Comments on: How (Not) to Present with PowerPoint

By: Nestor,T.

Nestor,T. — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:16:55 +0000

This was such a helpful site, and quess what, I managed to score 100% for a clinical science presentation at university. Thank you. x

By: Laura Christianson

Laura Christianson — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:53:27 +0000

I laughed out loud (multiple times) during this video – thanks for sharing it. I’m embedding it on my own blog Monday. Perfect timing, too, as I’m finalizing six PowerPoint presentations for a conference I’ll be teaching at next week.

Over the years (and through making many PowerPoint bloopers myself), I’ve learned that “less is more.” I try to accompany an hour-long presentation with five slides (10 max), all of which feature large images and very little type. Images really resonate with my audience, especially if I key in on a visual that helps them remember my spoken content. So far, it seems to be working.

By: Michele

Michele — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:57:31 +0000

I often present to group such as engineers, and I find that these are very visual people; I started out with PowerPoint – mindful of Don’s video of course – which was marginally successful; and now I’m back to butcher’s paper and flip charts!

This simple aid allows me to talk them through the diagrams step by step with a much higher recal factor.

I could think of nothing worse than going into these situations with a PowerPoint presentations crammed with info. I believe less is best, and the equipment should never replace the presenter

By: Steve Sipress

Steve Sipress — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:37:24 +0000

This video is great. It shows exactly what one sees at most PowerPoint presentations. I wish more could see.

By: Frank S. Adamo

Frank S. Adamo — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:48:53 +0000

Todd, I disagree with you, at least partly, on both points. First, you said, in the last sentence of point 1, “The exaggerated examples were the best part for me.” That was the entire purpose of the video. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of the video (I’ve watched it multiple times) because Don’s examples are not really exaggerated examples for many presenters. Unfortunately, these are real examples for many. You listed the points that Don was making. Au contraire, the points you listed were exactly what we should NOT be doing.

In point 2, you said, “The art to presenting evidence is to get as much data as possible to reveal the real complexity of the situation, in as simple a single visuallization as possible.”

With due respect, I really have to disagree with this. Technical professionals do this all the time. I know, having an M.S. degree in analytical chemistry and 20 years in the computer industry, I’ve seen many over-burdening charts and slides. The presentations may be technically enriching, but poorly and boringly delivered. As Bill pointed out, the papers are the place for all the details, charts, and other supporting data. The presentation should highlight the benefits of the research, etc., not to deliver all the complicated details of a research project, etc.

I do hope you reconsider Don’s video and realize that the entire presentation was a satire of INeffective presentations.

The very best to you.

Frank

By: pierre

pierre — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:16:16 +0000

Thanks for your comments Todd. I think its probably best to make sure visuals support the message. Thank you. I look forward to hear from you again.

By: John Feeney

John Feeney — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:52:13 +0000

Comedy has it’s value, if the audience can remember the point. Nice lunch time break, thanks.

By: Jane Jude

Jane Jude — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:44:18 +0000

Enjoying your site . . . a small correction: Challenger burned up shortly after lift-off. The engineers at Morton Thiokol who were concerned about O-ring safety in a cold weather launch faxed charts and tables to NASA. We can’t blame this one on PowerPoint, but we can all strive to avoid making the same mistakes. An excerpt from Dr. Edward Tufte’s splendid book, Visual Explanations is at:
http://www.asktog.com/books/challengerExerpt.html

By: Bill

Bill — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:40:10 +0000

Hi Todd

PowerPoint is not the best medium for presenting a mass of very technical data. Paper is, especially if the subject is mission critical

An example of this is the ill-fated Challenger voyage that burned on re-entry. Engineers presented their reports as powerpoint slides instead of formal reports, causing vague unresolved issues. This is an interesting account. http://y.az.sl.pt

Cheers
Bill

By: presentation-skills.biz

presentation-skills.biz — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:47:53 +0000

Thanks for your comments Todd. I take your point , but I think its probably best to accept that the comedy routine on PowerPoint is just that – a comedy routine. It wasn’t a business presentation. I also agree that the exaggerated examples were excellent.

The key point I think with visuals is to ensure that they support your message and help you achieve whatever you want to get out of the presentation. If they are too detailed or complex and the audience cant understand them we fail. Sometimes its fairly easy to create highly effective visuals which achieve that purpose. Other times as you point out it can take a lot of creative thought to produce visuals in highly technical presentations that are fit for purpose.

All the best and look forward to hear from you again.