I agree that most people use PowerPoint incorrectly, but I don't think it's responsible for the dumbing down of America. Before PowerPoint, you had just as many dull and boring speeches. With PowerPoint, you have the same dull and boring speeches illustrated with dull and boring slides.

What a presenter should do is write and practice a speech without the use of PowerPoint at all. Such a speech should be interesting and compelling on its own. Then you add PowerPoint to illustrate key points and highlight important concepts. It should not be a word for word regurgitation of the speech. Otherwise, you might as well just hand out a printout of the PowerPoint presentation and skip the speech. Come to think of it, everyone in the audience would probably be grateful if you did.

posted January 31, 2008

I agree that most presenters do not use Power Point successfully. I'm sure many of us have sat through our share of Power Point presentations that are filled with bullet points. Then the presenter reads those bullet points to their audience, as if everyone in the audience is incapable of reading the bullet points themselves! Can we dumb it down anymore for our audience?

The problem is most presenters do not take advantage of PowerPoint's strength as a visual aid and persuasive tool. Most PowerPoint presentations are generic and not customized to each audience so no one should be surprised when that presentation comes across as generic and boring.

Your presentation and PowerPoint slides should be above all things persuasive. To be succesful one should use PowerPoint as a visual aid: more graphs, pictures, visuals, etc less words and bullet points. The presentation itself remains the speaker getting the "message" across to his/her audience verbally with the slides as a visual representation which helps to drive home the message. PowerPoint needs to be short, if you have more than 5-6 slides you have too many. Sit down and determine beforehand what your main message is for the specific audience, then go through the slides and take out ALL the slides that do not address or support your message.

PowerPoint is not contributing to the dumbing-down of America the presenters and companys that do not understand that a presentation, with or without Power Point, is meant to be customized to each audience and focused on their specific needs, are.

posted January 31, 2008

I would completely agree with the fact that PowerPoint is seldom used in an effective manner. One reference that I have found a great help for designing presentations with PowerPoint is a book:

Beyond Bullet Points: Using Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 to Create Presentations That Inform, Motivate, and Inspire
By: Cliff Atkinson

The ideas expressed in the book are based off of a presentation used (with PowerPoint) in the opening statements of a trial in Angleton, Texas. The overall concepts are to have a well thoughtout plan/outline of the presentation with one sentance statements that will become the slides (one statement to a slide that summarizes everything the presenter talks about in regards to that slide), and then to add meaningful graphics (but keeping it simple with only 1-3 on a slide, depending on what is being expressed).

Ultimately, the goal is to give a presentation with PowerPoint acting as a supporting cast. Honestly, when a presenter gets up and on the second slide you can tell he/she is going to just read the slides I just get on my phone and do something productive (because I can read the presentation whenever I want). I would say that once or twice a year I actually get to be in the audience for a good presentation.

Check out the book, let me know what you think.

posted January 31, 2008

I also agree that PowerPoint, in and of itself, isn't responsible for the dumbing down effect. Although technology does have an impact on us, for the most part, it's how PEOPLE use the technology that matters.

As Cliff Atkinson points out in Beyond Bullet Points, PowerPoint makes it easy to use bullet points, and it's easy for the presenter to work from/read bullet points, but that's not the most effective way to get the message across to the audience, and the audience is the most improtant thing to consider in any type of communication. We've probably all been exposed to those boring bullet point presentations (and all had the same response), yet we continue to create our presentations with bullet points because it's easy for us to READ those bullet points than to actually focus on how to best get our message across to the audience. When most people prepare PowerPoint presentations, they're preparing their message for a print medium (despite our exposure to TV and other visual media, we're accustomed to working in a print medium) rather than the visual medium that PowerPoint is more suited to.

Again, when it comes to any technology, it's how people use it that matters. In the case of PowerPoint, if people are using it poorly and presenting information in a "dumb" manner, then the audience will be "dumbed down." Using the technology to support and enhance the audience experience rather than leaving them bored will more than likely make people "smarter." The real challenge is to get people to use the technology and present for their audience rather than themselves.

posted January 31, 2008

PowerPoint is a great and useful tool, but I agree that most people use it poorly. I like the 10-20-30 rule: A power point presentation should have no more than 10 slides, not last longer than 20 minutes, and have no font size smaller than 30. I just gave a presentation this morning that required an hour and a half, but I followed the first and last rule anyway.

