See it, hear it – not the death of powerpoint

Very good article over on Presentation Zen: Is it finally time to ditch PowerPoint?

The actionable take aways and triggered thoughts for me:

• The research referenced is a good confirmation that it makes sense to draw a diagram (or create something visual) when talking with people. It helps to create focus. It also assists people who work visually rather than verbally, and speeds knowledge transfer.
• PowerPoint slides full of words are counter productive. I so often see PowerPoint used instead of a real document, when people are too lazy or scared to produce one. Text heavy slides take people’s attention away from what is being said…
• Never loose your audience to the slide, by putting up a screenful of text! I see this happen over and over. Huge slide of text. Audience lost READING, no longer LISTENING.
• Don’t read a word heavy slide to you audience. It can come across as insulting. Remember…
• The slides are there to support the speaker. The speaker is not there to support the slides!

I love the picture of a slide at a conference half way down the page. It is used as an example of poor PowerPoint use – I think might have I sat in on that presentation! Much of what is written there applies to communicating even when you are not the kind of person who uses PowerPoint.

The WOWNDADI Blog by Benjamin@redcatco

Benjamin Ellis combines a background in technology and marketing with applied psychology, delivering a people-centric approach to technology. Posts here cover productivity, communication, technology and leadership. As Redcatco's CMO and Principal, he consults and speaks about social technologies in the workplace. Benjamin can be reached via email or followed on Twitter: @BenjaminEllis. If you enjoy the posts, please do follow the blog.