Have you ever worked hard on an important presentation, only to look out at the audience and see that they’re barely awake?
Don’t take it personally. It’s hard to get talked at for a period of time, especially if it’s been a long day already. That’s why experienced presenters often come to the table with interactive presentation ideas. These interactive presentation games will add a little extra fun to an otherwise straightforward presentation, and might be just what you need to keep your audience awake and interested.
Let’s face it: public speaking and presenting is rarely anyone’s favorite activity. Fearing that your audience isn’t engaged or is drifting off to sleep only makes things worse. Get creative with some interactive presentation games to engage your audience, keep them interested, and help them to actually retain the important information you’re sharing.
21 Interactive presentation games
These ideas are great for any kind of event - from a sales kickoff meeting to a work retreat. If you are planning a seminar or industry event, consider some of these options as additions to conference activities that attendees love.
1. Live trivia
A trivia competition is a safe and easy way to get people engaged and involved in the information. You can start your session with a trivia quiz based on any topic, or you can pause periodically and share trivia questions based on what you’ve presented already. For example, if you are presenting at a certain conference, you might choose questions that deal with the subject matter of the event. It’s pretty much fail-safe to pick some simple trivia questions to get everyone chatting at the beginning of your presentation, and if you want to create a competition you can break everyone up into small teams to see who knows the most. Tip: If you go the competition route, people will always be more engaged if there’s a prize involved.
2. Presentation singalong
This is a silly idea that’s sure to infuse your presentation with some fun and laughs. Start by choosing a popular song with a melody that will be easy for most people to pick up on. Then write down the lyrics, and swap some of the words out with concepts from your presentation. Essentially, you’ll keep the beat but change the words to items from your talk. Then create a slide to share during your presentation and “teach” everyone the song. People will be singing along and likely remember your presentation all day! You’ll want to know your audience fairly well for this one; not everyone likes singing in public and some people will only feel embarrassed, not entertained. For people who are comfortable laughing at themselves, it’s a winner!
3. 20 questions
This is a simple and classic question game that doesn’t require any preparation or investment. You can be the subject and the people you’re presenting to can help you to answer. Choose someone from the audience and have them write down or draw something on the board behind you. Then, ask the audience a series of questions to get to the answer of the mystery item. The game traditionally allows yes or no questions rather than open-ended ones. For example, “Is the item an animal?” or “Is the item bigger than my fist?” You might try to have them keep the answer relevant to your presentation, but that can be tough depending on the subject matter. If you go that route, try to make the game a mid-session break, where they focus on something from your presentation so far.
4. Same-room scavenger hunt
For a twist on a classic game (that doesn’t require leaving the presentation room), put together a scavenger hunt full of items that people will either have on themselves, or ask other attendees for. Things like a certain style of pen, a diet coke, a cellphone photo of a famous landmark, a green hairband, etc. Try to choose things that people will have in their bag or on their person - but pick a few things that they’ll likely have to ask around for. That way they can move about the room a little bit, as well as strike up conversation with others. You might be surprised how much people are able to grab without having to leave the room! Set aside a few prizes for the winners, and bonus points for people who get extra resourceful.
5. Show and tell
This game can serve as a sort of icebreaker and is ideal for smaller groups, or groups who don’t know each other well. It requires a little preparation, as before the event you’ll ask everyone to bring an item such as a favorite song or beloved photo - anything that tells a bit about what matters to them. Then, before your presentation begins, have everyone introduce themselves and explain why they brought the item they chose. Have your technology lined up in advance, so that if it’s a photo, you’re able to enlarge it on a screen, or if it’s a song, it can be played. This is a great way to learn more about your fellow attendees and find commonalities that can form friendships.
6. Periodic poll questions
Break up a lengthy presentation by having people share their opinions. Throughout your presentation, place a few polls or surveys that people can take informally. You can keep things simple by just having members raise their hands for their chosen option, or you can download an app so that you can collect responses in real-time. Try to make the topics pertinent to your presentation, and choose questions that are engaging and likely to have different opinions. You don’t want to choose questions where the answer will be obvious; that doesn’t lead to great conversation - which is your goal.
7. True or false game
This activity is another one that allows people to move and stretch, which can be really beneficial during long or dry presentations. Prepare some slides in advance with one statement per slide. The statements can be just for fun, like about pop culture, or about the subject matter of your presentation (this is a good way to see who is paying attention). The key is that some should be true and some should be false. Think of it like a true or false quiz based on the information you’ve shared. Have the entire audience stand up, and then display the slides one-by-one. Tell them to stay standing if they believe the statement is (rightfully) true, and sit down if they believe it’s false. After each round, say whether the comment was true or false. Anyone who was wrong must now sit down permanently. Continue this process until only one person is left standing as the winner.
8. Controversial questions
A bit of light-hearted controversy is a good way to get people engaged and to get conversation flowing. Energize your group with some questions that will spark debate. Obviously, you don’t want to create discomfort or irritation, so it’s good to avoid topics like politics, religion, current world events, etc. Keep questions on the fun side like “Mountains or beach - and why?” or “Coffee is overrated - yes or no.” Have everyone decide which side of the debate they are on and then join their “teammates”. Have the groups debate and see if anyone ends up changing their mind.
