How to run a live Q&A during a Chrome-based presentation

The old way to collect audience questions during a talk was to ask people to type them into a chat window, or worse — to raise their hand and wait for a microphone. Both break the flow of a modern screen-shared presentation. TA pilot is a Chrome sidebar built to sit next to your Google Slides tab so questions, votes and comments appear in real time without tab switching.

Why a Chrome sidebar beats a separate Q&A tool

Most Q&A tools run in a separate browser tab or a stand-alone window. That means every time you want to check what's come in you have to context-switch away from your deck. A Chrome sidebar docks to the right of whatever tab you're in — Google Slides, Keynote Web, Notion, anything — so the audience questions live in your peripheral vision the whole talk.

• No tab switching means you never lose your place on the slide
• Questions appear the instant they're submitted
• Upvotes re-sort the list automatically so the room's most-wanted question

is always at the top

• The sidebar is invisible to the audience — only you see the moderation view

Step 1 — Install the extension while you're on your deck

Head to the Chrome Web Store and install TA pilot. The extension docks itself as a sidebar the next time you open a tab. You do not need to refresh your slides to pick it up.

Step 2 — Create a session from inside the sidebar

In the sidebar, click + Create New Session. You'll be asked for three things:

• Session title (auto-fills from the tab you're on — e.g. "Scaling Your

Launch" if that's what your deck is called)

• Admin password — you'll retype this on any co-host device
• Language — the language the audience sees on the participant page

Hit Create Session and you're live. A short code (like of4f4fb5) and a QR code appear in the sidebar — this is what your audience will scan.

Step 3 — Share the window to your meeting tool

Jump to your video call tab (Google Meet, Zoom, Teams). When you hit Present now, choose A window and pick the Slides window specifically — not your entire screen and not just the tab. That way the sidebar travels with your slides and audiences watching remotely see the QR pinned right next to your deck.

If you can, flip the Share tab audio toggle. That way voice-triggered polls still work (TA pilot listens for phrases like "let's vote on A, B or C" and turns them into a poll).

Step 4 — Answer questions like a moderator, not a host

As soon as attendees scan the QR they get a mobile form where they can:

• Type a question
• Attach a screenshot of the slide that confused them
• Direct the question @ a specific speaker or @ Anyone

All of it lands in your sidebar sorted by upvote count. You skim, pick, answer. No tab switching, no email-to-organizer pipeline, no raised-hand queue.

Voice-triggered features that pair with Q&A

TA pilot's sidebar is more than a question feed — it listens for a few standard phrases so you can trigger actions hands-free:

• "Let's take 5 minutes" → countdown timer pops up
• "Let's vote on A, B or C" → poll is generated and pushed to attendees
• Tap the music icon → ambient background music fades in while you work

through the answered pile

Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

1. Sharing the entire screen instead of the window. Your attendees will

see your notifications, dock, browser chrome. Always pick "A window" during Meet's share dialog.

1. Forgetting the admin password. The password is the only way to

co-host from another device. Save it in a password manager.

1. Starting the QR too late. Drop it onto an opening slide so scanners

can join during the intro instead of waiting for the Q&A portion.

Want to see it in action?

The landing page (tapilot.com) has a walkthrough animation for each step. Install the extension, create a session, and you'll be live in under a minute.