So a prop can be useful in injecting energy and adding another dimension to the topic. For maximum effect, the props should be few, and they shouldn’t distract from what you’re saying.
Tell a story
Everyone loves a good story! Telling your audience a story during your presentation will draw them to you and your topic . Stories stir our interest, our emotions, and they stay in our memory. The best speakers are excellent storytellers — so hone this skill.
Audio Narrative
Speaking for an extended period can be challenging, so add some audio narrative to your presentation. Pre-record audio on a few slides or sections so that you can have a break, and your audience hears a slight change in presentation. An audio narrative can go into more depth than the slide shows, or it can be an opportunity to add music or other invigorating elements.
Poll Your Audience
A sure-fire method for engagement is polling the audience . Asking questions that have to do with the topic or just a lot of fun questions, is an enjoyable way of interacting. Your poll can be with raised hands, or you can use software.
MeetingPulse is experienced at creating interactive meetings with live polling for real-time engagement .
Related: 35 Funny Poll Questions to Ask Your Audience
Discussion Questions
An audience divided into small discussion groups during a presentation, is a fantastic way of keeping everyone engaged and interested.
Discussing topics relevant to the presentation will help the audience retain the information and the audience members will help each other gain a better understanding.
Encourage Movement
Our other ideas stimulate activity in the mind of the audience, but physical movement is necessary for the body. Many people fall asleep when they’re sat in one place for too long. If the audience is to be kept awake and fresh, movement is vital. This may be accomplished by frequent intermissions, where people can walk and stretch their legs, or by directed “movement breaks.”
Get Your Audience Asking Questions
Questions aren’t just for the end of the presentation. Audience members may be invited to write their questions on the topic at the beginning of the presentation . This helps them to be listening out for the information they especially wanted and fosters engagement. Frequent question breaks throughout the presentation are also helpful.
Let Your Audience Direct
This will mean a little extra work on your part, but giving the audience some say in the flow of the presentation, can be very rewarding. Your slides may be arranged on several points, and the audience may be allowed to choose which points they want to hear first, second, and so on. 
Share a Hashtag
If you’re presenting at an event that already has a branded hashtag, encourage your audience to use it as they ask questions and make comments on social media. But if your presentation is standalone, you can still create a hashtag and encourage the audience to use it. You can keep track of their questions and comments by tracking the hashtag on social media.
What can be more energizing than a little music at just the right moment? You can use music as a background to some of your slides, or do a fantastic blast of pop music to move onto a new section of your presentation. This will refocus your audience and keep them enthusiastic about your presentation. It’s also suitable for those directed movement breaks, aka dance breaks.
Transitions and Animations
Transitions on your slides may be automated, so they move smoothly from one to the next. You can create a theme with animation that shows itself throughout the presentation. Transitions can be made fun and visually appealing for your audience.
This doesn’t have to bog you down, at MeetingPulse, we can integrate your Powerpoint with our interactive software and create a wildly engaging presentation.
Data Visualization
Data visualizations can demonstrate the facts and figures of your presentation in a display that helps the audience to understand it better. Visualizations can be in the form of colorful charts, graphs, infographics, etc. They are fun and engaging while helping to convey the meanings of your figures succinctly.
Related: Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos’ Tips for Running a Great Meeting
Get Off The Stage
It can be exciting for you and your audience if you occasionally leave the stage and walk among them. While we don’t recommend crowd surfing (unless it’s that kind of event), this is a great way to interact with the audience and heighten the energy in the whole room.
Augmented Reality
If you’re especially daring, augmented reality is making its way into the professional space. You can forget all about a slide presentation and create a 3-D experience for the audience. This idea is tech-heavy and tough on the budget, but if you can swing it, they won’t forget it. There won’t be one sleepy eye in the place!
Play With The Length and Structure
While you may have been allotted the usual stretch of time, it could be very refreshing to audiences if you got to the point, made the point, and sat down. Feel free to mess with the structure of your presentation as well.
Why not redesign your talk and forget the expected norms, and instead, consider your audience. Prioritize getting the information into their hands and making it a memorable and quality event.
