Keynote is a presentation software application developed as part of the iWork productivity suite by Apple. Keynote 6.6 is the most recent version for the Mac, but from 2010 on, there’s a version of Keynote for iPad with a new touch interface. Keynote is free and preinstalled on all new Apple computers, laptops, iPhones, and tablets. It’s a must-have tool for every presenter in front of an audience, such as teachers, directors, and sales representatives.
How can you increase interaction with the audience during a presentation? By asking the audience questions and including their answers live in your presentation (in a graph or otherwise). Until recently, this was more or less science fiction, but recent technology has made it possible.
Wish List for Keynote
One of the most frequently heard wishes from Keynote users has been the ability to integrate live Webpages in a presentation. Although that has not yet become a reality, it is possible to include live polls among audiences.
The latest technological developments in this area are not from Apple (the maker of Keynote) or Microsoft (the maker of PowerPoint), but from online service agency Poll Everywhere. This company has developed an online service that makes it possible to conduct polls among audiences and allow them to give their opinions using smartphones, text messages, tablets, or laptops/desktops.
Integration with Keynote
For presenters working with Keynote (or PowerPoint), there is great news: Poll Everywhere has developed a free app, PollEV Presenter, that allows presenters to include polls into their Keynote (or PowerPoint) presentation.
This feature should not be underestimated: It is widely recognized that interactive presentations are much more popular than old-fashioned speeches, where the presenter plays an active role and the audience is passive. Anyone who has ever experienced a modern, interactive presentation will confirm that the audience takes part enthusiastically!
How Does It Work?
You start by creating a poll on the Website of Poll Everywhere or in the app, PollEv Presenter. Then, from the app, you insert a poll in your Keynote document. When you are working on the slide, you see a “placeholder” for the poll, but when you play the presentation, the PollEV Presenter app establishes contact with the online poll, and your audience sees the poll in your Keynote presentation. Audience members can use their smartphones, tablets, etc., to give their answer on a specific Webpage or via the downloaded app. They also can send a text message.
More Information
If you want to know more about these options, visit:
http://www.polleverywhere.com. For step-by-step instructions to create your first keynote instructions, download the pdf below.
Excerpt from e-book “Keynote, Professional Presentations and Animations” by Angelo Spiler (December 2015). For more information, visit:
https://store.kobobooks.com/ebook/keynote-professional-presentations-and-animations
https://itunes.apple.com/nl/book/keynote-professional-presentations/id1018579522?l=en&mt=11
https://option1.selz.com/item/53d4c349b798720fd0dc0ae1
Angelo Spiler is a graphic designer and teacher with a specialization in technical document processing, multimedia, and tablet design. He gives courses on Adobe and Apple software (InDesign, Photoshop, Keynote, and Muse) at MK24 and Competence Factory (Amsterdam, the Netherlands). For more information, visit http://www.option1.nl/keynote/keynote_eng/
