Insert Charts into Google Slides from Forms

Actually, this trick is to insert charts into Google Slides from a Google Sheets spreadsheet. However, it’s highly likely that where the spreadsheet data came from is Google Forms.

Interact

A key element when considering EdTech is interactivity. Not how can you talk at students, but rather how can students interact with the lesson? How does EVERY student get to participate, not just a handful?

PUWT17 Keynote

For my keynote at PUWT17 this year I wanted to include the audience’s input in my presentation. That their input ALTERS my slides. One thing I did was have the audience members fill out a Google Form with their reason they teach. I was able to use Google Apps Script to take those responses and add a slide for each response. (Note: this Add-on is not yet available, I coded it specifically for the keynote.)

Insert Chart

You do not have to know how to code in order to insert audience participation into your slides. Google Slides bakes that right in! Using the Insert menu you can choose to “Insert chart” from “Spreadsheet.” This will bring in any chart you have in a Google Sheets spreadsheet right into the presentation, but it’s dynamic, not static. When the data in the spreadsheet changes, changing the chart, you can update the chart in Google Slides.

For the keynote, I had created a Google Form with some multiple choice answers for the audience to choose from. Before I started the presentation I tested out the Google Form, created a chart in the spreadsheet and inserted the chart into the slides. When I got to that slide in the presentation, I simply had to click “update” and the chart instantly reflected the input of the audience.

Steps

Google Form

Create a Google Form with one question. You can ask more than one, depends on how your presentation flows. Suggestion to make the question multiple choice. Remember you are going to be inserting a chart into the Google Slides. Charts are easier to create when the data choices are the same.

Spreadsheet

While Google Forms automagically creates charts those can only be copied (static) into Slides. Any changes to the data will not be reflected in the copied chart.

You must create a spreadsheet from the Google Form.

Answer the Form

I recommend answering the Form a couple of times to get some sample data so that you can make sure your chart is coming out the way you expect it to.

Highlight Columns

Highlight the columns in the spreadsheet that you want to create a chart from. It is important you highlight the entire chart and not just the Form submissions. This way any new form submissions will be included in the chart.

Chart Wizard

Click on the chart wizard icon in the toolbar. Or use the Insert menu and choose “Chart.” Create the chart that best represents your data.

Google Slides

On a slide in Google Slides use the Insert menu and choose “Chart” from “Spreadsheet.” This will give you the option to choose one of your Google Sheets spreadsheets and choose one of the charts created in that spreadsheet.

Fill Out the Form

Now you are ready for some audience participation. During your presentation ask the audience to fill out the Google Form. Your chart in the spreadsheet will automatically reflect the responses.

Click Update

In Google Slides you will need to manually update the chart. This is simple. Press escape to view the editing of the slide. On the embedded chart is an option to “Update.” Click this. The chart in Slides now reflects the current chart in Sheets. Click back on the presentation button and your presentation involves your audience! If you have 2 devices you can click the update button on a 2nd device and just refresh your presentation (so you don’t have to exit out of presentation view) to show the updated chart.

Reusing

What about the next time you want to use this presentation? Do you need to start all of these steps over? NO! Use the SAME Slides, SAME Form, and SAME spreadsheet. In the Google Form, go to the 3 dots on the Responses tab and “Delete all responses.”

Delete Spreadsheet Rows

This only deletes the responses out of the Form. The chart is created from the data in the spreadsheet. On the spreadsheet, delete the rows of data. Good to go for the next time. No need to recreate the chart.