Need stress-free, low prep interactive presentation ideas for works and hangout sessions? These 10 creative ideas will pull out the lively conversation and all kinds of interaction you need!
With remote and hybrid work cultures coming into the picture, interactive presentations and virtual meetings have become the need of the hour.
Remote meetings and presentations are crucial to ensure work continuity and better communication. But the question is, can you make them as effective, engaging and productive as possible?
The answer is a very simple YES! Keeping the audience engaged is critical whether you are having a live or virtual meeting.
In this blog post, we'll bring you:
- 10+ interactive presentation ideas - the really engaging presentation ideas that you can use at your next meeting or hangout!
- 5-minute interactive presentation ideas in case you just want to grab a quick and engaging audience activity.
| Challenge | Interactive ideas |
|---|---|
| Low energy audience | Start with an icebreaker poll |
| Information overload | Break content into interactive quizzes |
| Shy participants | Use anonymous feedback tools |
Table of Contents
10 Interactive Presentation Ideas
With a little help from various interactive presentation software and activities, you can stand out from the other presenters and create a talk more useful for everyone watching. What does a great interactive presentation look like? Here are 10+ fun and interactive presentation ideas you can use to keep people interested and excited during your whole talk.
Ready to see how it's done?
Kick Off the Presentation With an Ice Breaker
The first interactive presentation idea we want to show you is setting an icebreaker part. Why?
Whether you have a casual or formal presentation, starting with an icebreaker activity is always better to excite the crowd. Most often, people start the presentation straight away to save time and skip the warming-up stage. The end result? A static audience looking dreadful like it's Friday the 13th.
No matter, if your talk is serious or casual, starting with a fun icebreaker activity helps wake everyone up. Many speakers jump right into their topic to save time, skipping the warm-up part. What happens then? You end up with a room full of bored people staring blankly at you.
Here's what works better: Get people comfortable with you before diving into your main topic. You can do this by introducing a few activities👇
Idea #1 - Set some icebreaker questions
Sometimes you'll have new faces in your meetings. Not everyone knows each other. Using this activity can help everyone break the ice and feel more like a team.
How to Play
Ask basic icebreaker questions to get to know the audience better and give them a time limit to answer. The questions can be open-ended, where the participants can answer freely with or without a word limit. This allows them to clearly express their thoughts, giving you an excellent opportunity to open up further discussions.
Create a Fun and Interactive Presentation With AhaSlides
Gone are the days of spending hours making boring slides. AhaSlides makes it easy with free interactive activities you can add to your presentations. Sign up free to get started.
Idea #2 - Word of the Day
Long presentations can get boring, and people might miss the main point. One way to fix this is to keep track of key ideas throughout your talk.
Learn the 13 golden openers to start a presentation.
How to Play
- Don't tell people the main topic at first
- Break your talk into smaller parts
- Ask people to write down what they think is most important
- Their answers show up as a word cloud - the most common words appear bigger
- See what your audience thinks is important
This would give you, the presenter, an idea about how well the audience receives the content and help the audience understand which topic to focus on when you continue the presentation.
Let your audience direct
Even great topics get boring when one person talks too long. Why not let your audience choose what they want to learn about? Your presentation doesn't have to go in a fixed order. Here are some inspirational activities for you:
Idea #3 - Idea Box
People love sharing their thoughts. An Idea Box, a wonderful interactive presentation idea, lets them do just that and helps your group pick the best way forward. While you can't answer every question in the Q&A part, letting people vote on which questions matter most makes sure you cover what's important.
How to Play
Finish your topic, then let people ask questions. Everyone can vote questions up or down. You answer the ones with the most votes first.
This is different from regular polls where you give people set choices. Here, they get to share their own ideas and pick what matters most.
With AhaSlides, you can:
- Use upvotes to see which questions are most important
- Let shy people ask questions anonymously
Idea #4 - Deal the Cards
It's normal for the presenter to have data and other information on the slides that could be complicated for the audience to understand. Once you finish presenting a specific topic, you could introduce a Q&A session.
In a normal presentation, only the presenter can control the slides. But suppose you are not presenting live, using an interactive presentation tool. In that case, you can let your audience go back and forth on the slides to check and clarify any information you've already presented.
How to Play
You display a card (a normal slide) with specific data/numbers. Say, for example, a card with 75% on it. The audience can then go back to the slides, check what relates to the 75% and answer the question. Even if someone had missed out on an important topic, this would ensure they come across it.
Survey Your Audience
Hey, no! Don't be like that one teacher who constantly picks on the kids who aren't listening. The idea is to survey, to create an experience where everyone feels involved and make them feel that they are an important part of the presentation.
Idea #5 - What Would I Have Done Differently?
Asking them profound/fun/upbeat questions is a way to engage the audience in your talk. If you want the team to feel excited and involved, you need to provide them with an opportunity to express their opinions.
How to Play
Give the audience a situation and ask them what they would have done differently if they were in that situation. AhaSlides offers an open-ended slide option where you can make the Q&A session a little more fun by allowing the audience to share their opinions as free text.
Another interactive presentation idea is to ask them if they've raised any pets/children and let them submit images in AhaSlides' open-ended slide. Talking about their favourite thing is a great way for the audience to open up.
Idea #6 - Quizzes
Need more interactive ideas for a presentation? Let's switch to quizzing time!
There's no argument that quizzes are one of the best ways to engage audience participation and make your presentation interactive. But how can you use those to your advantage during a live presentation without hunting for pen and paper?