Well, there you have it, twenty of the most exciting and interactive presentation ideas ever! What you have to present is important, so why not take the time to create an event that will be enjoyable, interesting, and engaging for everyone involved. You don’t have to try all of these ideas in one presentation, but add them to your toolbox for future ones.
And remember that MeetingPulse is here with an online platform to take your presentations and meetings from mundane to memorable. Visit us here.
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12 Ideas for More Interactive Presentations
12 Ideas for More Interactive Presentations from 24Slides
If you think about it, providing an engaging presentation is a win-win situation. Not only will your audience less likely doze off, tinker with their phones or daydream but as a presenter, you can also be relieved of anxiety facing a crowd that’s more enthusiastic and dynamic.
But this engagement has to start with you.
Before you do, critical elements include knowing your audience and topic beforehand.
Ask yourself these questions: What are the most interesting or intriguing points in my topic? Which members of the audience will most likely be disinterested and how do I get them involved? What’s your audience size? You can do this by conducting a survey or poll beforehand.
Also set expectations at the start that their participation or questions will be needed at some point during the presentation. This will most likely make them pay attention.
Key to delivering a highly interactive presentation is an element of surprise with flair of creativity . Here are 12 ways to go about this:
Adding visual and audio effects
- Add self-shot videos/ You tube videos, short podcasts or audio recording to your presentation. Use with caution though as it’s important that these won’t detract you from your message but rather, further convey your point. Also, make sure they are of superior quality.
- Use alternate tools that incorporate powerful transitions, animations and music. There are many other interactive tools you can use like Powtoon or Flash or cloud-based online presentation tools like Prezi or Haiku Deck to transform static presentation into dynamic, awesome ones that tell a story. Which brings us to the next idea…
- Share a story . Whether you’re using advanced tools or simply yourself, storytelling is something that has always resonated with every audience.
- Use pictures and professional diagrams. Images and visual data capture a thousand words. By getting to incorporate more of these in your slides as opposed to text, your message will have more impact. Click here to see some examples of presentations we’ve designed.
- Use non-offensive humor. It’s a good ice breaker and can also be used to set expectations in introducing a dull topic.
- Be generous with your gestures. Non-verbal communication is certainly more engaging . If you have remote attendees, turn on your webcam.
Involving your audience
- Prepare quizzes or contests based on your topic. An example would be to ask your audience to guess the answer or fill in the blanks in your slides. You can even take it a step further by giving away small tokens as prizes.
- Ask your audience to introduce themselves or for a show of hands by asking opening questions. If possible, get your audience moving as much as they can like standing up or clapping.
- Ask your audience to share their experience about the topic. Of course, you’d want to be tactful and not put them on the spot. So make sure it’s a topic they can easily relate to and share. Alternatively, you can encourage them to write down their questions at the start.
- Have someone from the audience read what’s on your slide before you elaborate on it.
- Divide your audience into small groups to discuss the topic among themselves. Then they can share this with the rest of the audience afterwards.
- Perform an actual demo or application and have a random audience participate in it. This will also make your presentation look more natural and less planned.
Using PowerPoint Templates to lift engagement
- Browse and download hundreds of free powerpoint templates and pick on suitable for your presentation.
- Edit the template to suit your brand preferences or styles, making sure to clearly communicate your message.
- Insert your information into the graphs, tables or diagrams. Keep it simple and don’t add too much text to the presentation.
- Save the presentation template so you can use it again in the future.
This list is by no means comprehensive. But as long as you keep in mind that the slides are there just as an aid and your audience should be the primary focus, then engaging them will a lot be easier and rewarding.
Need help in spicing up a dull presentation? Let our team help you!
Which ones have you tried or found most appealing? Let us know through your comments below.
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11 Fun Virtual Presentation Ideas to Boost Engagement
a year ago • 6 min read
If you ask yourself what the key to your virtual presentation success is, the answer will be obvious - keep your audience engaged. While it seems like an easy task, it can sometimes be challenging to implement in reality.
Without in-person interaction, you need to try twice as hard to create a fun presentation. Cognitive scientists believe that at the 10-minute mark, the audience stops listening to a presentation. And obviously, your content will most likely require longer than ten minutes.
