How can I edit a presentation while in presentation mode?

Question

I'm looking for a way to present to a live audience and incorporate their input into my presentation. With a "static" presentation, you have to keep taking down, editing, and then re-presenting the slide deck. I'm looking for a way to incorporate and save changes directly into the live presentation.

I use Keynote and PowerPoint, so a method to accomplish this with either would be ideal. But I am open to a solution that requires something else.

Solution 1

For Windows:

PowerPoint has had this capability for quite some time. The key is to NOT duplicate your computer screen with the presenting screen (TV, projector, other screen, etc. I'll use "projector" in this how-to for simplicity purposes.) The only requirement is that you have some screen besides the projector.

With a Windows computer, when you connect to a projector use the Win + P command and choose the Extend the display. This means that your computer screen and the projector will show different things. You can also do this in Display Settings if you're more familiar with that.

PowerPoint has some intelligence to determine which screen is a projector and which is not, but if you need more control over which screen the presentation is on and which one will be your control screen, in the Slide Show tab you'll find Set Up Slide Show, which includes settings for this.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Presenter View (also an option in the Slide Show tab) can make things a little more difficult, but not much. When using Presenter Mode, the default behavior is for the Presenter Mode window to go full-screen, and you cannot edit in Presenter Mode. However, resizing the Presenter Mode window should allow you to easily bring up the main PowerPoint window, which is where the magic will happen.

So, all that aside, the meat of the solution:

Just edit the darn thing. That's all it takes.

With the presentation running happily away on the projector and the main PowerPoint window up on your computer screen, you can edit as much as you please and your edits will be reflected in real-time in the presentation itself (Note: I've known about the Presenter Mode and running presentations on multiple monitors for years, but am only testing the specifics of editing in PowerPoint 2016. I do not know how the behavior is different in previous versions.).

For Apple:

I don't know. I could not find specific documentation of this ability/feature for either Keynote or PowerPoint for Mac. While in Windows the Presenter view can be resized, some suggest this is not an option in Office for Mac.

One work around would be to use the Freeze capability of most projectors to freeze the current image on the screen, then exit the presentation on the computer, edit the slideshow, begin it at that slide again, and then unfreeze the projector image.

Solution 2

For Mac using PowerPoint 16:

Open the presentation you want to show. On the Mac menu bar go to window and click New Window.

This will pop out a duplicate PowerPoint presentation. Drag one of them to the second monitor and run it under setup option: "Browsed by an individual (window)"

You can now edit and add slides on the fly in the window that remains on your main desktop without interrupting the presentation. You can even edit the slide that you are currently showing on the screen and it will update automatically as you change it.

Solution 3

Windows 7 x64 using PowerPoint 2016

When using two screens make sure to uncheck "Use Presenter View" and start your slideshow

On Screen 1 you will be able to edit text on the fly and even add slides.

On Screen 2 you will see updates in real-time. If a slide is added in Screen 1 then you will need to activate Screen 2 and press the left or right arrows respectively.

Comments

[Phil Andrews]

I'm pretty familiar with extended desktop. It's what I work in most of the time. Is this procedure the same on Mac? And what version of PowerPoint are you using?

[Ravindra Bawane]

Macs an Keynote have generally encouraged people to use the extended desktop, so I'm not surprised you're more familiar with that mode. Unfortunately, I do not have the ability to test on an Apple computer. I tested this while writing the answer on Office 2016, which is the same version available for Mac.

[Phil Andrews]

I just can't figure out how to resize the Presenter Mode window. If I play the show without presenter view it takes over the PowerPoint module, there is no window behind it.

[Ravindra Bawane]

Interesting. I know the feature isn't new (or limited) to 2016 because of the answers to this question from 3 years ago: superuser.com/questions/681019/…

[Ravindra Bawane]

I'm trying to find documentation on the Mac versions.

[Phil Andrews]

Figured out Mac. Posted it below

[Ravindra Bawane]

TIL. Sweet. I'm glad you were able to figure it out. Feel free to mark this as the answer, but I'd also recommend modifying your original question to indicate you're talking about Mac OS, which would help clarify why my answer was not the best.

[Phil Andrews]

I want to give credit it where it's deserved. I wasn't trying to steal it. Just wanted to make sure that it was out there for people to find.

[Phil Andrews]

See my answer below for Mac

[Ravindra Bawane]

No worries. We're about the best answers, and sometimes details such as the OS you're limited to help make sure answers that sound like they may have multiple possible answers can be narrowed down to the right one.