How to Play
Well, worry not! Creating fun and interactive quiz sessions is now easy and can be done in a few steps with AhaSlides.
- Step 1: Create your free AhaSlides account
- Step 2: Pick your desired template, or you can start with a blank one and use the AI slide generator to help create quiz questions
- Step 3: Fine-tune, test and present it in front of the live audience. Your participants can access the quiz easily via smartphones.
Lack of games in mind? Here are some interactive presentation games to get you started.
Bring in Humor as Your Ally
Even when it's interactive, sometimes the long presentations can make everyone tired. Try adding some jokes and memes to wake people up and keep things interesting.
Idea #7 - Use GIFs and Videos
Pictures and GIFs make your points stick better. They're great for making your presentation fun and getting people to relax.
How to Play
Want people to remember your talk? Use GIFs and videos! Here's a fun idea: Show a bunch of funny otter GIFs and ask "Which Otter Describes Your Mood?" Share the results with everyone. It's simple, fun, and gets people talking.
Idea #8 - Two Truths and a Lie
If you want to make the audience think and entertain them at the same time, this is one of the best interactive presentation examples you can use. Interactive presentation ideas like Two Truths and a Lie can make your talk double fun and fascinating.
How to Play
- Step 1: Give the audience a statement about the topic you are presenting
- Step 2: Give 3 options for them to choose from, including two true facts and a lie about the statement
- Step 3: Ask them to find the lie among the answers
Use Props in Your Presentation
Sometimes, giving the audience something to focus on other than the presentation helps. The idea is to engage them in a fun interactive presentation without taking away the topic's essence.
Idea #9 - The Stick Game
An interactive presentation example of this idea is the stick game, which is pretty simple. You give the audience a "talking stick". The person who has the stick with them can ask a question or share their opinion during the presentation.
How to Play
This game is most suitable for when you are in a physical meeting setting. You might be using a digital presentation tool, but using a traditional prop method can be easy sometimes and different. You ask the audience to pass the talking stick around when they want to speak, and you could either address it right away or note it down for Q&A later.
🎊 Tips: Best Q&A Apps to Engage With Your Audience | 5+ Platforms For Free in 2024
Idea #10 - Trend a Hashtag
Creating a buzz about a specific topic can excite any crowd, and that is exactly what can be done with the help of social media.
How to Play
Before the presentation, maybe even a couple of days back, the presenter can start a Twitter hashtag for the set topic and ask the teammates to join in and share their thoughts and questions. The entries are taken only until the day of the presentation, and you can even set a time limit.
Gather the entries from Twitter, and at the end of the presentation, you can pick and discuss a few of them like a generic discussion.
With our ideas for an interactive presentation above, hope you'll make your speech awesome that everyone will remember!
🤗 These creative and interactive presentation ideas are all here for the same goal - for both the presenter and the audience to have a casual, confident and productive time. Bid goodbye to mundane, long static meetings and jump into the world of interactive presentations with AhaSlides. Sign up for free today to explore our template library.
5-Minute Interactive Presentation Ideas
In a world where attention spans are short, making your presentation interactive and engaging in just five minutes can be a wise option. Here are some 5-minute interactive presentation ideas to keep your audience involved and energised.
Idea #11 - Quick Icebreaker Questions
Starting with a quick icebreaker can set the tone for an engaging presentation.
How to Play
Ask something like, "What's bugging you most about [your topic] right now?" Give them 30 seconds to shout out answers or type in chat. You'll wake them up and learn what they actually care about.
Idea #12 - Mini Quizzes
Our brains love a challenge. Quizzes are a fantastic way to reinforce learning and keep your audience engaged.
How to Play
Throw 3 quick questions at them about your topic. Use AhaSlides so they can answer on their phones. It's not about getting it right – it's about getting them thinking.
Idea #13 - Word Cloud Activity
Want to know what your audience really thinks? A live word cloud can visually capture your audience's thoughts and keep them engaged.
How to Play
Ask them to submit one word about your topic. Watch it form a live word cloud. Those big words? That's where their heads are at. Start there.
Idea #14 - Rapid Feedback
Opinions matter. Quick polls can provide immediate insights into audience opinions and preferences.
How to Play
Toss out a divisive question about your subject. Give them 20 seconds to vote on AhaSlides. As soon as those numbers show up, they become arguments.
Idea #15 - Upvote Questions
Flip the script. Let them ask the questions, but make it a game.
How to Play
They submit questions, then vote on their favorites. Address the top 2-3. You're answering what they actually want to know, not what you think they should. Here's the key: These aren't gimmicks. They're tools to hack attention and spark real learning. Use them to create moments of surprise, curiosity, and connection. That's how you make 5 minutes feel like an hour (in a good way).
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are interactive presentation ideas important?
Interactive presentation ideas are important as they help to keep the audience engaged and interested throughout the presentation. Interactive elements can break up the monotony of a one-way presentation and provide opportunities for the audience to actively participate, which can enhance learning and retention.
Why are interactive presentations beneficial to students?
Interactive presentation ideas for students are valuable ways to enhance their learning experience. They can promote active learning, personalised instruction, and collaboration, all of which can contribute to improved academic performance and student success.
What are the benefits of interactive presentation in the workplace?
Interactive presentations are effective tools for communication, promoting engagement, learning, decision-making, and motivation in the workplace. By utilising this technique, organisations can foster a culture of continuous learning and development, leading to improved employee performance and business success.
