Using Apple Keynote with TurningPoint Audience Response System

For many years I've used TurningPoint (TP) ARS in my presentations using PC PowerPoint. I'm a convert to Keynote from PowerPoint and I figured out a way to use TP along with Apple Keynote (KN) presentations.  I thought I'd share my work-around with others.

Software and equipment:
I make two presentations – a Keynote talk and a PowerPoint for Mac with TP questions.  Since I usually work with large audiences and move around a lot, I needed a solution that did not force me to stay at my laptop. I run the show on my MacBook using a Keyspan Presentation Pro Remote (PR-Pro3 $79). I have programed the remote to run both shows and serve as an application switcher. I switch between the two programs and the system has worked very well. I now use the graphic power of Keynote and the audience engagement of TurningPoint!

Presentations: Make a KN presentation. Make a PPT question slide show with TP questions.

System PreferencesScreenSnapz002 Laptop settings: Open System preferences / Keyboard and Mouse. Set the mouse tracking to slow. Set secondary button to application switcher. (Note: you will only get these choices is you are using have an Apple wireless mouse and turn it on.



Controls on the Keyspan remote:Prpro3_ext01_r_hi
You will be using three sets of controls. Listed in order starting at the top of the remote.
1. Left and right mouse – Use the left mouse as you normally would – to select. Your MacBook system preferences setting have converted your right mouse to an application switcher.
2. Mouse track button – use to move the mouse
3. Right and left triangles – use to advance either the PPT or Keynote presentation. Also use to navigate between programs when you are in application switcher mode.

Using the remote to make your presentation.
1. Open both the KN and  TP/ PPT presentations in presentation modes. Close all other programs.

2. I'll assume you begin the presentation in KN. Advance the show using the right triangle. When you are ready for your first TP question, press the Keyspan's right mouse. Your open applications will appear as icons over the top of the KN presentation. Use the right / left triangles to navigate to the PPT icon. Press the Keyspan right mouse a second time and PPT will open in presentation mode.

3. Asking a TP Question using PowerPoint for Mac. TP for Mac works a little differently than TP for PC. When using the PC version, your polls automatically open when the question slide appears. In the PC version, when you advance your presentation, the polls close and the data shows. In TP for Mac works your question and answers appear as usual, but the polls don't open until you click an "Start polling" icon in the TP tool bar at the top of the slide. To close the polls and see your data, you must click the "Stop polling" icon next to it. Use your Keyspan thumb mouse to navigate to each icon and select with a left click. With your mouse tracking speed set on slow, its pretty easy – you aren't moving the mouse very far.

PowerPointScreenSnapz002  

4. When you are ready to move back to KN, use the right mouse as you did above to navigate back to KN. Your KN presentation will resume where you left off.

All this may sound pretty complicated. But I've been using this process in my presentations for the last six months and found that all the navigation has become second nature to me. I include slides in my KN show to remind me when to switch to PPT/ TP question slides. I try to group a series of questions together in PPT/ TP to minimize application switching. I sometimes keep presenting in PPT for a few slides to connect questions.   I include some PPT slides to remind me to switch back to KN.  I usually announce to the audience that we are about to answer a question and my navigation to PPT / TP become part of the process. 

Best of luck and let me know how it goes!

PS: Here's the latest on TP for Mac from my friends at TurningPoint.
"TurningPoint for Mac will not integrate with Office 2008 the way it does with Office 2004. Microsoft chose to remove critical elements that have denied access to several key pieces of functionality that TurningPoint requires in order to integrate flawlessly with PowerPoint, Word and Excel. We will continue to actively support TurningPoint for Mac in Office 2004, but not in Office 2008. As it stands, Microsoft has no plans to put these elements back into Office 2008, so TurningPoint will never work with any version of Office 2008. There is a possibility that when Microsoft releases a new version of Office, they will add these components back, but that will most likely not happen for another 2-3 years. Moving forward, we are currently developing an equivalent of TurningPoint AnyWhere for Mac. It will be a standalone program that allows users to poll under any circumstance. In that sense, it will support PowerPoint 2004, PowerPoint 2008, Keynote as well as many other programs. More specific information will be forthcoming as we get closer to release. Currently, we are looking at a Q3 2008 release."

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