> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs2.ahaslides.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to Create and Present a Brainstorm Slide in AhaSlides

> Let participants submit ideas, vote for their favourites, and reveal ranked results in a three-stage group brainstorming activity.

A Brainstorm slide turns your session into a group thinking exercise: participants submit ideas, vote for their favourites, and you reveal the results ranked by popularity — three stages, one slide.

## Setting Up a Brainstorm Slide

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add a new slide">
    Click *New slide* in the AhaSlides editor and choose the **Brainstorm** slide.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write your question">
    Enter the question or prompt you want participants to brainstorm on.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add extra fields (optional)">
    Add any additional fields for participants to fill out, such as **name** or **email**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the number of votes">
    Specify how many votes each participant gets to cast on others' ideas.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose submission mode">
    Choose whether participants can submit **one idea** or **multiple ideas**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## The Three Stages

When you present, your audience moves through three stages:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Stage 1: Submitting ideas">
    Participants write their ideas and fill in any additional fields you've set up. Ideas appear on the presenter's screen in the order they're submitted, with up to **200 ideas** per slide. Show or hide submissions at any time by clicking the eye icon under **Submission**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Stage 2: Voting">
    Click **Next: Voting** to open the voting stage. Participants see all submitted ideas and vote for their favourites. Hide the vote count during voting by clicking the eye icon under **Voting** for a more dramatic reveal at the end.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Stage 3: Result">
    Click **Next: Result** to rank all submissions by vote count. Click any idea to enlarge it on screen.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Video Tutorial

<Frame>
  <iframe className="w-full aspect-video rounded-xl" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/npIv2Ag-aMU" title="AhaSlides tutorial video" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowFullScreen />
</Frame>

## Brainstorm in Self-Paced Mode

If participants access the slide in self-paced mode, they move through the three stages on their own device without waiting for the presenter to advance.

<Note>
  Participants who go through the slide earlier can't see ideas submitted after they voted, so late submitters receive fewer votes. To work around this, ask participants to submit their ideas first, then return once all submissions are in before voting begins.
</Note>