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Check understanding with polls in the Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Google Meet chat.

Ask your class a question while you’re still teaching. Learners answer by typing in the Teams, Zoom or Meet chat, and you see what the whole room understood before you move on.

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Works where you do: Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, YouTube Live, LinkedIn Live, Substack Live and Restream. Also on your PowerPoint slides.

See it in

What’s still unclear? What’s still unclear? Type your answer in the chat

    0 responses
    1. Sarah Chen pivot tables
    2. James Okoro the formula bar
    3. Aisha Rahman pivot tables
    4. Tomás García charts
    5. Priya Nair filters
    6. Daniel Kim VLOOKUP
    7. Mei Lin pivot tables
    8. Olu Adeyemi named ranges
    9. Hannah Weber charts
    10. Marco Bianchi the formula bar
    11. Fatima Zahra pivot tables
    12. Lukas Novak conditional formatting
    13. Grace Park VLOOKUP
    14. Arjun Mehta filters
    15. Chloe Martin pivot tables
    16. Yusuf Ali charts
    17. Ben Carter the formula bar
    18. Elena Popescu pivot tables
    19. Noah Schmidt VLOOKUP
    20. Inês Duarte filters

    Type in the chat to add your own answer.

    A meeting in Microsoft Teams or Zoom. People type answers in the meeting chat and StreamAlive turns them into a poll on the shared screen. You can type your own answer in the chat.

    Used by trainers and facilitators at

    Companies
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    Training and events companies
    Sitkins Group and Virtual Approval

    Type in the chat.

    How do you answer in this poll? Type 1, 2 or 3 in the chat

    1. Raise a hand 8%
    2. Unmute and speak 8%
    3. Type in the chat 85%
    0 responses
    1. You Type in the chat.
    2. Sarah Chen 3
    3. James Okoro 3
    4. Aisha Rahman type in the chat
    5. Tomás García 3
    6. Priya Nair 3
    7. Daniel Kim 1
    8. Mei Lin 3
    9. Olu Adeyemi Type in the chat
    10. Hannah Weber 3
    11. Marco Bianchi 2
    12. Fatima Zahra 3
    13. Lukas Novak 3

    The usual way: ask if there are any questions, hear nothing, hope that means yes, and move on without knowing. With StreamAlive, learners type their answers in the chat.

    In a Teams or Zoom meeting, “Type in the chat.” is sent in the chat and appears in the poll on the shared screen, which asks “How do you answer in this poll?” Everyone else’s answers follow.

    Silence rarely means everyone understood. In the chat, the quieter learners answer too, and you see how many got it before you decide whether to go on.

    There are loads of digital tools you can use to increase engagement in your live online sessions. But there is one that is hands-down my favorite: StreamAlive.

    Gwyn Wansbrough Online Facilitator and Trainer, Breakthrough Facilitation

    How to check understanding in a Teams or Zoom class.

    1. You let StreamAlive into your class and share your screen.
    2. Your learners type their answers in the meeting chat. Nobody has to unmute.
    3. StreamAlive puts the room’s answers on your screen as they arrive.

    1. Paste your Teams or Zoom meeting link into StreamAlive and press Connect. It waits in the lobby like a note-taking app. Admit it once and it starts reading the chat.

    2. Share your screen and pick the StreamAlive window, the same way you share slides. Or present the question from your PowerPoint deck.

      This is the step people miss. Your audience can only answer a question they can see.

    3. Everyone sees your question the moment you share. It’s a slide in your StreamAlive presentation, set up beforehand.

    4. They type their answer in the meeting chat. Quiet learners answer as easily as confident ones, and nobody has to unmute.

    5. Every answer lands on your shared screen as it’s sent, so you see how the room understood at a glance.

    6. After the session, the report shows how many people took part, how much more they typed during your interactions, and who was most active.

    How well did that land? Type 1, 2 or 3 in the chat

    1. Got it 38%
    2. Mostly 44%
    3. Lost me 19%
    0 responses
    1. Sarah Chen 2
    2. James Okoro 2
    3. Aisha Rahman 3
    4. Tomás García 2
    5. Priya Nair 1
    6. Daniel Kim 2
    7. Mei Lin 2
    8. Olu Adeyemi 1
    9. Hannah Weber 2
    10. Marco Bianchi 2
    11. Fatima Zahra 3
    12. Lukas Novak 1
    13. Grace Park 1
    14. Arjun Mehta 3
    15. Chloe Martin 1
    16. Yusuf Ali 1
    Illustration of the six steps. The presenter pastes the meeting link into StreamAlive and presses Connect. StreamAlive waits in the meeting lobby and is admitted, then posts in the chat that it is reading the chat. The presenter presses Share and picks the StreamAlive window, a poll appears on the shared screen, and answers typed in the chat fill the poll bars as they arrive. After the session, the report shows who took part and how each question landed, and an AI assistant can answer questions about it.

    Four checks you can run without stopping the class.

    Each one is a question on your shared screen that learners answer in the chat. Run one after a hard concept, before a break, or when the room goes quiet.

    1. Pace check

      Ask whether the pace is right, on a scale of 1 to 5, and adjust before you lose anyone.

      How is the pace so far? Type a number from 1 to 5

      Average 0.0

      1. 0% Too slow 1
      2. 0% 2
      3. 0% 3
      4. 0% 4
      5. 0% Too fast 5
      0 responses
      1. Sarah Chen 3
      2. James Okoro 4
      3. Aisha Rahman 3
      4. Tomás García 5
      5. Priya Nair 4
      6. Daniel Kim 3
      7. Mei Lin 5
      8. Olu Adeyemi 1
      9. Hannah Weber 2
      10. Marco Bianchi 3
      11. Fatima Zahra 3
      12. Lukas Novak 2
      13. Grace Park 3
      14. Arjun Mehta 3
      15. Chloe Martin 2
      16. Yusuf Ali 4
      17. Ben Carter 4
      18. Elena Popescu 3

      Type in the chat to add your own answer.

