Google Slides is an incredibly useful tool for creating engaging presentations. One of its best features is the ability to easily set up a live Q&A session during your presentation. This allows your audience to submit questions that you can then display and answer, facilitating audience interaction.
In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk through exactly how to start a Q&A session in Google Slides to supercharge your next presentation.
Step 1: Open Your Presentation in Google Slides
First, open the Google Slides presentation you want to enable Q&A for. Make sure you’re viewing it in editing mode to access the full menu of options.
Step 2: Switch to Presenter View
In the top right corner, click the drop down arrow next to “Present” and select “Presenter view” from the menu. This will open your presentation in a special view with additional controls.
Step 3: Access the Audience Tools
In the new Presenter View window that opens, click on the “Audience tools” tab. This is where you’ll manage the settings for your live Q&A session.
Step 4: Start a New Q&A Session
Under Audience Tools, click the “Start new” button to initialize a fresh Q&A session. This will generate a unique URL that your audience can use to submit questions.
Step 5: Share the Q&A Link with Attendees
The Q&A URL will now be displayed at the top of your presentation slides. Share this with your attendees so they can access the Q&A screen on their own devices.
Step 6: Customize Q&A Settings
Under Audience Tools, you can customize options like:
- Whether questions require moderator approval before appearing
- If questions can be submitted anonymously
- If audience members can vote on questions
Set these up however you like.
Step 7: Accept Audience Questions
Make sure “Accepting questions” is switched on so attendees can submit questions. You’re now ready to start receiving audience questions!
Step 8: Display a Question on Screen
When you’re ready, click on a question under Audience Tools to make it appear layered on your presentation slide. You can now verbally address it just like any other slide content.
Step 9: Hide or Change Questions
To hide the currently displayed question, click the “Hide” button below it in the Audience Tools tab. To show a different question instead, just click on the new one you want to present.
Step 10: End the Q&A Session
When you’re finished with the Q&A portion of your presentation, toggle “Accepting questions” to off and close the Presenter View window. Attendees will no longer be able to submit questions.
And that’s it! With these 10 simple steps, you can add an interactive Q&A element to any Google Slides presentation to boost engagement. Audience members will love being able to directly participate, and you’ll get valuable real-time feedback.
Implementing Q&A is a presentation game-changer. Try it out at your next event!
