The following situation might seem familiar to some. You're sitting in the audience while a presentation is being given, and you're gradually drifting off.

Not only could the content of the presentation be more engaging, but the monotonous clicking from slide to slide becomes increasingly tedious with each change. It seems as if the presentation simply won't end, and your attention dwindles more and more by the minute.

To captivate your audience and make your presentation more interesting and dynamic, there are various options. In this article, we present some effective and not too complicated ones.

What are interactive presentations?

Interactive presentations mean that your presentation isn't just a monologue from you , but that the audience is also actively involved . In this article, we'll show you tips and tricks for making this happen and what interactive presentations are suitable for.

What are the benefits of an interactive presentation?

Especially when you want to jump to or return to a specific slide during a presentation, or look for links to videos and websites, it can sometimes be more time-consuming than expected. Going through all the slides again unnecessarily bores the audience and lengthens your presentation.

Making presentations interactive might initially seem like unnecessary extra work. However, with a few simple, interactive presentation concepts and engaging content, you can directly address your audience.

Preparation: Note this tip

Normally, the mouse pointer is hidden during a presentation, making it virtually impossible to click on certain elements. To be able to start interactive components during the presentation, it is useful to activate the mouse pointer.

To display the mouse pointer, enter presentation mode (for example, by pressing F5) . Then right-click and select "Pointer Options," followed by "Arrow Options." Here you can choose whether the pointer should be hidden, displayed when the mouse is moved, or always visible.

How to create interactive presentations - 7 tips!

#1: Use different slide navigation options

PowerPoint allows you to directly access your presentation in custom sections via a navigation bar. This means you are not bound to a fixed slide sequence , but can freely jump between the different subtopics of your presentation as needed.

To insert sections into your presentation, follow these instructions:

• Place your mouse pointer between the slides you want to divide into different sections.
• Now, on the "Home" tab, select "Slides", then "Section" and "Add Section".
• Once the sections are created, you can name them directly or later select the "Rename section" command by right-clicking.

Another clear way to navigate between different sections during your presentation is by using tabs . These allow your audience to easily follow along, seeing where you are in your presentation and what's coming next. Templates for this are available in our shop. Simply click on the following product preview image:

#2: Use the zoom effect

The PowerPoint zoom effect allows you to enlarge and reduce slides , enabling you to move from one overview slide to another. This helps your audience keep track of your presentation, and a more dynamic presentation style makes you appear more professional.

To find out how to use the different zoom effects, feel free to check out our blog article on " PowerPoint Zoom " .

#3: Create dynamic transitions with the Morph effect

The Morph effect in PowerPoint allows you to create seamless slide transitions that simulate movement. We'll explain how to set up the Morph effect for your presentation in the following points:

• To create a Morph transition, first duplicate your original slide.
• Now, adjust the duplicated slide as needed: enlarge, reduce, or move objects , delete text, or add new text. You have many options here.
• Next, click on the "Transitions" tab and select "Morph".
• Now either click on "Preview" or press the F5 key to start the presentation and see the created transition.

You can also find more information about the Morph transition in our blog article on " PowerPoint Morph ".

#4: Liven up your presentation with videos

Short videos during a presentation are an excellent way to liven up the talk and add variety. This can increase your audience's attention and also give you a moment to collect your thoughts or grab a drink.

Make sure that the videos support the presentation and do not completely replace it. Videos that are too long are therefore inappropriate and can quickly bore your audience.

There are basically two ways to include videos in your presentation : You can either insert a video directly or embed videos stored online. The main difference between the two methods is that the first option requires more storage space but also works offline.

You can easily insert both video files and online videos using the simple steps we will now explain.

Insert video file:

In the "Insert" tab, first select "Video" and then "Video on my computer" . You can then navigate to your desired video file and confirm your selection.

Embed online video:

As described for the video file, first click on "Insert" and then "Video". Now select "Online video" and you will have the option to search for a YouTube video or link to a video from an alternative online source.

For more information on how to embed videos in your presentation, see our blog post on " Inserting Videos into PowerPoint ".

#5: Control your viewers' attention by setting triggers

Although this tip may sound trivial at first glance, triggers are a practical tool for keeping the audience's attention. Triggers are suitable for showing and hiding information with a mouse click . This has several advantages.

The appearance of new content is interesting and draws your audience's attention to the presentation. Your slides remain organized and clear, however, as the additional information can be hidden at any time. Overly cluttered slides almost always cause your audience's attention to wane and should therefore be avoided at all costs.

Instructions: How to configure triggers in PowerPoint

• After creating your slide, draw a shape to use as a trigger. Position it accordingly on your slide.
• Write the text that should be displayed when the trigger is activated. Place it in a suitable format, such as a speech bubble.
• Now select both the shape and the associated text, and in the "Animations" tab choose an effect, such as "Fade".
• To set the trigger, click on "Trigger " in the "Animations" tab, then on "On Click" and then the trigger (the shape you created).

Please also note that you will need to perform some additional steps to hide the additional information again .

• To do this, click on "Animations" and then on "Animation Pane" and double-click on the trigger to open the "Effect Options" dialog box.
• Then, under "after animation" , select the option "hide with next mouse click" .

Further information can be found in our blog post: " Using triggers to focus on the essentials in your presentation ."

#6: Use technical aids for support

Regarding interactive presentations, it's helpful to mention that there 's now a wide range of technical devices available to support your presentation . The advantage of devices like laser pointers and those operated via remote control is that you don't have to stand next to your laptop the entire time.

Moving freely around the room makes it easier for you to build a genuine connection with your audience and approach people.

#7: Use surveys and quizzes to engage your audience.

To follow this tip, you don't need any technical aids and can easily build a connection with your audience. Questions are processed differently by the human brain than statements and therefore pull listeners out of their passive state.

Therefore, if you think of some questions before your presentation, or create a survey , this is a wonderful way to involve your audience in the presentation.

Include a quiz

Interactive quizzes fulfill several functions at once: they motivate your audience to actively participate , reinforce the knowledge presented, and prepare them for upcoming content. This makes them invaluable, especially for interactive presentations.

There are various options for creating quizzes, such as Kahoot!, a free, web-based tool. Your audience can then answer the quizzes you create using their smartphones. Each question can be displayed live and interactively within the presentation.

Conclusion: Liven up your presentation with interactive tools!

With our tips and tricks for interactive presentations, you can capture your audience's attention and ensure no one gets bored! Whether it's a survey, quiz, or video: your audience will thank you for integrating them into the presentation.

If you have any questions about interactive presentations or PowerPoint in general, please feel free to contact us by email at becker@presentationload.de and we will be happy to help!

Are you looking for professionally designed slide templates to use as the basis for your presentation? Feel free to browse our shop. We have numerous slide templates prepared for you on a wide variety of (business) topics. Take a look! ► To the shop

Other articles that might interest you:

• PowerPoint Zoom: Prezi effects for your presentation!
• PowerPoint Morph - Slide transitions with a wow effect
• Inserting videos into PowerPoint - Here's how!
• Use triggers in presentations to focus attention on the essentials.
• PowerPoint short presentation: Impress with 5 minutes/5 slides!
• Pitch presentation: How to convince with your idea in a short version!