I’m absolutely passionate about this subject. My view is this: PowerPoint® is a fantastic tool IF it’s used correctly as a “Visual Aid” and the clue here is in the title: “Visual” (as in images and pictures – a picture tells thousand words – so don’t put a thousand words on a slide) and “Aid” (but for the audience – not the speaker.) The reason PowerPoint® has a bad name is because so many speakers are just lazy – they simply type up their script and then proceed to read it out, usually turned away (like a moth to a flame, speakers gaze lovingly at the screen) from the audience making no eye-contact whatsoever.

A well chosen image, graph or chart can help an audience understand a concept, but projecting words at them doesn’t. Here’s why – if I project the word “clock” at an audience they don’t see a clock – they merely hear the word “clock” said to them. They can’t listen to two things at once so they will “tune out” either the speaker or the projected word. As the speaker has their back to the audience and is also gazing at the screen it is invariably the speaker who is ignored.

As I say PowerPoint® can be a fantastic tool – but so’s a Smith & Wesson, in the wrong hands it can be devastating. That’s why you hear the phrase “Death by PowerPoint®” or as Dilbert sometimes calls it “PowerPoint® Poisoning” uttered by delegates leaving a conference hall.

What amazes me, when pointing out the shortcomings of PowerPoint®, is people’s ability to rationalise:
“Yes, but it’s expected that we embrace modern technology.”
“But, the slides are also the handouts.”
“But it’s the industry standard.”
“But our brand communications department won’t let us put pictures in” As if those are good enough reasons to bore an audience witless and send people to sleep!

Ken’s Top Ten Tips for using PowerPoint®

1.Maximum 20 words over maximum 5 lines (words in company logos add to the count.)

2.Use Sans Serif fonts only: Arial, Verdana, Tahoma.

3.Fill the screen with a picture – but don’t use clipart (everyone’s seen it before.)

4.Keep it simple: get rid of superfluous information such as slide numbers, strap-lines, logos.

5.Limit use of distracting animations.

6.Pressing “B” for Black on the keyboard during a slide show blanks the screen – give the audience a rest from it every now and then. (Hitting any key brings it back to life again.)

7.Use the monitor rather than looking back at the screen – give the audience eye-contact.

8.Try rehearsing a few times – that’ll reduce your reliance on the screen.

9.Learn to use a flipchart – they’re fab.

10.Get some training on how to present with flair, passion and power.

The objective of PowerPoint ( or flip chart or any other sort of visual aid - e.g. Richard’s water jug) is to help get the point across. Otherwise the only point people get is “this presenter is useless”.

Also - how many know about how to find slide numbers or blank the screen using the keyboard? Underused components!

A good Denny trainer would NOT read all the words and only the words.
A good Denny trainer would not fill words in capital letters.
A good Denny trainer would not rely on just pie charts blah, blah…
A good Denny trainer would have slides as support and know he or she is the main focal point of contact.
A good Denny trainer encourages participation and doesn’t have ‘people at the back falling alseep’

Powerpoint is rather like a loaded gun - in the wrong hands it can be very dangerous indeed. But it doesn’t make the gun bad, just the holder.

So in the same way Powerpoint can be very effective if used well in the right hands. the problem is that powerpoint has many facilities, add ons and whistles and gizmos. People tend to use these to the point of distraction because they either don’t know their subject or they are too presenter centred.

My view? I don’t agree in principle. I dare say if you get the wrong professor he/she can be boring and unengaging. I dare say the writer of this article would say he isn’t like that.