Which Add-in are you using?
In this article we cover:
- Countdown timers in Office 365 Add-in
- How to set up a countdown timer in your presentation
- How to run a poll with a countdown timer
- How to change the look of your countdown timer
- How to cancel a countdown timer
Vevox offers countdown timers that automatically start and close polls. The user can specify a specific time period for the countdown timer used in a presentation. Be mindful and allow enough time for participants to vote but equally don't allow time to drag on.
Note that when using countdown timers with the Office 365 Add-in:
- The countdown timer must be set up in the Vevox dashboard.
- All poll slides in a presentation will have the same length timer.
- The countdown timer starts & stops automatically when you advance to the next poll.
- The poll is only open when the countdown timer is running.
To set up a countdown timer:
From the Vevox dashboard in your session press the 'Settings' button on the navigation menu.
Then choose the 'Features' tab.
Turn on the 'Automatic countdown timer'. A 10 second default timer will appear next to the setting. Change the seconds if you need more or less time.
Press the 'Save' button. When you open the poll, the countdown timer will automatically start in your PowerPoint presentation. It will appear on all your polling slides as a circle in the bottom right corner.
How to run a poll with a countdown timer in PowerPoint
The countdown timer can only be set up in the Vevox dashboard before going into slide show mode with your presentation.
Advance to the next polls/slides as you would normally do using the Enter button, arrows, or space bar. The timer will display a short 'get ready' message for a brief period and then automatically start counting down on your slide. Once the timer has reached zero, the poll will automatically close and display the voting results.
Continue the same way for the remaining polls.
Changing the look of your countdown timer
The size, color, and placement of the countdown timer can be changed as it reacts just like an object in PowerPoint.
Right-click on the timer and select 'Format shape' or use the shortcuts to change the color, fill & gradients etc. Drag the corners to enlarge and move it around your slide.
The clock must be resized and moved on each question slide in PowerPoint
Cancel your countdown timer
The countdown timer can also be cancelled from within the Vevox dashboard. It will remove all countdown timers in your presentation slides.
From the Vevox dashboard, go to the Settings menu and select the 'Features' tab.
Toggle the automatic countdown timer to OFF.
You can manually close the poll while the timer is running by pressing Enter, arrow or spacebar to reveal the voting results.
With the PowerPoint Add-in it is possible to add a countdown timer to your polls.
Vevox offers countdown timers that automatically close polls after a period of time that the presenter can set. Be mindful and allow enough time for participants to vote but equally don’t allow time to drag on.
To set up a count down timer with the PowerPoint-Add-in, follow these steps:
Select the slide you would like to add a countdown clock to.
Click on the 'Display Options' button from the ribbon.
In the display options menu to the right of your slide, you can enable or disable a countdown clock and choose how long you wish the timer to last for.
When you select that the countdown should close the poll after the set time, you do not need to manually advance the slide to show the voting results. It will automatically appear.
By default the timer will be added to the bottom right of your slide but you can easily click and drag it to re-position it anywhere you like on the slide.
For more resources:
- Read this blog on 5 tricks to become a PowerPoint polling pro.
- Watch this video from the 11:10 - 13:59 timestamp for countdown timers