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 PowerPoint
- How to set up a default countdown timer for all your polls
- 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 PowerPoint itself or in the Vevox dashboard.
- Each poll can have its own countdown timer length
- The countdown timer starts & stops automatically when you advance to the next poll.
- The poll is only open when the countdown timer is running.
- The countdown timer cannot play sound even though a sound clip is activated in the dashboard.
How to set up a countdown timer for an individual poll
In the task pane, create your question and add images if desired.
Select ‘Use custom settings for this poll’.
Toggle the setting to enable an automatic countdown timer. Select the length of the timer.
Press 'Create'.
How to set up a countdown timer for all your sides:
Using the dashboard, you can set up default automatic countdown timers with the same length for all your slides. If you use the 'Custom settings for this poll' option when adding or editing a poll, it will override the default settings for that specific poll.
From the Vevox dashboard in your session press the 'Settings' button on the navigation menu.
Then choose the 'Polls' section.
Ignore the Enable countdown timer music toggle as the PPT Add-in cannot play this or any other sound clips.
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
After you have set up your polls with countdown timers, and added them to your presentation, you are ready to go into slide show mode.
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 default countdown timer can also be canceled from within the Vevox dashboard. It will remove all countdown timers in your presentation slides unless you have custom settings per poll, in which case it will not cancel the countdown timer.
From the Vevox dashboard, go to the Settings menu and select the 'Polls' section.
Toggle the automatic countdown timer to OFF.
If you want to delete a custom settings countdown timer, you need to go back into PowerPoint or the dashboard, toggle the ‘Automatic countdown timer’ for that specific poll, and save. Then, delete the slides from your presentation and re-add them.
You can manually close the poll while the timer is running by pressing Enter, arrow or spacebar to reveal the voting results.
With the legacy 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 legacy 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