Use a Presentation Pigeonhole in Google Slides

A Presentation Pigeonhole is a lightweight option designed for straightforward use cases, making it ideal for scenarios like team meetings, classes, and quick demonstrations. Presentation Pigeonholes contain interactivities. You have the flexibility to present these interactivities on their own, or as part of your own slides. This article describes how to use a Presentation Pigeonhole in Google Slides.

User access rights

The following user access rights apply when using the Google Slides add-on.

How to create a Presentation Pigeonhole from your Google Slides

Prerequisites:

1. Install the Pigeonhole Live add-in for Google Slides.
2. Connect your Pigeonhole Live account to Google Slides.

While the Pigeonhole Live Dashboard is often the easiest starting point, you can also create your Presentation Pigeonhole directly from within Google Slides.

1. At the top of the Pigeonhole Live side panel, select the Workspace where you want to create the Presentation Pigeonhole.

   

   A screenshot of the Pigeonhole Live panel with the Workspace selection area highlighted

2. In the sidebar, select Presentation under Create Pigeonhole.

   

   The option to create a Presentation in the Pigeonhole Live panel

   The landing page for the new Presentation Pigeonhole opens in the Pigeonhole Live panel. A green status icon indicates that it is Active.

   

   The screen for a new, empty Presentation in Google Slides

3. Select an Interactivity type to add to the Presentation Pigeonhole. The choices are:
   • Q&A
   • Quiz
   • Word cloud
   • Survey
   • Multiple choice
   • Assessment
   • Open-ended

4. In the Pigeonhole Live panel, enter the information for the Interactivity and select Add to presentation. 

   

   The fields to create a Q&A Interactivity in the Pigeonhole Live panel.

5. Select the Sign-in instructions card in the Pigeonhole Live panel. This adds a slide that has instructions for participants to join through the Audience Web App.

   

   The Sign-in Instructions slide. The control for adding it is highlighted in the Pigeonhole Live panel.

   (Optional) To add another Interactivity, repeat Steps 2-4.

   Tip: You can reorder interactivities by dragging them up or down in the left sidebar.

6. (Optional) You can hide one or more interactivities from participants until you present them live. For example, you might hide a Quiz or Assessment.
   • For a single item: In the Pigeonhole Live panel, hover over the Interactivity, then select the visibility icon. Select it again to unhide the Interactivity.

   • For all items of a type (all Q&As or all Polls): Hover on the header for the Interactivity type, then select the “More options” menu (…) > Hide all. To unhide them, select the “More options” menu (…) > Show or Show all.

     

     A card with the More options menu expanded and highlighted.

7. (Optional) To share the Presentation Pigeonhole, use the Share menu at the top.

   

   The expanded Share menu

   • Share > Invite participants: Displays a link and QR code that open the Presentation Pigeonhole in the Audience Web App.

   • Share > Manage responses: Displays a link and QR code that open the Presentation Pigeonhole in the Admin Panel. Use this option to share with a team member who will manage responses and audience engagement while you focus on giving your talk.

     

     The Share to Participants window showing the link and QR code.

8. (Recommended) Test the Presentation Pigeonhole. A test enables you to see how participants will experience it in the Audience Web App. If you’re on a paid plan, you can clear your own responses after you complete testing. Hover over the card for the Interactivity and select the “More options” menu (…) > Clear responses.

Add a Presentation Pigeonhole to Your Google Slides

If you already created your Presentation Pigeonhole in the Dashboard, here’s how to add it to your Google Slides.

1. In the Pigeonhole Live panel, select the Workspace that has the interactivities you want to add to your slides.

   

   A screenshot of the Pigeonhole Live panel with the Workspace selection area highlighted.

2. Select the Presentation Pigeonhole that has the interactivities. 

   

   Existing pigeonholes to choose from are highlighted in the Pigeonhole Live panel

3. If you haven’t added the Sign-in instructions yet, select the Sign-in instructions card in the Pigeonhole Live panel. This adds a slide that has instructions for participants to join through the Audience Web App.
4. Select the interactivity you want to add.
   Tip: You can add the same Interactivity multiple times within the same slide deck.

What happens to interactivities that are created, edited, or deleted elsewhere after the Pigeonhole is added to Google Slides?

Changes made in the Dashboard

You can sync any changes made on the Pigeonhole Live Dashboard to Google Slides. From the side panel, select the refresh icon. This icon is available for the list of presentations in a Workspace, and for the list of interactivities in a Presentation.

