When you give a presentation in Google Slides, engagement is the name of the game. You want to interact with your audience. It’s only natural that you might want to embed a poll everywhere in Google Slides to increase engagement.
You don’t want to just stand in front of them and talk at them. As you share, you’re really having a conversation. A live poll in Google Slides is a great way to do exactly that.
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a poll for Google Slides. We’ll explore two key methods to do just that. We’ll explore integrations with Google’s own Forms tool. And we’ll learn how to use an online poll maker right inside your slide deck.
How to Create a Poll in Google Slides (With Google Forms)
With a Google survey poll, you can ask your audience a question. Then, you can survey and collect their responses in real time. It’s the perfect way to keep audiences focused and engaged with you.
Did you know that Google has their own free survey maker? Indeed! Google Forms is a free, easy-to-use online poll maker. It’s part of the Google Docs Editors suite of productivity apps. (Others include Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Drive, and more).
With Google Forms, you can create questions in a variety of forms. Then, you can share them with others to collect responses. It’s a powerful way to collect feedback quickly, on your own terms.
As we work in this section, we’ll use a premium Google Slides presentation deck from Envato Elements. It’s called the Brusso – Google Slides Template, and you can download it today to follow along with our tutorial.
Let’s get started:
1. Create a Google Forms Survey
To create a Google survey for your Slides deck, you’ll first need to create a Google Forms survey. To do that, go to your Google Drive homepage. On the left, in the upper corner, click + New.
A dropdown list of options launches. From it, choose Google Forms down at the bottom. You’ll be taken to a landing page where you’ll create a Google Form of your own.
At the top, give your Form a name. Optionally, you can also add a description. Then, below, type in a question or statement that you want to pose to an audience.
After, you can choose the type of response that you want. The default here is Multiple choice, but you can choose another if needed. For use as a live poll in Google Slides, the default option is the best.
Below the question, you can outline responses. They default to Option 1, Option 2, and so on. Rename these by clicking and typing. You can add as many responses as you want, by clicking Add option.
Just like that, you’ve learned how to create a poll.
2. Share Your Free Poll Maker Google Forms With an Audience
With your online poll maker question created, you need to share it with your audience. To do that, click Send in the upper right corner. A menu appears, from which you’ve got many options.
For example, you can choose to send the Forms question via email. Or for maximum impact, you can share a link. To do that, click on the Link icon. Then, choose Copy in the lower right corner.
This link can be shared with anyone that’s got online access. To share it in Google Slides, place the link on a slide of choice. This way, anyone with access to your slide deck can open the Google survey and respond in real time.
3. Embed the Online Poll Maker Results in a Google Slides Theme
Chances are, you’ll want to track and share the results of your live poll in Google Slides. Fortunately, there’s an easy visual way to do exactly that.
In Google Forms, click on the Responses tab up at the top. This takes to a screen where you can see a pie chart, tabulating your results. As audiences respond to your Google survey, this chart updates in real time.
Just above and to the right of the pie chart, click Copy. Then, open a second tab in your web browser. On it, open Google Slides, and find a slide with some open space. This is where you’ll place the Results pie chart.
Press Command + V on Mac, or Control + V if you’re using Windows. The Paste chart box appears. To track results in real time, click the Link to form bubble. Then, choose Paste.
Your free poll maker Google Slides results appear. They’re formatted just like any other chart or graphic. You can move them around the slides to change their position. Or you can pull on the corners to make the chart larger or smaller.
4. Track the Results in Real Time
Now, audiences can read your question and respond. When someone new responds to your live poll in Google Slides, watch what happens. You’ll see a refresh icon appear. This is the Update button.
When you click Update, the pie chart will refresh! Think of it as a running tally of your results. In real time, you can create a poll and gather responses as you share in Google Slides. This is how to embed a poll everywhere in Google Slides with ease.
How to Do a Live Poll in Google Slides (With Add-Ons)
Above, you learned how to use the Google Forms free poll maker Google tool. But it’s not your only option to create a poll in Google Slides. You can also do it with third-party tools and apps that integrate with your Google Slides presentation decks. Let’s look at how.
