How to Make Your Presentation Interactive

Did you know that buyers spend 52.6% more time engaging with interactive content? 

With that in mind, it’s no surprise that so many businesses are looking for ways to create interactive presentations. Interactive elements are a great way to keep your audience engaged and ultimately increase leads and sales after your presentation.

So, how do you do it? In this article, we’ll run through some of the best interactive presentation ideas, showing you how to make a presentation interactive using simple techniques as well as dedicated software.

Why create an interactive presentation?

First of all, let’s briefly summarize the benefits of interactive presentations. Above all else, it comes down to engagement.

We’ve been there with regards to boring presentations. We’re talking about the PowerPoint presentation that feels flat and static. You’re guided through PowerPoint slides which are either loaded with too much information or supplemented by a sales pitch that just doesn’t grab your attention.

The result? You’re not engaged, and the information just doesn’t go in. You come away from it knowing a bit more about a given product or service, but you’re not raring to find out more or make a purchase. But generating leads and turning enquiries into sales is what presentations are all about.

If this sounds familiar, making your presentation interactive could help. Unlike traditional presentations, interactive elements encourage audience participation. That can take various forms, as we’ll explore below, but the main aim is to keep your audience engaged.

We mentioned earlier how buyers spend more time engaging with interactive content. But that’s not all. It can also help simplify complex information by improving your audience’s cognitive load. That’s ideal for sectors with unique, novel products that require a bit more explanation.

“The interactive screens were a hit! People were genuinely engaged and excited to explore. Visitors loved being able to poke around and discover our different projects at their own pace – it really made the experience memorable and fun.”

Kandra Hutchinson, Creative Manager – Barton Malow

How to make your presentation interactive

Interactive presentation ideas range from simple tricks that anyone can do to more advanced techniques requiring interactive presentation tools. Below, we’ll cover all bases so you can test the water or dive right into the interactive presentation world.

Start with a fun icebreaker game 🧊

If you just want something small to get your audience involved, an icebreaker game is a good way to start your presentation. To keep it relevant, you could get audience members to talk about their pain points, which you can later address with your product. 

Another option is some industry-related trivia. Getting audience members to shout out answers or asking for a show of hands can create a more energetic, open environment for your presentation. It also gives you a better understanding of your audience’s knowledge and the level of detail required on your part.

A quick icebreaker will make people feel more comfortable and can improve audience participation throughout the rest of your presentation.

Use audience questions throughout ❔

It’s standard practice to ask for questions at the end of a presentation. But is this really the best way? By that point, many people have switched off, even if they had something to ask. Additionally, you might have to rush your answer if you’ve only got a certain amount of time. If you can’t answer questions properly, you’ll leave potential customers dissatisfied or confused. 

By asking questions at the start, you can actually let your audience guide your presentation. The extent to which this works depends on your presentation skills and the format of your presentation. If you’re using a standard tool like Google Slides, you can’t alter the presentation itself, but you can adjust what you say to supplement it.

However, with interactive presentation software, you’ll have full control over what visual content you show to your audience. For example, if someone asks about real-world examples of your product, you can take them straight there. There’s no need to awkwardly skip past other content or leave people waiting. 

“It’s great having content there and ready to talk through with potential buyers and show that we offer more than a single range. No matter what theme or specific event we have our other ranges on hand in our experience without having to bring any physical literature.”

Jason Stallings, Marketing Director – Safeware Inc.

Incorporate brainstorming sessions 🧠

Letting people talk to one another is a good way to break up your presentation. Again, it means they are actively participating, rather than just listening. It also gives them a short break, which is an important factor in improving your audience’s attention span. 

Get people to discuss in pairs or small groups, then ask for immediate feedback. Some ideas include: 

• What is the biggest challenge your business faces in [specific area]?”
• “If you had an unlimited budget, how would you solve [problem]?”
• “What would make your ideal solution to [pain point] perfect?”

This allows you to guide your presentation based on what people have talked about. It’s a nice trick to create a more dynamic, personalized experience.

Throw in an interactive quiz 🤔

As we’ve touched upon, it can be hard to sit through an entire presentation without active participation. Fun quizzes are a quick and easy way to get the audience involved. 

One idea is to use quizzes to recap on what’s been covered. This allows you to iron out any misunderstandings and repeat vital information. According to research, repetition is an effective way to improve information retention.

Or how about interactive polls to gauge people’s feelings about certain challenges, pain points or product features? This is another way in which your audience can direct your presentation to make it more relevant to them.

Use sound effects 🔊

The most engaging presentations use multimedia elements, but audio files aren’t something you see very often. Despite this, they can be very effective in making your presentation more engaging. While sound effects aren’t interactive on their own, you can use them to create a more immersive experience for your audience. 

A day-in-the-life scenario is a great way to make your presentation relatable, for example. Having familiar background music, such as office noises, can create an immersive, engaging experience for your audience, who will feel like they’re actually in that environment. 

