Using the AhaSlides App on Microsoft Teams
The AhaSlides app for Microsoft Teams allows you to run an interactive AhaSlides presentation within your Teams call. Your audience does not need to 'join' your presentation as they will be able to respond to it live, directly from Microsoft Teams.
Please note that AhaSlides add-in has been developed for the Microsoft Teams desktop app. Please download and use the desktop app for the smoothest experience with your audience.
How does it Work?
- The presenter embeds their AhaSlides presentation into the call and shares their screen to show it to their audience.
- The audience simply join the call and submit their responses directly to the presenter's AhaSlides presentation using an embedded 'response screen' on their interface.
Like with any presentation on AhaSlides, you will run each slide for your audience in your Microsoft Teams call and they will respond live. Their responses will be collected and shown on the presentation that you are screen sharing.
This is how it looks for your audience 👇
The Setup
Step #1: Downloading the AhaSlides add-in and selecting a presentation to add
On your Microsoft Teams dashboard, click Apps in your left side bar. Type AhaSlides into the search bar and select AhaSlides from the search results.
In the pop-up window, click the purple dropdown menu and select Add to a meeting.
In the search bar, type in the name of your meeting and select it from the dropdown list. Then, click the button labelled Set up a tab.
Please note that you need to have a future meeting scheduled for it to appear in the dropdown list.
In the next pop-up window, sign into your AhaSlides account. You'll be taken to another window containing your AhaSlides dashboard. Select the presentation you would like to host in your meeting, then click the Save button.
Step #2: Presenting your AhaSlides presentation
Your presentation will appear on Microsoft Teams in Present mode. Simply click the purple Join button in the top bar to join the call.
After selecting your camera and audio settings, click Share and select 'Screen'. This minimises your video conference window and presents your screen to your audience.
Back on the Microsoft Teams 'chat' screen, the final step is to select the menu on the bottom-left corner of your AhaSlides presentation and click Switch to full screen. This way, you can present your presentation the same way that you would on AhaSlides.
Once you've done this, you're ready to go. Invite your audience to the call and wait for them to arrive.
What your Audience does
Once an audience member has accepted your invitation to join the call, they simply have to click the AhaSlides icon in their top toolbar.
The 'response' screen will appear on the right side of their interface. With that, they will be able to respond in real-time to the slide you are currently presenting.
You progress through the your presentation as you usually would and your audience will be able to respond to each slide using the response screen.
Alternative: Sharing your Screen on MS Teams
An alternative way to use AhaSlides in your Microsoft Teams presentation is by simply sharing your screen. This requires no download and very minimal setup, though users will need their own phones on hand to join your presentation and respond to your slides.
On your MS Teams meeting, click 'Share' in the top-right of the toolbar, then choose whether to share your entire screen or just the single window containing your AhaSlides presentation.
On your AhaSlides presentation, click 'Present' to start presenting to your audience.
Which Features Match Your Presentation Needs?
Here's a handy breakdown to match the perfect tools with your MS Teams presentation style.
Use Case | AhaSlides' Features | Benefits |
Team Meetings | Polls, Q&A, Word Cloud | Get everyone involved, gather input, make decisions collaboratively |
Training Sessions | Quizzes, Polls, Spinner Wheel | Improve knowledge retention, assess understanding, make learning fun |
Webinars | Polls, Q&A, Word Cloud | Boost audience participation, gather feedback |
Surveys | Multiple Choice, Word Cloud, Rating Scales, or Open-Ended Questions. | Gather quick insights, measure satisfaction, and capture detailed responses |
Choose the suitable features for your interactive Microsoft Teams presentation
FAQs
Can I use AhaSlides with the free version of Microsoft Teams?
- AhaSlides integrates with both the free and paid versions of Microsoft Teams.
Can I create an interactive Microsoft Teams presentation without using any external apps?
- Yes, Microsoft Teams offers some built-in features like polls and Q&A that you can use to add basic interactivity to your presentations. However, for more advanced features like quizzes, games, and word clouds, you may want to consider using an app like AhaSlides.
Related Articles
Using PowerPoint's AhaSlides Add-in
Using an add-in on Microsoft PowerPoint, you can add interactive slides made on AhaSlides into your PowerPoint presentation. Note that this is different from importing a PowerPoint presentation into AhaSlides. This is available for Microsoft Office ...Using the AhaSlides add-on in Google Slides
With the AhaSlides add-on for Google Slides, you can easily incorporate interactive slides like polls, quizzes, and word clouds directly into your Google Slides presentations. This guide will walk you through setting up and using the AhaSlides ...Using your Google Slides Presentation with AhaSlides
You can import a presentation from Google Slides to AhaSlides. Once imported, you can add interactive slides from AhaSlides. Importing your Google Slides Presentation On your Google Slides presentation, click on File >>> Share >>> Publish to web ...The New AhaSlides Workspace
When you access your AhaSlides' Presentation List, you'll notice a streamlined view that displays only your presentations, folders, and team folders for improved clarity. The column on the left that used to show different workspaces - both personal ...What is AhaSlides?
AhaSlides is a platform to help you make interactive presentations. You can use polls, word clouds, open-ended slides and other types of slides to create a presentation that your audience can interact with live, using their phones. Video Explainer: ...