Google Slides Audience Q&A: Check the Workflow Before Buying Controls

If you want to collect questions during a Google Slides talk, check its Audience Q&A workflow before choosing another presentation device. Question collection, slide navigation and physical pointing are separate jobs.

Start with the audience workflow

Google’s guide for computers describes opening Q&A through Slideshow’s menu, Presenter View and Audience tools. Start a new session there or continue a recent one.

Attendees use the link displayed above the presentation to submit questions. For work or school accounts, check the “Accepting questions from…” setting with the intended audience. Do not assume every guest has access.

Check presenting and closing questions

In Audience tools, choose a question and select Present to display it. Hide takes it off the presentation screen. Use the Q&A switch to stop accepting questions; Google also says the Q&A view closes shortly after the presentation ends.

Decide what still needs a device

Before the session, ask a colleague to submit a question using the intended audience access, then rehearse displaying, hiding and closing questions. This is a preparation suggestion, not a test we performed.

If you still need to move through slides away from the computer or point at a physical surface, assess that function separately. Our pointer-versus-remote comparison explains the distinction. Q&A availability does not establish that a remote can operate Audience tools, and a physical laser does not collect questions.