PowerPoint's trigger function allows you to present slides with large amounts of data in a clear and organized manner. Triggers are also helpful if you want to give your audience the ability to navigate through the slides themselves.

This article explains exactly how setting different trigger options works and why not only you, but also your audience will benefit from it.

What are PowerPoint triggers?

Triggers are switches that initiate an action when a specific element on your slide is clicked. What might these animations look like?

PowerPoint triggers can be used not only to display additional information on your slide, but also to play videos or sounds . Text and shapes, as well as multimedia objects or images , can all be used as triggers.

PowerPoint triggers: These are the situations in which they are particularly suitable

All PowerPoint presentations are different, and presentations unfold differently. Therefore, there are no hard and fast rules about when to best use triggers. Below, we present various situations where PowerPoint triggers are particularly useful .

Situation #1: You want to convey several pieces of information to your audience on one slide?

Triggers are ideal for interactively presenting different points or goals without adhering to a specific order. You can use animations to reveal different points at will, ensuring your audience's full attention is focused on that one piece of information .

Situation #2: Maps in PowerPoint

If you want to present a map interactively to your audience, it's worth using PowerPoint triggers. An action during the map presentation could be, for example, displaying an image, video, or text.

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Situation #3: Include a quiz in your presentation!

Quizzes with triggers are not only excellent for keeping your audience's attention but also for showcasing your PowerPoint skills. Thanks to PowerPoint triggers, you can use multiple-choice questions and activate specific actions when an answer is clicked.

For more tips on how to make your presentation more engaging, see our article on “Interactive Presentations.”

Creating PowerPoint triggers: here's how!

PowerPoint triggers are closely related to animations. This section explains how to incorporate PowerPoint triggers into your presentation using a table.

In the next step , we will explain how to create this animation using the speech bubble as an example :

• Highlight the speech bubble (or the shape of your choice) and select an entrance animation , such as " Fade In" or "Float In", from the " Animations" tab .

• To make the animation appear when you click on the corresponding field, you need to define a trigger. To do this, select " Animations - Triggers" in the tab, then " On Click," and finally the previously created shape.

If you wish to hide this additional information again , you can also turn the button into an on/off switch.

Trigger PowerPoint without a mouse

In some situations, a mouse is not available for input on your PC. In this case, you have the option of using a key to jump to the trigger fields. Normally, you can activate a trigger by clicking on the animated shape with the mouse.

Without a mouse, it works like this:

First, enter presentation mode and then press the tab key . The first trigger field will automatically be outlined with a dashed line, and the trigger itself is activated by pressing the Return key.

If you have set up multiple triggers on the slide, you will need to press the tab key a corresponding number of times to select the other fields as well.

Bonus tip: The same technique can also be used with PowerPoint's hyperlink function . If you've added a hyperlink to text or an icon, you can use the tab key to navigate between links and select the correct one. Pressing Return then confirms your selection and takes you to the corresponding webpage.

Conclusion: PowerPoint triggers for more variety in your presentation!

Try out our tips on PowerPoint triggers and see for yourself how excited your audience will be.

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