Just got back from a company sales meeting from Orlando, and I am more convinced than ever that PowerPoint is the scourge of corporate communications. I don't want to READ what you're saying; I want to hear YOU! I want to see your body language, I want to hear your nuances, I want to feel your emotion. I want to feel your passion, not be slowed down by seeing your words on a large screen.
One of the most effective moments of the meeting was a manager with a wig, a guitar and a harmonica, singing a song called "The Backorder Blues." The guy received a standing ovation afterwards, and no PowerPoint could have enhanced that message. I hear Toastmaster speeches at least three days a month, and I study the award-winning speeches. Some of these rise to the best oratory that I hear, and they generally don't contain PowerPoint. How can PowerPoint add to a touching story of a mother losing her child to a hospital-acquired infection? To a hillarious speech about being on a yacht for the first time? To a coherent message for an organization going forward? They cannot. At best, they are superfluous. At worst, they're distracting.
Please, corporate America, go cold turkey on these things and trust your ability to move an audinence yourself. If you don't have confidence, then get it by practicing or hiring a coach. Rest assured that you will stand out for being the person who does not rely on this tool of the devil.
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Pat,
ReplyDeleteI have been the victim of many a mind-numbing PowerPoint presentation. And, to my undying shame, must admit to being the perpetrator of such abominations on occasion.
However, I think you hit the nail on the head with your last sentence. PowerPoint is a tool. (I will leave the topic of Satan's ownership alone.) Like any tool, it can be used for good or ill. With a good framing hammer, I can build you a house, or I can bash your brains in. With PowerPoint, I can dramatically illustrate a salient point, or I can bludgeon you into a stupor with one bullet-point riddled screen after another.
I believe the problem arises when we forget the old adage; Machines should work; People should think. PowerPoint is so slick and snazzy that we begin to equate it with intelligence, and forget to use our own.
Rob Walsh
Right on Pat! During my Workshops, I ask my clients, "Who do you consider to be an outstanding speaker, past or present?" Responses often include MLK, JFK, Bill Clinton, Barbara Jordan, etc. Then I ask, "What do you recall about their PowerPoint slides?" This gets a chuckle.
ReplyDeletePowerPoint is useless when it contains power-sentences and power-paragraphs. It CAN be a useful support tool when containing simple graphics. For an example, please see
http://thepresenterscoach.blogspot.com
I welcome your thoughts! TPC
It's not PowerPoint that sucks it's the skills of the people using them that suck! In a situation like this 1 or 2 well placed PowerPoint slides that maybe have a picture or an illustration could enhance the effect.
ReplyDeleteI've seen it done. There was a presentation that had a picture of a child and the other an illustration of an eagle. It really hit home with me.
But I do agree that PP is a tool and it can be a truly powerful one if used properly.
Greg Gazin - Toastcaster www.toastcaster.com