It is torturous to have every bit of information written on a slide. Besides, there are probably people there who can read better than I can speak, so why do I need to be there if all the info is on the screen?

Links:

• http://www.michaelhyatt.com/workingsmart/2005/06/five_rules_for_.html

posted January 31, 2008

Just reading lines from a screen is as bad as just reading the text of a presentation: there is no eye contact with the audience, even the sound of a voice may become monotonous.
Having said that, Powerpoint does have quite some advantages. First of all, it defines a framework for a presentation and a basic timing. When using a slide to support a story, you could count on 1 - 2 minutes per slide for example. It is possible to link with other material in a very easy way. Some people manage to create very nice slides with a functional animation, clearly demonstrating an idea.
The drawback is that Powerpoint presentations are sometimes a random compilation of all kinds of slides from different origins that have a very loose relationship with the subject.
As for all presentations, the basis of it all should be a good plan, an overall structure that clearly points out which message has to be conveyed and how. This assumes planning and preparation - often a weak element.

A specific point of attention is the question how to keep an overview of what has been said. There are theories on human learning that state that humans learn new things by creating relationships between already existing knowledge and new elements. The human brain would not operate on pure text, nor does it work in a linear way. If this is the case, it has consequences on the way presentations should be compiled. How is it possible to link new slides to the ones already shown and to keep an overview? Powerpoint would let you show these relationships, but the speaker must be aware of the necessity of this. Just like it is wise to summarise and repeat certain important elements of a presentation.

Presenting ideas requires practice, just like Demosthenes needed it in ancient Greece.

posted January 31, 2008

It is true that lots of people DO read verbatim from PP - but that is an error by the presenter, they could read straight from a sheet of paper as well!

I feel that the wizzy stuff (animation) is often overdone - makes me feel sick! These extras should be used in moderation, to avoid "death by PP"

posted January 31, 2008

Hi Ron,

Some do just as you stated, read from the screen. It is rare to find someone who has actually added the speaker notes to presentation, but when you do, it is a good presentation.

Eileen

posted January 31, 2008

Some months ago I posted a question about Powerpoint and was surprised at some of the more passionate replies that would lead you to believe that PPT was viewed in the same context as the anti-Christ.

PPT is a tool, just like a hammer. Some people can take a hammer and build a house, others can hurt themselves.

As a professional speaker and sales executive, PPT allows me to do my job more effectively. It does not make me a better presenter, and it will most certainly make me worse if I do not prepare and know my material.

I've included a link to Guy Kawasaki's Best Presentation Winners as well as a link to a relevant post on my blog.

Kevin Sasser
kdsasser at yahoo dot com

Links:

• http://thesaleswars.wordpress.com/2007/12/27/for-those-about-to-powerpoint-...
• http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/05/worlds_best_pre.html

posted January 31, 2008

Power Point is all about communicating skills and/or concepts to an audience. If you have ACCOMPLISHED this goal, then you used PP in a righteous manner. I use it to teach Scuba Academics, and so far all of my students have passed their final exam. Learning accomplished!

You see, I don't think the problem lies in the TOOL of PP. It lies in the presenter. It's not that they don't use PP correctly: they really don't know how to present any material in a manner that leads to learning. If you aren't teaching to objectives, you are boring your audience and accomplishing little. It really doesn't matter if you use PP or not. After all, PP can NOT make a bad presenter look good or a good presenter look bad. It's just a tool in a presenter's box and there are many ways to present that don't involve electronics. As I often told a frustrated mechanic: It ain't the tool's fault!" (even if it breaks).

posted January 31, 2008

As other people have pointed out, the first rule of PP is knowing the material. Now that PP is a requirement of college courses (I can't remember any course in my last two years that did not require PP knowledge), what I found most astonishing is that Gen Y is HORRENDOUS at presenting material. Maybe this is due to being able to read from the screen instead of paper/note cards, but I feel very pessimistic about the ability to properly present material in this day and age.

posted January 31, 2008

Robert Gaskins probably has an opinion about this.

Links:

• http://www.robertgaskins.com/

posted January 31, 2008

I don't think people use PowerPoint correctly. Presentations are boring and PowerPoint's purpose was to get the attention of the audience. I have seen time and time again people putting a TON of words on a slide that peoples' eye begin to cross. Then you have others who put silly animated pictures on the slides and it also distracts.

