> ## 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.

# Using the Open Ended Slide for Free-Text Responses

> Collect free-text responses on a live wall — ideal for feedback, icebreakers, and brainstorming where fixed answer options would limit what people say.

An Open Ended slide lets your audience respond in their own words. Responses appear on a live wall on your presenter screen as they arrive — giving you real, unfiltered input without constraining people to preset options.

## How It Works

Participants type a response of up to the configured character limit directly on their device. There is no list of options to choose from — the text field is open and unconstrained. As each person submits, their response appears as a card on the **response wall** on your presenter screen in real time.

While presenting, you can interact with individual responses:

* **Pin** a response to keep it visually prominent at the top of the wall.
* **Highlight** a response to draw the audience's attention to it.
* **Delete** a response to remove it from the wall immediately.

## Setting Up an Open Ended Slide

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add a new slide">
    Click the **+** button in the slide panel to insert a new slide.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Open Ended">
    Choose **Open Ended** from the list of slide types.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Type your question">
    Enter your prompt in the question field. Open, reflective questions work best — for example, *"What's one thing you'd change about today's session?"* or *"What idea are you leaving with?"*
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure settings">
    Set your time limit, moderation preferences, and any other options (see below) before presenting.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Present and watch responses flow in">
    Navigate to the slide. Participants see the question on their devices and can begin typing immediately. Each submission appears on your response wall as it arrives.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Settings

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Time Limit">
    Set a countdown timer in seconds. Submissions close automatically when the timer reaches zero. Leave this off to keep the response wall open for as long as you need.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Close Submissions">
    Manually stop accepting new responses at any point during presenting by toggling **Close Submissions**. The response wall remains visible so you can continue discussing what's already been submitted.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Hide Results">
    Keep the response wall hidden from the audience while responses are being submitted. When you're ready to share, toggle off **Hide Results** to reveal the full wall at once.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Multiple Submissions">
    Allow a participant to submit more than one response. Useful for brainstorming sessions or when you want participants to contribute several ideas rather than just one.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Image Submissions">
    Let participants attach an image alongside their text response. Images appear as cards on the response wall alongside text submissions. Useful for visual feedback or photo-based activities.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Profanity Filter">
    Automatically block offensive language before it appears on the response wall. Recommended for any session where the audience is not fully known or when presenting in a public setting.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Audience Info Collection">
    Prompt participants to enter their name or other identifying details before they submit a response. This links each submission to a named participant in your results export. Available on paid plans.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Smart Grouping

Open Ended responses can be grouped by theme using **Smart Grouping**. Enable it in the slide settings panel — AhaSlides analyses the text of each submission and clusters semantically similar responses together automatically.

This means you can surface the main themes from dozens (or hundreds) of responses without reading every individual answer. Groups are labelled by the dominant concept in that cluster, giving you an at-a-glance summary of what your audience is saying.

## Common Use Cases

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Feedback" icon="comment">
    *"What's one thing you'd change about today's session?"* Captures specific, actionable input that a rating scale alone can't provide.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Brainstorming" icon="lightbulb">
    *"What ideas do you have for the new product name?"* Surfaces diverse ideas from the whole group simultaneously, not just the loudest voices in the room.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Icebreakers" icon="ice-cream">
    *"Describe your weekend in one word."* A low-stakes, fun opener that gets everyone participating immediately and sets an interactive tone.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Reflection" icon="graduation-cap">
    *"What's the most important thing you learned today?"* Encourages active recall and gives you insight into which messages landed with your audience.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  Open Ended is a **Poll-type slide**. The free plan allows up to **3 Poll-type slides** per presentation at full participant capacity. Poll and Word Cloud slides also count toward this limit.
</Note>