Powerpoint
Great phrase, eh? :) How many times have you heard someone say “I’m going to Powerpoint”? It’s jargon that would-be presenters use which means
I’m going to bore people
Seriously.
The problem is that seem to think that the presentation consists of the slides and that using Powerpoint software is what they should be doing when they present.
Wrong.
When you present, what you should be doing is presenting.
If that involves using Powerpoint, great. If it involves using theatre lighting and semi-naked dancing girls, great (okay, okay, you know what I mean!) If it involves a flipchart only, great. The point is that you should be doing what the audience needs you to do, not what you need to do.
It goes without saying that Powerpoint can be a powerful tool and there are some great presentations created using it. Indeed some presentations can only work with it. (Inconvenient Truth, anyone?) The point is it’s a powerful tool, not a process, not a system, not (often) even a good idea.
A gun is a powerful tool. Sure you can do good things with it but it’s much easier to do bad things with it. You’d not take a gun out and start using it in public without knowing the basics of how to use it, would you? The pointy-end goes towards the opposition and if you don’t want to shoot it, don’t point at it. Simple.
So why do so many people fire up Powerpoint and start pointing it, dangerously, at an audience? They’re called bullet-points for a reason, I suspect! :)
So here’s some simple questions to ask yourself about using Powerpoint – should I or shouldn’t I? They’re not definitive and everyone’s mileage will differ, of course, but if your first instinct is to say “Good points but I’m different…” may I politely remeind you that I’ve heard that a lot more times than it’s been true! :)
- Assuming there is an intersection between what the audience needs to know and what you know about, is the material suitable for Powerpoint? (If there isn’t an intersection, shut up and sit down!)
- If it’s suitable for Powerpoint, is it also suitable for other media? (Ask this lots of times, once for each possible medium such as flipcharts, just talking, handing out iPads or PDFs etc.)
- If your content is suitable for several media, which is it best suited for?
- If it’s suited for Powerpoint or any other media, are you technically competent with that medium?
- If it’s a draw and you can’t decide what medium to use, how can you apply Occam’s Razor to use the most simple?
- If you’re thinking about Powerpoint (despite all the above questions) is it possible that you’re biased because you’ve been influenced by the fact that either (a) everyone else does it/expects it or (b) you’re using it as a crutch/prop/script?
It’s not Rocket Science – honestly it’s not! All you’ve got to do is be honest with your self – and yes, I know, honestly is difficult! It’s like dieting – just because it’s simple (eat less and exercise more is all there is to it!) doesn’t mean it’s easy! ;)
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PS: I’ve used the word Powerpoint here, but the same principles apply to proper presentation software, too! :)