Adding sounds can also make an interactive presentation more engaging on a touchscreen. Sounds can respond to user input, for instance, to make the presentation more fun and interesting.

Using interactive presentation software

The ideas above are simple ways to make a traditional presentation more interactive. However, if you really want your audience to participate actively, interactive presentation software is a must.

Rather than creating standard presentations then trying to add interactive elements that improve audience engagement, the software builds experiences around active participants.

In other words, you can create self-serve presentations that your audience can navigate themselves. It’s the ultimate form of interactive presentation, which offers the following possibilities…

Central navigation

One of the most useful features is interactive navigation. We’ve touched upon this earlier, with the idea that audience input can guide the direction of your presentation. The way you achieve this is with a central navigation page, from which you can quickly reach any part of the presentation.

This user-friendly interface can take many forms, from a simple clickable menu to a real-world scenario, displaying all the different sectors your company works with. Another option is a navigation bar which is always displayed at the top or bottom of the screen, allowing users to move through the slide deck in an instant.

Take a look at Weinerberger’s sales enablement tool to see it in action. This interactive presentation starts with a 3D map displaying the different types of projects they work on. This grabs the audience’s attention and ensures an engaging experience, allowing them to select the content that’s most relevant to them. 

Interactive charts

Charts are an invaluable data visualization tool for presentations, allowing you to display figures or statistics in a way that’s easy to digest. Rather than simply hearing numbers, your audience can visualize data, which is another technique that has been proven to improve information retention.

But charts can also be one of your interactive elements.

When users see a chart that interests them, they typically want to find out more. Why not make dynamic charts that are clickable and movable, so people can drill down into different areas and find out more about what’s behind the headline figures?

For example, you might have a chart displaying the biggest pain points from a customer survey. Now imagine customers can click on each pain point to reveal how your product helps them overcome that issue.

With the right interactive presentation tools, creating charts that are packed full of information and even promotional content is easy. Check out GSMA’s live data visualisations, which users can access through their digital hub.

Interactive visuals

It’s not just charts that can be moved and manipulated. The best interactive presentation software allows you to create sophisticated 3D models, catalogues and configurators which encourage participation and offer serious educational value.

There’s no better way for customers to learn about your products than seeing them and interacting with them. You can include key points, product specifications and so much more, without the information overload that occurs on static slides.

Take JSP’s global sales tool, for example. It houses a catalogue of over 300 products, each with their own specifications, H&S standards, technical documentation, accessories, 3D product models, videos and images. Customers can search products by safety standards, job role, industry, noise levels, use case and brand, then interact with those products by viewing, moving and configuring them.

“We love the ability to zoom in and show details that can’t be conveyed with a brochure. The ‘basket’ feature for sending materials directly from the booth to customers is invaluable. And the interactive map stands out as more engaging than just a static PDF.”

Olga Bryzgalova, Marketing Manager – GEA

Self-service

We mentioned this above, but it really is the holy grail when you’re wondering how to make a presentation interactive. With all presentations, it’s inferred that there’s a presenter and an audience, but you can actually present without sales reps there to guide people through the content.

The key is to make an interactive presentation that grabs your audience’s attention and is easy to use. These kinds of interactive presentations foster active participation with your audience exploring your content for themselves. What better way to keep an audience hooked than letting them find the most relevant video clips and interactive elements themselves?

These experiences can be completely self-serve, or you can have sales reps on hand for further information or assistance with interactive presentation FAQs. They also work as online presentations, allowing buyers to continue their research after discovering your brand or interacting with your sales team.

This type of interactive presentation is put into practice by IHG’s touchscreens. They allow franchisees to access information and explore opportunities via wall-mounted screens. The experience can also be accessed by phone or tablet online.

Time to make a presentation interactive with POP!

If you’re ready to create interactive presentations, tools like POPcomms are invaluable. Rather than incorporating a few interactive activities into a static presentation, our interactive presentation software lets you create truly engaging presentations that provide a bespoke experience for each audience. 

From an immersive presentation theme to interactive charts, video clips and other interactive elements, we’ll help you maximize audience engagement in every interaction – whether that’s with sales reps or self-service.

It’s not just about giving you the right interactive presentation tools. Every client benefits from our Customer Success Blueprint, which is used to understand your needs and goals, successfully onboard your team, and create a roadmap for success.

“If you are working with POPcomms, expect an experienced team that knows what they are doing. A collaborator and team well-versed in sales experiences, ensuring an efficient and seamless process for everyone involved. Additionally, the platform they offer allows you to organize your experience effortlessly, akin to preparing a presentation, without the need for any coding.”

Tuğba Ladikli, Marketing Communication Specialist – BD

Want to find out more about interactive presentations with POPcomms? Arrange a demo or contact our team today.