But don’t worry, because we’ve prepared some terrific virtual presentation ideas that will help you make a fire speech and leave your audience craving more of your content.
Enough talking, let’s dive right into it!
Engaging Virtual Presentation Ideas You Can Apply Now
So what’s the magic answer to “how do I make presentations fun and entertaining?”
As the “producer” of your virtual presentation, you have the most powerful tool of all - your creativity, passion, and love for your product or service. So you already have all the aces up your sleeve.
However, you can make your show even better just by following some of these fun ideas for interactive presentations.
Idea #1. Start with an Icebreaker
People love a good story, so there’s no better way to start a presentation than with a story. Not only will it grab and maintain attention, but it will also help the attendees remember and understand you (and your project) better.
So instead of only presenting cold facts, organize the facts into a story and make your audience laugh, smile, or be surprised.
Idea #2. Engage with Your Camera
When speaking and presenting your topic, make sure you’re looking straight into your computer’s camera and not reading from the slides. Yes, it may be hard at the beginning, but it will give the audience the impression that you’re looking directly at them.
So place your camera at eye level - a camera too low may create a double chin, while a camera too high may find your sight dropping while looking at the screen. What makes a presenter powerful is the capability of making eye contact with the viewers even when they don’t see the viewers.
Idea #3. Come Up with Some Games
Using live polls and quizzes is another great way to see if your audience understands you. Additionally, such a gaming way of presentation will keep your attendees entertained, especially if the session is long.
You can implement “Would you rather?” questions, surveys, riddles, “two-truths-and-a-lie” polls, or “yes-or-no” quizzes. Just make sure to include a “click and find out if you’re right!” button. That way, your audience will know they can interact with the slide. Later, you can show the audience the polling results, confirming or challenging them.
Why is this a fun presentation idea?
- More than 80% of the learners would be much more productive if work was more game-like.
- Such gamification will make attendees participate in the discussion.
Idea #4. Use a Virtual Background
Using virtual backgrounds is another fun activity for presentations that can easily make your event stand out. You can choose simple colors, gradients, or illustrated backgrounds and make your presentation ten times better.
For instance, SpatialChat has a fantastic collection of different backgrounds for users to use and spice up their presentation game.
However, make sure to choose wisely, as the background may either add to your event or detract from it.
Example : A woman accidentally turned herself into a potato during a Microsoft team meeting. Such a funny interactive virtual presentation idea definitely brought attention to her persona and the topic she was presenting.
Idea #5. Keep It Short
Remember that your attendees have millions of distractions at their fingertips during your speech (emails, social media, food, etc.) The length of your presentation doesn’t matter - it’s not about the number of slides but rather about the words. So keep it fresh, structured, and prioritized.
Idea #6. Humor Is Key
If humor makes your life longer, then it will definitely entertain your audience. Obviously, it doesn’t mean you have to implement hundreds of punch lines into your presentation — it’s not a stand-up. Don’t try to be Michael Scott from The Office ; ensure your jokes are totally appropriate.
Being lighthearted, fun, and cheerful is always a plus for your presentation. It will make the atmosphere friendly and help put everyone at ease. And if humor isn’t your strong suit, you can do a little research and implement humorous images, gifs, or videos.
Idea #7. Make a Q&A
The presentation shouldn’t be only about you, your product, or your service. It’s also about your audience and how you can improve their lives. So make sure you’re pausing and inviting questions after each section of your presentation.
Idea #8. Visuals, Visuals, Visuals
Visual content can greatly enhance your performance. Here are a couple of slideshow ideas for fun presentations: Color . Don’t be afraid to experiment - since color has a huge effect on how the audience perceives your content, you can play with color combinations to grab viewers’ attention.
- Images, gifs, and videos . If you’ve got lots to say, don’t create your presentation around text only - use illustrations. They will easily make your event more exciting and catch the eye.
- Infographics - a great way of showing boring data in a fun way.
Idea #9. Use Music
Music can both reinforce your presentation and put listeners to sleep. However, the right choice of sound effects has been proven to sustain the audience’s attention and even help retain the information.