My technique is to use graphs, charts, etc. to get your point across rather than just put text. When text is used, use it minimally. I think the PowerPoint presentation should be a summary of the presentation, not the presentation itself. In other words, put up bullet points and the presenter should elaborate, not vice versa.

posted January 31, 2008

The best powerpoint presentation I've ever seen is by a mental health organization in Arizona. I've included their link below. They know how to implement the right combination of words, graphics, sound effects, gifs, etc. to make it a well-rounded presentation.

Since that presentation, I've taken to attempting to do the same thing. I believe in this age, PP provides the auditory/visual/tactile learning experience (if done correctly) so that regardless of the learning style, the person can walk away feeling like they've acquired something. I find it extremely helpful when teaching...

Links:

• http://www.talkingcure.com

posted January 31, 2008

I think that's giving too much credence to a medium. It's the presenter who is dumbing things down, unless they use it well. Nothing worse that a boring speaker.

I use Powerpoint with diagrams, pictures and short verbal examples of what I'm saying. Never more than a title for the bullet point. - subtitles maybe. No written dialogue.

I find that appropriately embedded pictures are really effective. It's actually a very powerful communication medium if used correctly.

If you have more than two slides with the same background, the background is actually meaningless. Use graphics and pictures instead.

posted January 31, 2008

"Rightly"? Why use MS Powerpoint at all. It's a waste of precious space.

In most presentations you simply need 4 slides. Title (while we're waiting), Agenda, Content, and Summary. Why waste so much money and space on MS Powerpoint?

I use Openoffice Impress and it does the trick for me just fine.

So...I see MS Powerpoint as a menace. A huge waste of space AND money.

posted January 31, 2008

Hi Ron,

As many have said, (1) most people don't use it efficently, but (2) it is possible to do so. In addition to the mistake of merely reading what is on the silde, I've noted many other no-no : too small fonts, too much text, typo mistake and inappropriate colors.

I believe many of the numerical rules of best practices that others have given are quite good ones ; I'd just like to add that I generally start preparing a slide show by making a list of the 3 key idea I want the audience to remember.

Oddly enough, I'm generally satisfied when I look at my presentation and realise nobody could guess the entire content of my speaker's notes, it means I won't be there for nothing ;-)

Lastly, I couldn't formalize this thought more than that, but it seems to me that the scenario of the presentation should make sense, it's like about telling a story, as this is nearly the only kind of speech people enjoy listening with attention.

My 2 cents,
Bruno.

posted January 31, 2008

Most people who uses powerpoint are 2 types:
1. Put in all the words that they presents and read from them.
2. Animation crazy people. hahahha..

My take on powerpoint, it is a very powerful tool to use especially in presentations. Powerpoint should be without clutter. Only important keywords should be included. Best powerpoint files I like best are powerpoints that can not be understood with a speaker presenting it.

Some unimportant words should not be included, for example if the paragraph is like "New York is the most populous city in the United States, with an estimated 2005 population of 8,213,839 (up from 7.3 million in 1990).[59] This amounts to about 40% of New York State's population and a similar percentage of the metropolitan regional population. ." most of the words here should be eliminated, rather put something like this " 2005 = 8,213,839 = 40% of New York"

This way, people get to look at the powerpoint at the same time the speaker.

posted January 31, 2008

How many of us have gone to a meeting where the presenter has put every minute detail of information the slides so that the font is 6pt and the message is lost somewhere?! Then they hand out the slides in a package that took 10 people 40 hours to compile.

Powerpoint should convey the highlights with the speaker TALKING about the details. Don't forget some Whizbang graphics and transitions to keep your audience awake.

posted January 31, 2008

It's a poor workman who blames his tools. That old saying really is meant to jibe the person who points to inadequate tools as a reason for his own incompetence. Of course, I doubt anyone could complain that PowerPoint is inadequate.

In the ancient days before PowerPoint or its computer-based predecessors were available, much use was made of overhead projectors. "Overheads" were transparencies created from typed, drawn or printed documents. And we learned to make them in presentation courses.

Prior to that a presentation was usually more like a speech, with perhaps some visual aids on a flipchart or black/white board. Index cards would be used by the presenter, but not distributed to the audience.

