Presence or PowerPoint: Why PowerPoint has become a cliché

Abstract

Purpose

During the 12 years that I have specialized as a trainer in presentation skills, I have witnessed the erosion of the most powerful presentation tools i.e. presence and passion. PowerPoint has become the dullard's crutch, giving some the illusion that they are adequate presenters.

Design/methodology/approach

The article illustrates that PowerPoint is most often used inappropriately. This is an observation based on the author's experience of thousands of presentations made by individuals from a wide range of organizations in the public and private sectors. The paper suggests the best ways to use PowerPoint and suggests alternatives. It also indicates the most important considerations a presenter should have when designing a presentation.

Findings

From my experience and observations it is clear that speakers who seek to enthuse and entertain are those who gain the best results. Regrettably, continual use of PowerPoint rarely has this impact.

Practical implications

Speakers need to relegate PowerPoint to a subordinate role when planning their presentations. They may find it a useful tool for illustrations and to reinforce a bold fact or statistic, but the author's advice is to avoid bullet points and consider more inventive ways to make key points, e.g. props, stories, demonstrations and, especially, audience involvement.

Originality/value

The article is invaluable to all who are required to communicate via presentations. It is a wake‐up call to ask them to consider their reliance on PowerPoint and alternatives that may help them to be more effective. The article confronts the commonly held belief by the majority of employees and teachers, that PowerPoint is a sine qua non during the delivery of information to groups.

Citation

Ellwood, J. (2005), "Presence or PowerPoint: Why PowerPoint has become a cliché", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 19 No. 3, pp. 12-14. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777280510590022