How to make a presentation more interactive in 10 steps.
It’s simple to create an engaging presentation. Here are ten steps to make your presentation interactive:
1. Break the ice.
It’s essential to set the tone and engage your audience as soon as possible to build a rapport. It only takes 30 to 60 seconds for people to decide if they’re interested. Plus, research suggests that the first eight seconds of your presentation are the most important.
2. Keep the design consistent.
A consistent, on-brand design can go a long way in making your presentation engaging and is one of the simplest interactive presentation ideas. Consistency helps make the content flow and a simple design allows your presentation to do the talking. Distracting slides can disengage your audience, and they may find it harder to focus on what you’re presenting.
3. Refer to your audience.
The clue is in the name. An interactive presentation involves some level of interaction with your audience. There are a number of ways to encourage audience participation, like asking for hands up in response to questions – to help bring your data to life. You could also plan Q&A time, either between sections or at the end of your presentation for increased collaboration.
4. Add transitions and clickable elements.
While this is most relevant for presentations that can be accessed and navigated online, transitions and animations can help to make it more exciting. A clickable menu to navigate is more appealing than a bullet point list.
Visual content, like audio files and videos, can help increase interactivity and keep your audience engaged. Videos can be a welcome break from conventional slides and enrich the overall impact of your presentation. When adding videos, ensure there’s a seamless transition between slides and maintain a balance between entertainment and educational value.
6. Craft a clear narrative.
A clear narrative is essential for all brand or personal communications. Storytelling in presentations is very important to keep your audience engaged. Incorporating personal anecdotes is another way to keep your audience interested during your interactive presentation.
7. Utilise interactive charts, maps and graphs.
Make the most of features like interactive maps, charts and graphs to keep your audience engaged. Having infographics with interactive visuals allows your audience to interact with the data, which, in turn, could help with their understanding and interest in the subject.
8. Add collaborative elements.
Elements like games and quizzes can really help get your audience on board. Some sort of competition element can help them stay engaged and interested throughout the session – especially if they know there’s a quiz (and maybe prizes) at the end.
9. Don’t overlook hyperlinks.
Hyperlinks can go a long way in showing your authority and expertise on a subject. Including links to an official external source can help to back up and add credibility to your points. They also offer a convenient way to navigate through sections or to access other relevant resources.
10. Think about your tone.
Different tones suit different settings, for both in-person and online presentations. Humour is a great tool to engage your audience, but it may not always be appropriate. For serious or concerning subject matters, it may be safer to stay clear of humour and focus on other aspects to make your presentation interactive.
