# Open Ended

> Collect free-text answers, photos or drawings and show them as a live wall of cards.

Source: https://engageslide.com/knowledge-base/interactive-questions/open-ended · EngageSlide Help Center · Interactive Question Slides

## What is Open Ended?

An **Open Ended** slide lets participants answer in their own words — a sentence, a paragraph, an idea or a question. Every answer appears on the big screen as a colourful card in a growing wall, so the whole room can read them together. You can also let people add a photo or draw a sketch with their answer, and ask for their name, email or avatar. Use it for feedback (“What should we change next time?”), reflections and exit tickets, idea collection, or any question where a word cloud would be too short.

Video tutorial: [Open Ended — video tutorial](https://youtu.be/RQyJ7gxLKxU)

Presenter creates the slide → Click Present → Share code / QR → Audience enters code → Respond & submit → Real-time results

## Create a Open Ended slide

1. On **Home**, click + Create new presentation (or add a slide to an existing one).
2. In **Choose Slide Type**, pick **Open Ended**. You can also type it into Search slide types….
3. The slide is created and the right panel opens on the **Content** tab.

## Set up the content

1. Type your question in the title field (_Enter your question or title_), for example What is one thing we should start doing as a team?. The buttons above it set the alignment, bold, italic, font size (in px) and colour.
2. Optional: click **Add description** for extra instructions, such as _Be specific — one idea per answer_. Phones show it under the question; on the big screen it appears when you hover over the title.
3. Optional: click **Add Question Image** to attach a picture that participants should react to. Phones show it above the answer box, and on the big screen you can switch between the image and the answers.
4. Under **Settings**, decide whether to collect names, emails or avatars, whether people may answer more than once and whether there is a time limit.
5. Below the settings, switch on **Enable Audience upload image** and/or **Enable Audience draw** if answers should include a photo or a drawing.

![The Open Ended editor — slide list, live screen with join code & QR, and the content panel](https://engageslide.com/images/kb/open-ended-editor.webp)

## Open Ended settings

- **Allow the audience to enter their name.** — Adds a name field to the phone form. When it is on, the name is shown on each card on the big screen. Off by default, so answers are anonymous on screen.
- **Allow the audience to enter their email.** — Adds an email field to the phone form. The email is saved with the answer but never shown on the big screen.
- **Allow the audience to enter their avatar.** — Lets participants pick an avatar, which is shown on their cards.
- **Hide result** — Keeps the wall empty while people answer. A **Show result** button appears under the slide so you can reveal everything at once.
- **Stop Submission** — Closes the slide: phones show **Submission stopped**. Click **Enable Submission** under the slide to open it again.
- **Multiple Submissions** — On by default: participants can send as many answers as they like. Turn it off to allow one answer per person — the button then shows **Submitted**.
- **Time limit** — Turn on and set **Seconds to answer**. A countdown runs on the big screen and on every phone; at zero the screen shows **Time’s up!** and submissions stop automatically.
- **Enable Audience upload image** — Adds an **Add Image** button so participants can attach a photo from their phone.
- **Enable Audience draw** — Adds a drawing pad above the text box. The drawing is sent as an image with the answer, and the text becomes optional.
- **Enable Profanity Filter** — A presentation-wide switch under **Settings → General Settings**. Offensive words are replaced with **\*\*\*\*** on the big screen; the original answers are kept unchanged.

## Present & share the join code

1. Click **Present** in the top bar to put the slide on the big screen.
2. A **join code** and a **QR code** appear (e.g. `36Y56`).
3. Participants open the **Audience** app at **join.engageslide.com**, type the code and press **Enter** — or simply scan the QR.
4. When everyone has joined, the responses start flowing in live.

## How the audience responds

Participants see the question (plus any description and image) and a text box with the placeholder _Your text…_. Depending on your settings they can also draw on the pad, tap **Add Image** to attach a photo, and fill in their name, email or avatar. They tap **Submit** and see _Submitted successfully_; the form clears so they can send another answer if **Multiple Submissions** is on. **View my submission** lists everything they have sent on this slide. With a time limit, a countdown bar runs at the top.

## View results

Each answer flies onto the big screen as a card with a coloured border, arranged in a tidy wall that grows as answers arrive. Cards show the text, any photo or drawing, and the author’s avatar and name if you collect them. Click a card to open it large for discussion — click outside it to close. Each card’s **⋮** menu lets you **Edit** the text (for example to fix a typo) or **Delete** it after a confirmation. If video calls are switched on, a **Call** button on a card lets you invite that participant to speak. While someone is typing, the footer shows _Participant is typing_. Use **Clear result this slide** under **Actions** to start again, and **Report & export data** to read and export every answer afterwards — see [View, reset and export results](https://engageslide.com/knowledge-base/presenting/results-and-export).

> **Tip** — Turn on **Hide result** for sensitive or opinion questions. People answer without being influenced by the first cards, and you reveal the whole wall at once with **Show result** — a great moment to start the discussion.

## Question ideas

- **Classroom:** Explain photosynthesis in your own words. · Draw the water cycle (with **Enable Audience draw**).
- **Training:** Describe a situation where you used today’s technique. · What is still unclear?
- **Meetings and retros:** What should we start, stop or continue? · Which risk worries you most?
- **Events:** Snap a photo of your workspace (with **Enable Audience upload image**). · What was your key takeaway?

## Frequently asked questions

### Are answers anonymous?

Yes, by default. Names appear on the cards only if you switch on **Allow the audience to enter their name.**. Emails are never shown on the big screen.

### Can a participant send more than one answer?

Yes — **Multiple Submissions** is on by default. Turn it off to limit each person to one answer.

### Can I remove or correct an answer?

Yes. Click **⋮** on the card and choose **Edit** or **Delete**. The profanity filter in **Settings → General Settings** can also mask offensive words automatically.

### Can people answer with a picture only?

With **Enable Audience draw** on, the text is optional, so a drawing alone is enough. A photo can be added with **Enable Audience upload image**.

### What happens if someone both draws and uploads a photo?

The uploaded photo is used as the answer’s image, so the drawing is not shown. Ask people to use one or the other.

### How is this different from a Word Cloud?

A [Word Cloud](https://engageslide.com/knowledge-base/interactive-questions/word-cloud) groups short, repeated words to show the most common ones. Open Ended keeps every answer whole, so it suits longer thoughts, ideas and feedback.