Live Polling in PowerPoint: A Step-by-Step Guide

Live audience polls transform a one-way presentation into a conversation. Whether you're running a corporate training, a university lecture, or a conference keynote, real-time voting keeps people engaged and gives you instant feedback — right inside PowerPoint, with no extra hardware.

Slidon is a free PowerPoint VSTO add-in that embeds live poll slides directly into your deck. Audiences vote by scanning a QR code with their phone — no app installation required.

What You Need

Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 or later (Windows)
A free Slidon account
The Slidon add-in installed from the releases page
An internet connection during the presentation

How It Works

Once the Slidon add-in is installed, a new Slidon tab appears in the PowerPoint ribbon. From there you can create polls, configure answer options, choose a color theme, and insert live-updating slides directly into your deck. When you present, each poll slide shows a QR code — the audience scans it and votes from their browser. Results appear on the slide in real time.

Step-by-Step: Adding a Poll to Your Presentation

Install the add-in Download the .vsto installer from slidon.ru/releases and run it. PowerPoint will restart with a new Slidon ribbon tab.

Sign in Click the Slidon tab and sign in with your free account. Your polls are stored in the cloud and available across devices.

Create a poll In the task pane, click New poll. Enter your question and up to 6 answer options. Choose a color theme that matches your slide deck.

Start a session & insert the slide Open the poll editor, start a session, then click Insert question slide. Slidon adds a fully-designed slide with a QR code and live bar-chart area to your deck.

Present and watch results update live Enter Slideshow mode. When you land on the poll slide, the QR becomes active. As your audience votes, the bar chart updates in real time — no manual refresh needed.

Using Rooms for Multi-Poll Presentations

If your presentation has several polls, use Rooms — a Slidon feature that lets your audience scan a single QR code at the beginning of the session and stay connected throughout the entire deck. As you advance slides, the audience page automatically switches to the current question. No repeated scanning, no drop-off.

Create a room from the Rooms section of the task pane, add your polls, and click Insert room slides. Slidon generates a branded cover slide with the room QR, plus a question slide and a results slide for every poll in the room.

Tips for a Smooth Live Poll

Display the QR for a few seconds before advancing so latecomers can scan.
Use the results slide to discuss answers after voting closes — the question slide stays clean while you collect votes.
Choose a high-contrast theme (dark background, bright bars) for large rooms where the screen is far away.
Test your session before the event by scanning the QR on your own phone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the audience need to install anything?

No. Voting happens entirely in the mobile browser. Participants scan the QR code and vote instantly — no app download, no account, no friction.

Does Slidon work offline?

The presenter's machine needs an internet connection for live vote collection and QR activation. Pre-inserted slides and themes render locally, but voting requires connectivity.

How many people can vote at once?

Slidon handles hundreds of concurrent voters per session. For very large events (1000+ participants), contact us via the support channel.

Is Slidon free?

Yes — create a free account at slidon.ru/signup. No credit card required.

Live Polling in PowerPoint:A Step-by-Step Guide