For instance, use up-tempo music to snap people to attention and switch to minor-key sounds when you want to relax the attendees’ brains.
Idea #10. Surprise Everyone
Finally, you can spice up your virtual presentation and shock the audience with little surprises throughout the whole event. This will help to keep your audience excited and waiting in anticipation.
Here are a couple of surprise ideas for interactive presentations:
- Surprise guests - someone famous or an expert in your field who you let do a little speech
- Insider information
- Launch of a new product or service
Idea #11. End on a Meaningful Note
Your presentation has to be memorable, so a strong CTA (call to action) is exactly how you need to end it.
Ask your audience to visit your website for more information, share, and subscribe. Make sure to wrap this message up with powerful visual elements and a little bit of music - and voila - your presentation is more likely to be talked about.
Extra Tip: Use SpatialChat
And if you’re still worrying about your presentation, SpatialChat comes in handy with dozens of engaging presentation ideas.
The virtual space allows you to host events for hundreds or even thousands of attendees and create a fun environment for your presentation by adding small customizations.
Here are a couple of fun ways to do a presentation with SpatialChat:
- Text chats . Send emojis, links, or any text you want during a presentation.
- Space and interface customization . You can create different rooms, customize them, and then move around in them during the event. The bubbles will show your or your attendees’ positions in space - if your camera is on, your audience will see your video stream, and when it’s off, it will show your profile picture and your name.
- Virtual background. Choose the background that suits you the most and can delight the public.
- Virtual photo booth . Even during an online event, you can take a picture of all the participants. Just make sure their bubbles are in the same room and their cameras are on. Additionally, you can upload a funky background and make a photo booth with mustaches, glasses, or frames.
- Add music . With SpatialChat, you can use YouTube radio or video to stream music during your speech! As we’ve mentioned before, adding sound effects is one of the great and unique online presentation ideas!
- An event in several languages . By creating several stages and inviting interpreters, your attendees can listen to your presentation in the most convenient language for them.
The Bottom Line
With these virtual presentation ideas, you now know how to awe your listeners! However, remember that a successful online performance requires slightly more effort than an in-person one. But you got this. Ready to start planning your virtual presentation? Join our weekly demo and find out more about SpatialChat!
Sincerely, Atis Silis , DEMAND GENERATION MANAGER
To learn more about SpatialChat:
? Try out admin features: CREATE SPACE ? SpatialChat community: Go here ? Weekly Demo: EVENTBRITE ? Send request: Go here
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IMAGES
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15 Interactive Presentation Ideas · 1. Start With an Icebreaker · 2. Use Video Clips · 3. Make Your Presentation Non-Linear · 4. Have a Q&A Session · 5. Create an
17 Ways to Create an Interactive Presentation That Stands Out · 1 Start your interactive presentation with an icebreaker. · 2 Use video clips in a
3. Engage the audience by getting them moving. · 4. Ditch the slides and photos for augmented reality. · 5. Gamify the presentation to get audience insights in
10 interactive presentation ideas that leave a lasting impression · Warm up the audience with an interactive icebreaker · Plant engaged audience members ahead of
Contents · Idea #1 Trivia Game · Idea #2 Word of the Day · Idea #3 Idea Box · Idea #4 Deal the Cards · Idea #5 What Would I Have Done · Idea #6 Quizzes · Idea #7 Poll
Contents · #1: Live Quiz · #2: What Would You Do? · #3: Key Number · #4: Guess the Order · #5: 2 Truths, 1 Lie · #6: 4 Corners · #7: Obscure Word Cloud
20 Interactive Presentation Games · 1. Project Jeopardy · 2. Idea Box Game · 3. The Introduction Game · 4. The talking stick · 5. Telephone game · 6. The trivia
20 Interactive Presentation Ideas · Icebreaker. We love icebreakers, don't we? · Video Clips. We've all heard of death by Powerpoint, haven't we? · Non-linear.
Adding visual and audio effects · Add self-shot videos/ You tube videos, short podcasts or audio recording to your presentation. · Use alternate tools that
Text chats. Send emojis, links, or any text you want during a presentation. · Space and interface customization. · Virtual background. Choose the background that