Is PowerPoint Evil
I came upon a blog — I can’t find it now, I’m looking for it — that asked the question: Is PowerPoint evil?
That’s not the question.
There are actually three questions that need to be asked:
- Is PowerPoint a good tool?
- Is PowerPoint a well-used tool?
- Is PowerPoint the right tool?
I’ll address all three questions in future posts. But in brief I think it’s an adequate tool that can be used well (though it is most often used poorly) and that is the right tool for a limited number of applications (though it is frequently used for every sort of presentation.)
Before I say more, what are your thoughts?
September 20th, 2010 at 12:44 am
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September 21st, 2010 at 6:44 am
Hi, Chris
PowerPoint is not evil but the users make it evil, sometimes without realizing it. PowerPoint can be compared to Karaoke. People no longer learn the basic skill of reading musical notes and following the rhythm.
Real speakers hate PowerPoint, but those who don’t know how to speak like it. At least they can give a presentation with the help of PowerPoint. Likewise, real singers hate karaoke, but those who don’t know how to sing can sing without having to go through formal singing classes. The quality suffers in both situations, of course.
Suddenly, it looks like everyone can give a presenation. Sad to note that. PowerPoint is powerful but many users misuse it.
I don’t find the software evil but I hope many people are willing to come up with their ideas first before they think about which parts need the support of slides.
October 28th, 2010 at 11:10 am
I don’t think a software program can be “evil”, but I’d agree wholeheartedly with the points made in your brief blog post.
The problems are that it is overused and is used badly. Its also not designed well, but has got better over the years.
There seems to be an expectation that you have to use slideware for every type of presentation. It can be a crutch for presenters (too often used as prompts) but I also think that audiences expect that slides will be used
I carry out a lot of small group teaching and training and although I use Powerpoint, its a passive tool its not the best approach where you want to be interactive and draw out points from your trainee/students. These days I try to restrict its use and use other tools and approaches – like the good old whiteboard /flip chart. Last week I was leading a 3 day course and didn’t use the projector once. A refreshing change
November 4th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Mike,
You’re right. Using slideware has become the expectation, whether or not it’s the right tool to use. A lot of presentations I’ve been to would have been more effective if the speaker had used a flip chart or handouts. (I’m glad you’re still using them.)
I admire you for conducting a 3-day course without using PowerPoint!
As you say, people do expect presenters to use PowerPoint. Each time I speak, the meeting planner asks me to send my slides in advance. Which is strange, considering my book is titled, Real Leaders Don’t Do PowerPoint. But I’ve never had anyone in the audience complain that I didn’t use it. Most of the time people thank me.
March 14th, 2011 at 6:12 am
I think you have to ask yourself, “Would this presentation be better, or worse, if the speaker used PowerPoint?”
I recently judged a business case competition, where I sat at a table while teams of high school students sat across from me and presented their business plans. Some of them spoke without visual aids, some used visual aids – often hand-drawn lists of bullet points. Personally, it was easier to follow the presentations that had visual aids. I think it helped the presenters get organized and stay focused as well.
I’ve been to many presentations that didn’t use PowerPoint and I was often lost. When my daughter started a new school, each of the teachers stood and gave an overview of their class. The speakers rambled, did not seem to be driving to any particular point and were not engaging or animated enough to keep me interested. If my attention wandered for a few moments, by the time I found my way back, I had no idea where the speaker was. I prayed for those presentations to end.
PowerPoint can be misused. But so can verbal presentations. There are definitely times speakers should not use slides, like when they’re rallying the troops or introducing some disruptive change. But when you’re leading a workshop, showing investors your sales potential or educating your peers on your marketing strategy, it’s difficult to do that verbally. Slides, even boring slides, help.
March 14th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Bruce,
I agree with your question — “Would this presentation be better, or worse, if the speaker used PowerPoint?” — but I would ask a number of questions first.
Question 1: Is a presentation the best way to communicate my message? (There’s an assumption today — an erroneous one, to my thinking — that all material should be presented in an oral presentation.)
Question 2: What is my purpose in presenting this information? Am I using it to support my main point? Or do I want people to understand, remember, and make use of it?
Question 3: How much information can I communicate to this particular audience in the time available? How can I eliminate important but non-essential elements?
Question 4: What is the simplest, clearest way of structuring the essential information?
Question 5: What is the best way of visually displaying this information? PowerPoint is one way. There are others: black/white boards, flip charts, handouts, demonstrations, etc.
Then your question.
I find that most people give their presentations about 5 minutes of thought before turning on PowerPoint and “populating slides.” They’re usually a mess, not just because their slides are poorly designed, but because their message is a muddle. No wonder they get lost and no wonder their audiences check out.
I agree with you. When leading a workshop, showing investors your sales potential, or educating peers, you have to use some sort of visual aid, like PowerPoint.
Thanks for your comments.