1. Choose a Google Slides Online Poll Maker Tool
There are several online tools that let you embed a poll everywhere in Google Slides. Some of these are free, but many have premium tiers. Often, this is guided by the number of responses and the complexity of your surveys.
Choose based on your own needs, and where applicable, your project’s budget. Some common tools include Slido and Live Polls Maker.
Here, let’s use Live Polls Maker. This is available from the Google Workspace Marketplace, and you can download it for free. To do that, go to the landing page pictured above, and click Install. Give the necessary permissions requested, and then the add-on will install.
2. Create a Poll With the Free Survey Maker Add-on
Now, return to your Google Slides presentation. Navigate to a slide where you want to create a live poll in Google Slides.
At the top of your Google Slides window, find the menu bar. On it, locate the Extensions tab. Click Extensions, and from the dropdown that appears, hover over Live Polls Maker. Finally, click Open.
A sidebar opens on the right. On this, you can choose from an array of poll and survey types. For example, you can choose Multiple Choice. Other options are available in the add-on’s premium tier. Multiple choice surveys can be made for free.
Choose Multiple Choice. Then, like Google Forms, type in your question. Then, fill in answer options below. At the bottom, you can also choose when and whether to show results. You can also choose to allow multiple answers from individuals, and to collect their names.
When you’re finished, click Save. When you do, the free poll maker Google add-on will place the live poll on your slide. Now, you can collect feedback by clicking to share the survey with your audience. They’ll even be shown a QR code to be linked to the live poll in Google Slides on their phones or mobile devices.
Your results will be tracked in real time at the bottom. As you share, you can send a Join link to others who may not be physically present. And, at will, you can cut off submissions or even reset the results.
All in all, this is a powerful way to conduct polling with a free survey maker. It elevates any presentation from a lecture to a conversation – a sure way to keep audiences focused.
As you can see, it’s easy to create a live Google survey for Google Slides. With these two methods, you can collect responses from your audience with ease. It’s a powerful way to gather information and fuel engagement and collaboration. Try it today.
The Top Source for the Best Live Poll in Google Slides Templates (With Unlimited Use)
With an online poll maker for Google Slides, you can connect with your audience in new ways. But as you do, you need to impress them with your presentation skills. The best way to do exactly that is with a premium Google Slides presentation template from Envato Elements.
There are thousands of these to choose from, optimized for Google Slides. Any PowerPoint theme that you find works seamlessly with Google Slides.
The Elements offer is powerful: unlimited downloads. That’s right! For a flat monthly rate, you can download and use as many premium Google Slides presentation templates as you want.
And that’s not all. Elements includes millions of other digital assets. The vast library includes fonts, stock photos, music, and so much more. Think of how helpful those categories will be for your next inspiring presentation!
Choose a premium Google Slides theme from Elements and enjoy:
- Cool slide layouts and designs. These aren’t the dull, empty layouts you might find for free online. They’re sleek, modern graphics that look great on any screen.
- Themed templates. Giving a presentation on a certain topic? Elements has you covered, with thousands of themed designs that help your content shine.
- Ease of use. Not a presentation design expert? Or just pressed for time? No worries. Premium templates are a breeze to use. All you’ve got to do is drop your own content into place.
Envato Elements also now features new AI-Assisted search to make it even easier to find what you need.
As you can see, Envato Elements is the ultimate value for creatives in 2024 and beyond. In fact, you can’t afford to miss out. Join today and get started exploring the huge (ever-growing) library of content.
Create a Poll for Google Slides Today
You learned how to create a poll for Google Slides. We explored two key ways to do just that. First, we explored Google’s own Forms tool. With this free poll maker by Google, you can ask questions inside your presentations.
We also explored using a free survey maker add-on. You can use them to embed a poll everywhere in Google Slides. You’ll ask your own questions and track responses.
The choice is yours. But the power is clear. A Google survey live poll is unmatched in its ability to connect you with your audiences. So, what are you waiting for? A live poll in Google Slides is the ultimate way to elevate any presentation. Get started today (and don’t forget to download an Elements template).