Of course, before people started refusing to read anything longer than a paragraph, we used to write reports or memos, have them typed by secretaries, and circulate them to those who needed to know the information. So really, the dumbing-down of America/the world has to do with the dwindling skill of reading. PowerPoint is an excuse to walk people through the process of reading. Very sad.

posted January 31, 2008

1) Often people dont use it rightly
2)IT is possible. You can better use it.
3) Yes it is true. People read directly from the ppt that is not good.
4)My thoughts are:-
a) put graphs, pictures to clerify your points instead of putting lot of text.
b) if you can add animation to it that will be great.
c) dont make lot of slides. Just few slides with little bullets

posted January 31, 2008

As a graphic designer, I do a lot of work with clients who want well-designed, visually appealing PPTs. As others have mentioned, the biggest key is that it shouldn't be the entire presentation, but rather a high-level view with the presenter then speaking on the details. Many designers are anti-PPT and think that a great presentation needs to be done in Flash or Director, but I believe in working within the realities of corporate America (I also do a lot of high-end design work in Word). My goal is not to wean people off of PPT, but to make each PPT better.

posted January 31, 2008

Ron, PowerPoint doesn't kill people, poor presenters kill people, or at least bore them within an inch of their lives. Seriously, PowerPoint becomes a crutch for the weak speaker, but it can be a great tool to bring lots of different multimedia elements together (unless you have Flash of course).

I do a lot of 3d animation work that I deliver as Windows Media files that can be embedded in PowerPoint, and those slides work well to keep the audience engaged visually and have a side benefit in that the presenter can't read off the screen. That doesn't prevent them from creating slides before and after filled with bullets, though!

Links:

• http://www.frameworkmedia.com/sales_presentation_animation.aspx

posted January 31, 2008

Ron -

PowerPoint enables people who have little practice or the talent to be a good public speaker to communicate adequately. Yay, PowerPoint.

On the other hand, great speakers need very few visual aids - and generally use PowerPoint as a tiny accent or not at all. The issue is that PowerPoint has become such a crutch that many who would become great speakers never even start practicing. Boo, PowerPoint.

Side Comment: Why has presentation graphic software not changed much since Harvard Graphics back in the 1980s? We have cool 3d eye candy, blow your mind animations and the best you see anymore is black on white presentations (which half the audience can't read - USE DARK COLOR BACKGROUNDS, for the love of God!)

posted February 1, 2008

Power Point is More Power to Bill Gates,

lesser POWER to mere mortals like us to rework rebuild slides monthly or quarterly, copy and paste from different slide owners at the last minute and hence have no time to rehearse before presenting to haf asleep and half over eager audiences.

Links:

• http://iwannacrib.com

posted February 3, 2008

It's not Powerpoint, per se. It's how people use it.

One of my pet peeves is "gratuitous graphics" (as in "gratuitous violence" in movies). It's those pointless cartoons or images or animations that add no information and don't even relate to the main point of the slide. A simple example is the 3D pie chart, where the 3D dimension is irrelevant and visually cluttering.

To my amazement, I've met "professionals" in busines who use gratuitous graphics see them as the *sine qua non* of professional presentations. Doh!

This is the same sort of vapid thinking that leads to writing in endless streams of buzzwords:

"We will maximize the strategic leverage of our value-adding stakeholders to achieve network synergy." Huh?

posted February 4, 2008

Are you seeing the same theme as I? PowerPoint... or the presenter behind the PowerPoints?

Where would you put the blame? If you ask me, I have to say it lies with the presenter. For example, Mike Futty points out the general rule that a C-level presentation should have five or less slides. Anything more and you are wasting some pretty valuable time.

And... Wayne Botha, author of "Dodging the Bullet Points" suggests there is no need for text on a Power Point slide. Why would you put it there, when you can convey that text with more power, persuasion, and punctuation than any slide could. Let them them hear YOUR conviction and determination in that message. Don't leave it up to your slide to do it for you.

Links:

• http://www.powerfulpresentationsalliance.com
• http://www.worldchampionsedge.com/edge/index.cfm?affiliateid=939
• http://profcs.com/app/?af=551965

Michael C. also suggests these experts on this topic:

• Wayne B.
• Craig S.
• Mike F.

posted February 5, 2008