The article below has gone viral, providing ammo for folks who dislike Powerpoint presentations.
To me — an avid Powerpointer — the argument is downright laughable.
It’s a bad idea to get somebody to organize their thoughts and present them in a logical sequence? Better to let them ramble aimlessly and hide behind undocumented points-of-view?
If there’s not enough information for deep understanding, then demand it ! There’s plenty of space on a Powerpoint slide and in appendices.
Takes too much time to prepare? Try writing a 5 or 10 page memo. Knock it out in less time? Call me skeptical.
You think Powerpoint pitches are mind-numbing? Then what do you think about windy teleprompter speeches?
As the saying goes: slides don’t kill, people do …
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Excerpted from NY Times: We Have Met the Enemy and He Is PowerPoint, April 26, 2010
PowerPoint has crept into the daily lives of military commanders and reached the level of near obsession.
“PowerPoint makes us stupid,” says Gen. James N. Mattis of the Marine Corps, the Joint Forces commander.
Brig. Gen. H. R. McMaster banned PowerPoint presentations … and likens PowerPoint to an internal threat.
“It’s dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control … Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable.”
In General McMaster’s view, PowerPoint’s worst offense is … rigid lists of bullet points that take no account of interconnected forces.
Behind all the PowerPoint jokes are serious concerns that the program stifles discussion, critical thinking and thoughtful decision-making.
“Death by PowerPoint,” the phrase used to described the numbing sensation that accompanies a 30-slide briefing, seems here to stay.
Commanders say that the slides impart less information than a five-page paper can hold, and that they relieve the briefer of the need to polish writing to convey an analytic, persuasive point. Imagine lawyers presenting arguments before the Supreme Court in slides instead of legal briefs.
No one is suggesting that PowerPoint is to blame for mistakes in the current wars, but the program did become notorious during the prelude to the invasion of Iraq.
Full article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/world/27powerpoint.html?emc=eta1
The Homa Files 
May 3, 2010 at 1:35 pm |
Powerpoint is a tool with leverage and leverage magnifies strengths and weaknesses.
I’ve never seen the issue to be the tool but the a of structured thinking or poor communications skills – and PowerPoint ruthlessly exposes those gaps.
May 13, 2010 at 4:55 pm |
Chris is right, with the unfortunate reality that 95% of the time it is magnifying weakness. People criticize management consultants, but one thing everyone seems to agree on is that we know how to make good looking slides/decks.
For the majority of business people that don’t interact with us, they are awash in a sea of powerpoint mediocrity.
It’s not solely their fault – PowerPoint fails to “nudge” people to good behaviors, and companies themselves don’t provide good “nudging” or (appropriate) training.