Critiques of PowerPoint
PowerPoint is a presentation software and part of the Microsoft Office Suite. Each page or "slide" within PowerPoint can utilize text, graphics, video, audio and animated transitions to ultimately support a live presentation or become its own self-contained media. PowerPoint is designed to be a helpful visual aid to your message, but there are common criticisms regarding how the application is typically misused.
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Presenter-Oriented
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Yale University Professor Edward Rolf Tufte publicly criticized the presenter-oriented nature of PowerPoint in his essay "The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint." Tufte argued the program is used more often to reassure a presenter than it is to enlighten the audience. A large part of this is the "unnecessarily deep hierarchy" a presenter develops to state his point and the way he restates the hierarchy on each slide. Tufte believes a better alternative would be handouts that give readers the option to browse ahead rather than be locked into the speaker's line of thought.
Another presenter-oriented criticism is the way speakers use PowerPoint as a teleprompter. People who read their own slides miss the opportunity to connect with their audience and potentially come across as a dry communicator. This approach may also make it appear that the speaker is avoiding the task of knowing the material himself.
Overusing Bullet Points
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Presenters who share information or present a call to action may use PowerPoint's bullet points feature to support their points. Social commentator and author Seth Godin calls this a misuse of the feature, for using bullets makes it appear as if the presenter has a precise thought that defines the scope of the issue. If a presentation looks definitive, its creator may mistakenly believe a point has been made even if the listeners don't fully understand what's been presented.
Godin further argues in his book "Really Bad PowerPoint and How to Avoid It" that bullets are "unemotional" and sterile. When used in long presentations with standard templates, an opportunity is missed to create a lasting memory. An alternative approach is to find a photo or graphic that communicates the point in a single glance, such as a picture of a dead fish in a presentation about water pollution.
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Graphics
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The clip art and stock graphics that come with PowerPoint are not necessarily quality choices for your presentations. Some are designed with minimal colors due to the initial low resolution of early computer monitors. Websites that specialize in creative graphics, such as Getty Images and Veer, offer complimentary versions of photos and clip art that may convey a great professionalism to your slides.
Size
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Various branches of the military rely on PowerPoint for their briefings. A slang term for visual presentations that are too lengthy is “PowerPoint Hell,” and the person who shares it is a "PowerPoint Ranger." General James Mattis, of the U.S. Marine Corps, declared in a presentation at a 2010 military conference, "PowerPoint makes us stupid." This form of data dumping isn't limited to these venues, but it can be a part of any presentation where speakers confuse their audience by creating too many visual aids.
Management consultant Rick Linder suggests a six-by-six rule: "There should be no more than six lines of text on each slide, and no line of text should have more than six words in it." If too much information is used, people may feel like the presenter is saying they aren't smart and may become frustrated with the speaker.
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References
- University of California: PowerPoint Guide
- "The Times"; Afghanistan — The Battle for Hearts and Bullet Points; MIchael Evans; April 2010
- American Historical Association; The Promise and Pitfalls of PowerPoint; Michael W. Flamm
- Small Business Computing.com; Death by PowerPoint; Angela R. Garber; April 2001
- PCWorld; PowerPoint Hell — Don't Let This Happen to Your Next Presentation; Thomas Wailgum; March 2009
- New York Times; We Have Met the Enemy and He Is PowerPoint; Elisabeth Bumiller; April 2010
Resources
- Photo Credit Creatas/Creatas/Getty Images
