How to Use Open Ended Slides – Collect Audience Ideas Live | EngageSlide

How to Use Open Ended Slides – Collect Audience Ideas Live | EngageSlide

Expert Guide: Using Open Ended Slides

What is an Open Ended Slide?

An Open Ended slide is a powerful way to collect qualitative feedback, long-form answers, or creative ideas from your audience. Unlike polls with fixed options, Open Ended allows participants to type exactly what they think, which then appears on your screen as a beautiful grid of digital "post-it notes."

Why use it?

  • Gather Honest Feedback: Ask for detailed opinions or suggestions without limiting choices.
  • Brainstorming: Collect a wide range of ideas and visualize them in a masonry grid.
  • Interactive Q&A: Let the audience share stories or complex experiences related to your topic.

Quick Setup Guide

1

Click "+ New Slide" and select "Open Ended" from the Interactive Questions.

2

Enter your question or prompt (e.g., "What are your main goals for today?").

3

Customize the response options in the Right Column Settings to best fit your session.

Advanced Settings (Right Column)

👁️ Hide Results

When enabled, results will not be shown on the presenter's screen until you click "Show Result". This allows you to collect all thoughts before revealing them at once.

🛑 Stop Submissions

Instantly disable submissions. Use this to freeze the board and transition into discussion mode.

⏱️ Time Limit

Set a countdown timer for the question. Once the time is up, submissions will automatically be disabled.

🖼️ Support Image & Drawing

Enable "Allow image upload" or "Allow drawing" to let your audience submit visual responses instead of just text.

👤 Participant Information

Toggle whether to collect names, emails, or avatars. Anonymous submissions often encourage more honest feedback.

Pro Tips for Better Engagement

  • Manage the Noise: Use "Hide Results" for sensitive questions to prevent participants from being influenced by early responders.
  • Visual Break: Use Open Ended slides to break the monotony of data-heavy charts and give your audience a voice.
  • Focus on Insights: In presentation mode, you can click on any response card to enlarge it and focus the room's attention on that specific point.
  • Encourage Creativity: By enabling drawing or image uploads, you can turn a simple feedback session into a creative collaborative experience.

Listen to the voice of the collective.

Start an Open Ended session on EngageSlide today!