Sync changes to interactivities by selecting the refresh icon, which is highlighted in the image.

When the side panel refreshes:

• Any new interactivities display in the side panel. Follow the steps above to add a new Interactivity to your slides.
• Any edits to existing interactivities are reflected in the side panel for the Presentation.
• Deleted interactivities no longer display in the side panel.

Changes made in another Pigeonhole Live add-in

There are some things to know about edits made to an Interactivity through a different Pigeonhole Live integration. If an Interactivity's title is changed, the change is reflected in Google Slides. If an Interactivity is deleted, the slide displays a “not available” error message.

Edit Pigeonhole information

You can change some of the details for a Presentation Pigeonhole directly from Google Slides.

1. Open the Presentation Pigeonhole in the Pigeonhole Live panel.

2. Select the hamburger menu at the top left of the Pigeonhole Live panel.
    

   

   The Pigeonhole Live panel with the hamburger menu highlighted

3. You can change the Pigeonhole name, Passcode, or End date. In the window that opens, select the pencil icon that appears when you hover near the title of the Presentation.

   

   Select the pencil icon to edit basic information about the Pigeonhole

4. Make the necessary edits and select Save changes.

   

   The Edit Presentation info screen in the Pigeonhole Live panel. The Save changes button is shown.

Customise appearance

To customise the look of your Pigeonhole, select Customise appearance. You will be redirected to the Pigeonhole Live Dashboard to make any changes.

Select Customise appearance to change how your Pigeonhole and its interactivities appear.

Learn more about customising the appearance of your Pigeonhole

View insights

To view the insights for the Pigeonhole, select View insights data. You will be redirected to the Pigeonhole Live Dashboard to view data about your interactivities and participants.

View insights for the Pigeonhole by selecting View insights data

Switch Pigeonholes

You might want to change the Pigeonhole you’re using in your Google Slides. To do this, select Switch Presentation.

Switch presentation to change the interactivities you can add to your slides

A list of pigeonholes in the current Workspace opens in the Pigeonhole Live panel. Select the Pigeonhole you want to use. Or, select Presentation or Event under Create Pigeonhole. When you select one of these options, you’re redirected to your Workspace to create a new Pigeonhole.

Select the Presentation you want to use instead in the Pigeonhole Live panel. Or, select an option to create a new Pigeonhole.

After selecting a different Pigeonhole, select Switch Pigeonhole in the pop-up window to confirm your selection.

The Manage Pigeonhole screen in the Pigeonhole Live panel. The prompt to confirm switching is displayed.

Move Pigeonhole to Trash

To delete the entire Pigeonhole, select he hamburger menu, then select Move Presentation to trash. You will be prompted to select a new Pigeonhole to use for your Google Slides, or redirected to the Pigeonhole Live Dashboard to create a new one.

Moving a Presentation to trash marks it as trash on the Dashboard.

Presenting Google Slides with the Pigeonhole Live Add-on

To show a Pigeonhole Interactivity in your Google Slides, deliver your Google Slides talk as you normally would. 

Here’s a breakdown of what happens in the Audience Web App when you present specific types of slides:

When presenting a Pigeonhole Interactivity

• Synchronization: If the current slide is a Presentation Pigeonhole Interactivity, participants who join the Pigeonhole are automatically redirected (autocast) to that specific Interactivity in their Audience Web App.
• Engagement: Participants can immediately participate in the Interactivity, or view the results as you display them.
• Presenter Action: The presenter only needs to move from slide to slide in presentation mode. The participants' mobile devices automatically follow and display the corresponding live Interactivity.

When presenting a non-Pigeonhole slide

• Synchronization: If the current slide is a regular Google Slide (non-Pigeonhole) or the Sign-in Instructions, the Audience Web App reverts to the last Interactivity the participants was viewing.
• Audience Access: While regular slides are being presented, the Audience Web App limits user interaction to the Pinned Q&A only.

Common issues

If you experience any issues or challenges, read the article on commonly encountered issues using Pigeonhole Live on Google Slides. 

Privacy and security

Pigeonhole Live does not access, collect, or store any data beyond what is strictly necessary for the add-in to work as intended. 

Learn more about privacy and security with Pigeonhole Live for Google Slides. 

Related information

• Present a Presentation Pigeonhole on the Web
• Use a Presentation Pigeonhole in Microsoft PowerPoint