9. Word of the day
If you want to ensure people pay more attention to your talk, start things off with a word of the day. This is particularly effective if you are doing a multi-day engagement and can change the word each day. At the beginning, tell everyone what the word of the day is. Then make sure it’s interspersed throughout your presentation. Have everyone keep a tally of how many times the word was mentioned, and whoever gets the right number wins.
10. Process of elimination
This activity is simple, yet fun, and can help people get to know each other as well. You can choose to kick off your presentation with it, or use it as a break part way through your presentation. It requires a little preparation; before your event come up with a list of “yes or no” questions. On the day of, have everyone begin by standing up. Then ask each question one by one, and have people continue standing if their answer is yes, and sit down if their answer is no. If you want to thin the crowd earlier and make the game move faster, try suggesting scenarios instead of a question. For example, “Stay standing if you have ever seen a reindeer in real life”. Eventually you will get down to one person, who can be crowned the winner.
11. Large group icebreakers
Not all icebreakers are the same. Some are great for meeting new people and interacting with the person next to you; others are good for getting an entire group engaged. Research icebreakers designed for large groups (our blog is a great place to start).
12. Interactive Q & A session
An activity that’s actually really valuable to your attendees is a live question and answer session. This way they can learn more about what you’ve presented and gain a deeper knowledge. Plus, more outspoken people tend to ask questions that everyone is thinking, so it can be really helpful for everyone present. Let everyone know that at the end of your speaking portion you’ll leave time for questions. Make sure to allot about 20 minutes or more and encourage people to share any questions they have, letting them know you’ll answer to the best of your ability.
13. Business case study
Simulations and case-studies represent real-life scenarios that people must solve. This can be an interesting and educational activity for people who are at an industry conference or other learning-style event, particularly with a business focus. To encourage really practical learning, try providing participants with a case study about a struggling company. Participants should analyze the situation and come up with a few suggestions for turning things around. Have everyone share their insights and then dive deeper into the best ideas from the group.
14. Storytelling challenge
If you want to focus on fostering creativity and personal expression, try a storytelling challenge where everyone must create and share a story. For example, if you are hosting a team-building workshop, have each individual talk about a time they were part of a really effective team. What made them successful and what can other people take away from their story? This also helps to build a sense of connection among the audience.
15. Collaborative whiteboard
This real-time activity involves having everyone present work together to contribute ideas, drawings, or annotations to a white board. It can really add an element of teamwork and brainstorming which can be powerful. If coming up with suggestions is part of your event, try having a large whiteboard and allowing people to come up and add their thoughts one by one. You can also use a digital white board tool to keep things a bit cleaner. Then share the ideas generated and consider giving people a few minutes to write down all of the results.
16. Role-playing exercise
To promote empathy and communication skills, try coming up with role-playing games where participants will take on different roles or act as characters in various scenarios. For example, if you want to do customer service training, you might have one person play the role of a customer service representative and another of the role of a difficult customer. Allow them to act out various scenarios to practice problem-solving.
17. Breakout tables
If you are presenting to a larger audience, why not try breaking them up into smaller groups to facilitate more discussions on specific topics or tasks? This is a good way to facilitate teamwork, collaboration, and a deeper dive into topic exploration. If the space allows, you can have separate breakout rooms instead of just tables. In a smaller space, divide the room with tables at the four corners so each group has room to speak comfortably without disturbing the other groups.
18. Brain teaser
Flexing creative muscles and problem-solving are always welcome skills, no matter what the subject matter is. Come up with some challenges or brain teasers to present to your group (or smaller groups if presenting to a larger audience). Puzzles, riddles, creative tasks, or critical thinking exercises are all welcome additions that will get people moving, chatting, and thinking. Try some of these guessing games for extra fun.
19. Interactive quiz
Want to see how much people are paying attention? Why not spring a pop quiz on them, just like in high school? We are only partly kidding. If you are presenting during a particularly long day, or on a complex topic, take periodic breaks and toss out a few quiz questions. This is especially valuable if you announce at the beginning of your presentation that you’ll be sharing some quiz questions throughout the day - then people know they need to pay attention. Pick a few key points from your talk and ask some fairly simple questions that the audience can answer.
20. Topic of the day
If you are part of a multi-day event covering a variety of topics, you’ll get better engagement if your audience can help direct the material. Let them know in advance that you are going to keep your presentation fluid and reserve the last 20 minutes (or whatever amount of time makes sense) for a discussion on a topic of their choice. At this time, ask your audience what they want to learn more about. This is a great idea for events that last more than one day because you can build on what you previously shared. For example, if you present on Topic A on Monday, and Topic B Tuesday, ask your group on Tuesday if they would rather dive deeper into Topic A or if they want to spend more time on Topic B. Leaving it up to them will ensure they find real value in whatever is discussed.
21. Partner assignment
For a business-focused conference, networking and meeting other professionals is part of the appeal. Kick things off well by having everyone pair up with someone they don’t know. Then assign a simple exercise where they need to work together. For example, task them with coming up with a new name for a traditional product. They’ll get to work on communication and critical thinking skills while building a bond with someone in the same industry.
Make your all-company meeting complete
Anytime that you can bring your entire group together for a team meeting or all-hands event, you have the opportunity to insert a little fun. Try some of these ideas during your next team building retreat or even when you just need some quick team-building ideas.
If you need help in figuring out the flow, and how to plan an event that all of your attendees will be talking about for years, reach out to Surf Office for expert event advice.
