Here are some ideas for different types of poll questions that you can use in your presentation to entertain, educate, solicit feedback from and guide the audience.

 

Ice Breakers

Ice breaker questions accomplish two things: they get your audience in the mood for interactive polling and get them all set up with their voting devices so that when you come to ask more serious questions, they’re all prepared. The best ice-breaker poll questions are usually humorous, inventive or ask questions that relate to the audience as individuals (e.g. favourite items).

 

Where there’s a right answer….

Make sure the alternative wrong answers are plausible otherwise you poll may be vulnerable to good guesses. For example, if you’re asking geology students “What is the moon made of?”, don’t offer Rock, Cheese, Paper and Chalk as potential answers!

 

Where there’s no right answer

Make sure that the available responses reflect a wide enough spectrum of potential viewpoints or viable answers. this will ensure your audience don’t feel like they’re being forced into an answer they don’t agree with.

 

Before-and-after impact questions

One of the best uses of audience polling solutions like ParticiPoll is to find out what the audience already know at the beginning of your presentation then see if their opinions have changed by the end. Try asking an opinion or fact-based poll question at the beginning then repeating it at the end to see what impact your presentation has had.

 

Formative Assessment polls

ParticiPoll’s anonymity makes it a great tool for finding out what a class does or doesn’t already know about a lecture topic. You can find out what students really know without the shy ones at the back feeling embarrassed. A really helpful way to steer the topic of a lecture to match the needs of your class better.

 

Feedback questions

Nothing makes you look more open and accountable than asking for feedback on the quality or content of your presentation at the end. If you’re nervous about the potential answer you get, considering using ParticiPoll’s “Private Mode” poll questions which don’t display the results live in PowerPoint.