Comments on: PPT = All Wrong?

By: RaginCajun

RaginCajun — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:41:10 +0000

This fall I attended a presentation on using Flash in library websites. Rather than using a typical Powerpoint presentation, the person made a presentation using Flash. It was dynamic and engaging.

By: Yomiko

Yomiko — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 01:13:53 +0000

BTW, Tufte has a number of message threads on his website re: PPT, e.g.

http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0002PP

There are also more humorous presentations of the downside of Powerpoint (presumably by avoiding common mistakes you end up with something at least moderately effective):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLpjrHzgSRM

By: Yomiko Readman

Yomiko Readman — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:05:54 +0000

I remember when the anti-PPT camp first gained ground. Edward Tufte’s thoughts on elegant and effective presentation of data were a big part of the discussion. His seminars are rather expensive, but I’ve been told you get most of the same points covered in his books, which are beautifully produced:

http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_vdqi

By: Steve Casburn

Steve Casburn — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 07:40:55 +0000

Nicole: I avoid PPT whenever possible because it distracts more than it aids (I do like the point made in #6 above, though). My preference is to talk directly to the audience from notes, give a detailed handout, and bring GIF or JPEG files for any necessary images.

By: joan

joan — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 11:39:32 +0000

I haven’t been to many good job talks that didn’t include a PPT presentation. The thing isn’t to avoid PPT, but to use it well. Just because people use a tool poorly doesn’t mean mean it’s a poor tool.

The blog Presentation Zen has great ideas on good uses of PPT:
http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 01:35:03 +0000

I look at it this way: when you present you are multi-casting - you are delivering information to a group of people simultaneously. To some of the people, your voice is enough, others need to see your face or your body language too (big reason not to use podiums BTW while still others like to see the image on the screen via PPT as well.

There is no right or wrong way IMHO - there is your message and the audience - the trick is to use any and every technique to connect these two. The choice of techniques has as much to do with the audience as it does with you the presenter.

hope this is helpful
Jonathan

By: Nicole

Nicole — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:35:31 +0000

I use that all of the time - but not everyone does.

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:06:23 +0000

The best Powerpoint presentations I’ve seen have supported the presentation with a sort of “Chapter Heading” and an illustrative image of some sort, and nothing else. Keeps the audience focused on what the speaker’s talking about, but doesn’t substitute for listening.

Nicole, PPT does have that notes feature if you want something you can print out or post for people to read afterwards. That’s the way I’d go.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:14:37 +0000

Cool - I started a good conversation. So the gist is - we can use PPT, just use it wisely. This is going to lead to another rant of mine - I also do not like slides with a ton of text on them - but sometimes use them for people who will be reading the presentation without me speaking at a later date … how do make our presentations valuable to those who can’t be at the event? Or should be even have to?

By: decasm

decasm — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:49:17 +0000

For most people, PPT and it’s ilk are a crutch. They spare the speaker the burden of being the real focus of the audience’s attention. They concentrate on the wall, and only occasionally look over to the speaker/slide reader. Far too few people become accustomed to, to say nothing of skilled at, public speaking, and PPT allows unskilled speakers to muddle through a presentation. There are also people who just don’t know any better. PPT is de rigueur in many contexts, so they just dump all their information into slides.

Of course, the technology in-and-of itself isn’t bad. There are plenty of people who know that the slides are a secondary tool that reinforces and enhances what they’re saying, and not a substitution for actually having something to say.

For amusement, The Gettysburg Powerpoint Presentation

By: Dynamic Librarian

Dynamic Librarian — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 19:29:05 +0000

The speaker should set the pace, says the above comment. I agree. If a presenter uses PPT wisely, he/she will use the feature that enables text to show up when the presenter wants it. So, no slides will show up with a ton of text at the beginning. Again, we get back to wise use.

Above all, make sure to speak to the audience and make your presentation interactive on as many occasions as you can. Make folks laugh every few minutes, just to make sure they are paying attention.

By: August

August — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 19:23:11 +0000

PPT destroys the setting. We have developed to receive certain information in certain ways, and the speech is reminiscent of the story-teller. I can cram in much more information in an hour if I just read it, but there is a real benefit to seeing and hearing someone talk it through. Even if the delivery is extremely dry, the audience still gets to see how the speaker puts the story together.

PPT is a screen, and people usually put way to many words on that screen. We immediately read all of the words, then the speaker usually says the words aloud. This tricks us into believing we already know everything that he or she is saying. The audience feels like it is just waiting for the speaker to catch up.

The speaker should set the pace. Text on the screen is not good at all. Sometimes pictures, graphs, and other visual aids are helpful, but the use of such thing should be weighed against the flow of the speech. If the speaker is speaking about a subject and has to start talking about a picture or a graph, the pace of the speech has changed. It’s not a terrible thing, but if you don’t pay attention to how many stops you are taking, you’ll never get to where you want to go to in the end. (I am talking mainly about audience comprehension here.)

By: walt crawford

walt crawford — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 19:03:55 +0000

The third option: Have something worthwhile to say, and say it–talking to people, not reading from a script. (Notes, yes. Script, no.)

That’s how I’ve done 95% of my speeches over the years. (The other 5% actually needed something visual to work.)

Actually, though, I think I agree with your penultimate paragraph. The problem with PPT is usually that people use it as a way to avoid actually speaking to people–they speak to their PPT presentations instead. But that’s not always the case.

And, of course, people with Hot PPT Skillz are doing loads of speaking and I’m basically off the circuit–so what do I know?