Five Interactive Presentation Ideas to Increase Student Participation

While you don’t need fancy educational technology (EdTech) to run an interactive presentation, utilizing the right EdTech tools can help simplify lesson prep and streamline lesson workflows, making it much easier for teachers to facilitate interactivity and much easier for students to participate. With that in mind, let’s look at five interactive presentation ideas that will add a fresh layer of interactivity to existing lessons and boost student participation.

1. Storytelling

Student storytelling is a powerful lesson integration that helps peers understand concepts being taught in class. When students connect learning to their own lives, they remember it better. Research into digital storytelling shows that when learners share personal stories, it not only boosts communication skills but also builds confidence. Storytelling also turns passive listening into active meaning-making (students are making information their own, rather than just hearing it, which leads to those unforgettable “aha” moments in the classroom).

So, instead of doing all the talking, let your students take the floor. Build moments into your presentation where they can share real-life connections, personal stories, or even quick reactions to what you’re teaching.​ With interactive tools like myViewBoard, students can instantly share sketches, slides, or snapshots using the Throw feature—bringing their ideas straight to the big screen. For even more flexibility, wireless screen casting software built for interactive displays lets both students and teachers share anything on their screen in real time. Solutions like ViewSonic’s AirSync include features like touchback control for seamless, two-way interaction and a Moderator Mode that keeps teachers in charge of what goes live.

2. Non-Linear Slides

Gone are the days of presentations having to be in a set order. Non-linear presentations are great when it comes to interactive presentation ideas because they help students grasp the big-picture concepts first, then dive into specifics. This flexible structure supports stronger knowledge-building than sticking to a fixed sequence. Studies show it can lead to better outcomes in conceptual learning, as well as reduce cognitive load in the classroom. One study even found that non-linear formats are superior for knowledge acquisition compared to traditional PowerPoint lectures.

This is very simple to integrate into existing lessons. Once the basic concepts are prepared in your presentation tool, you can take a non-linear approach and flow from one topic to the next by asking questions, polling, or receiving requests at the end of each key point. Instead of just moving through a slide deck, this approach shapes the lesson around what students genuinely want to explore. Teachers can use digital tools like Prezi, which offers a zoomable canvas instead of the usual linear slide deck so the instructor can jump between topics based on where students want to go next, or myViewBoard’s infinite whiteboarding tools which allow the teacher to sketch ideas, drop in videos, and even bring in student responses into the discussion. Rather than building from scratch, teachers can also utilize ViewSonic Originals, which are ready-made lesson presentations that can then be tailored and customized.

3. Polls & Quizzes

Active learning tools like live quizzes do more than just check for understanding—they improve it. Studies found that using real-time polling in classrooms helps reduce anxiety, improves outcomes and significantly boosts participation. Whether checking comprehension, starting a discussion, or just using as a check point throughout the lesson, live quizzes and polls are a powerful way to give every student a voice, especially those who tend to stay quiet when asked to raise their hands.

While many classroom management systems like Google Classroom have built-in tools to create polls, surveys, and quizzes, interactive software platforms like ClassSwift take this interactive presentation idea even further. With just a few clicks, teachers can turn their lesson content into a live quiz, send it directly to student devices, and grade answers all at once. What’s more, ClassSwift AI tools take things up a notch, letting teachers auto-generate curriculum-aligned questions and explore in-depth reports on individual students’ performance trends.

4. Gamified Content

Gamified learning isn’t just fun—it’s effective. Research shows that incorporating points, competition, and rewards can increase student motivation and engagement, especially during lower-energy moments. The game element makes the learning feel like a challenge worth winning, which helps the material stick even better, because let’s be real who doesn’t love a bit of friendly competition?

Classic activities like Pictionary, Jeopardy, Casino, or Bingo are a great way to start out as teachers can easily adapt them with their own lesson content. Taking it up a notch, digital tools like ClassCraft can be used to launch digital games straight from your lesson slides. These apps let you create personalized challenges—complete with your own questions, clues, and content—for solo play or group competition. Additionally, good interactive learning platforms have built-in tools like timers, buzzers, and point trackers that make it incredibly easy for teachers to gamify their lesson content and for students to interact right from their personal devices.

5. Group Discussions

Lastly, when it comes to interactive presentation ideas, none may be easier to implement than group discussions. Student-led discussions turn passive learners into active thinkers. Giving students the opportunity to learn from each other, share insights, and ask questions in a more relaxed setting promotes deeper comprehension and critical thinking while also surfacing questions and insights that might never emerge in teacher-centered conversations. Open discussions and breakout sessions not only promote collaboration and interactivity within the class, but they also give the teacher the opportunity to step back, circulate the room, listen in on group conversations, and offer support to individual students.

Group discussions don’t really require any tools to be effective so they can easily be integrated into any existing lesson. However, live discussion applications like NowComment allow students to markup and discuss a text in real-time, which is great for peer-review activities and gathering student input into one place quickly. For students who are not in the physical classroom together, Yo Teach is great for teachers to create and moderate real-time chat rooms.

Incorporating Interactive Presentation Ideas into Existing Lessons

Bringing more interactivity into your presentations isn’t about reinventing the wheel—it’s about creating space for students to think, speak, and engage more deeply. From storytelling to student-led discussion, each of these interactive presentation ideas gives educators a practical way to transform their existing lessons into something more dynamic, more responsive, and more engaging.

While many of these interactive presentation ideas are easy to implement, it’s important that teachers make sure they’re incorporating them in the best way. How do you make sure of this? Drop engagement cues in your presentation to remind yourself when it’s time to pause and engage the class — this could be a small icon, a “What do you think?” slide, or even a short video clip to spark discussion. It’s also important to set time limits for each interactive moment so the energy stays high, and the rest of your lesson doesn’t get squeezed. And lastly, be intentional about creating space for every type of learner to participate—even those who’d rather not speak up in front of the class. It’s important to remind students that the goal is participation, not perfection, and it’s okay to not have all the answers at first.

So, if you’re feeling inspired and looking to really energize your classroom, these five interactive presentation ideas can help tremendously. You don’t have to reinvent your lessons—just pick one or two, mix them into your current approach, and see what resonates!