    2. Say it in a word

      Ask what an idea is for, or how it felt. The words people repeat grow, so the room’s picture shows up at once.

      In one word, what is a pivot table for? Type a word in the chat

      0 responses
      1. Sarah Chen Summaries
      2. James Okoro Totals
      3. Aisha Rahman Reports
      4. Tomás García Summaries
      5. Priya Nair Grouping
      6. Daniel Kim Analysis
      7. Mei Lin Totals
      8. Olu Adeyemi Summaries
      9. Hannah Weber Counting
      10. Marco Bianchi Reports
      11. Fatima Zahra Grouping
      12. Lukas Novak Summaries
      13. Grace Park Insights
      14. Arjun Mehta Totals
      15. Chloe Martin Summaries

      Type in the chat to add your own answer.

    3. Practice question

      A timed question with up to four options. Faster right answers score more, so learners are quick to give it a try.

      Which function looks up a value in a table? Type 1, 2, 3 or 4 in the chat

      Time left: 15s

      1. SUM
      2. VLOOKUP
      3. COUNT
      4. IF
      0 responses
      1. Sarah Chen 1
      2. James Okoro 2
      3. Aisha Rahman 4
      4. Tomás García 1
      5. Priya Nair 2
      6. Daniel Kim 2
      7. Mei Lin 4
      8. Olu Adeyemi 3
      9. Hannah Weber 1
      10. Marco Bianchi 2
      11. Fatima Zahra 2
      12. Lukas Novak 2
      13. Grace Park 3
      14. Arjun Mehta 2
      15. Chloe Martin 2
      16. Yusuf Ali 2

      Type in the chat to add your own answer.

    4. Ask for volunteers

      Only the people who type your keyword get on the wheel. Spin it to pick who explains it back to the class.

      Type #me to explain it back to the class Type #me in the chat

      0 responses
      1. Sarah Chen #me
      2. James Okoro #me
      3. Aisha Rahman what do you mean?
      4. Tomás García #me
      5. Priya Nair #me
      6. Daniel Kim #me
      7. Mei Lin ok
      8. Olu Adeyemi #me
      9. Hannah Weber #me
      10. Marco Bianchi #me

      Type in the chat to add your own answer.

    Also: live polls, multiple choice questions and Q&A.

    Multiple choice questions with the answer held back.

    The right answer stays hidden until you press “Show Correct Answer”. Then you talk through why it’s right.

    What does a pivot table do? Type 1, 2, 3 or 4 in the chat

    1. Summarizes data 56%
    2. Draws a map 6%
    3. Locks cells 11%
    4. Sorts a column 28%
    0 responses
    1. Sarah Chen 1
    2. James Okoro 1
    3. Aisha Rahman 1
    4. Tomás García 1
    5. Priya Nair 4
    6. Daniel Kim 4
    7. Mei Lin 3
    8. Olu Adeyemi 4
    9. Hannah Weber 1
    10. Marco Bianchi 1
    11. Fatima Zahra 4
    12. Lukas Novak 1
    13. Grace Park 1
    14. Arjun Mehta 1
    15. Chloe Martin 2
    16. Yusuf Ali 1
    17. Ben Carter 3
    18. Elena Popescu 4

    Type a number in the chat to answer, then show the correct answer.

    Also in the family: quizzes, live polls and rating polls.

    Trainers who hear from the whole room.

    • We used to tell people to put their phones away so they wouldn’t be distracted, then later ask them to pull them out again to scan a QR code.

      Amy Baughman Sitkins Group
      Read the Sitkins Group story

    • There’s no second screen, no apps, no QR codes. People stay focused on the session instead of figuring out the tech.

      Brent Kelly President, Sitkins Group
    Read every customer story

    Questions about StreamAlive for instructor-led training

    How do I check understanding in a virtual class?

    Put a poll, quiz or rating on your shared screen and ask learners to answer in the meeting chat. Their answers appear on your screen as they’re sent, so you can see how many understood before you move on.

    Why does StreamAlive use the chat instead of a separate app?

    Learners are already looking at the chat, so there is nothing to join and no second screen to open. In a classroom, people use StreamAlive’s browser chat instead, with a QR code or a short link and a code.

    Can quieter learners answer without being put on the spot?

    Yes. Everyone answers in the chat at the same time, so quieter learners and people with their cameras off take part as easily as anyone. In the meeting chat, names show as usual. For anonymous answers, make the chat private or use StreamAlive’s browser chat.

    How do I collect learners’ questions?

    StreamAlive’s AI spots questions in the chat, even without a question mark, and lists them for you. You can filter the list by answered and unanswered.

    Does it work for in-person and hybrid classes?

    Yes. People in the room answer in StreamAlive’s browser chat on their phone or laptop, and people online answer in the meeting chat. Both feed the same question.

    Can I use it with my slides?

    With PowerPoint, add the StreamAlive add-in and put a question on a slide. With Canva and Gamma, embed StreamAlive Slides in your presentation. With other presentation surfaces, upload them as a PDF to StreamAlive’s presentation builder, or share the StreamAlive window when it’s time to ask.

    Does it record my class?

    No. StreamAlive reads the chat. It doesn’t record or access your video, audio or shared screen.

    Is there a free plan?

    Yes. Sessions with up to five participants are free, with every interaction included and no card needed. Paid plans start at $100 for a pack of 4 sessions, and Pro is $75 a month, billed annually.

    See the plans

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    Check your next class in the chat.

    Free for sessions of up to five people. No card needed.

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