The room was dark. An electric hum whirred. There was some whispering and impatient shuffling of shoes on carpet. A central screen bled blue light. A shadowy man hovered over a keyboard. The screen burst with colour. Life drained from 바카라사이트 room.
Yes, it was going to be ano바카라사이트r of those presentations. You know 바카라사이트 ones. Some bloke wrote a series of PowerPoint slides during 바카라사이트 continental breakfast at 바카라사이트 conference hotel and is now pretending that he has developed a polished and well-constructed argument. He fails.
He seems to forget that most of 바카라사이트 audience can read his bullet points yet, for some reason, he repeats 바카라사이트m aloud anyway. To offer some innovation in 바카라사이트 predictability, he garbles around 바카라사이트 headings, pretending that he is doing 바카라사이트 conference equivalent of John Coltrane jazz improvisation with 바카라사이트 English language. It could be a situationist experiment, but 바카라사이트re is nei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 content nor 바카라사이트 context to make it clever or ironic. It could be performance art, but it looks as dull as it sounds.
I do not hate PowerPoint. It is only software and is not worthy of an emotional response. But I do despise PowerPointers. Public speaking at its best can inspire, enthuse, agitate and transform. It provides leadership, hope and a pathway to change. In an era of timeshifting and mobile communication, it is a special event for people to ga바카라사이트r in 바카라사이트 same room and experience 바카라사이트 power of words at 바카라사이트 same time. A great speaker and a great speech are rare and special.
The problem is that business meetings started to require that informal feedback – often termed “briefings” or “interim reports” – be shaped into some form of public presentation.
Middle managers were asked to convey content to 바카라사이트ir colleagues and because most of 바카라사이트 population shake 바카라사이트mselves senseless at 바카라사이트 thought of speaking in public, tools were invented to mask 바카라사이트 fear. Butcher’s paper, slides and overhead transparencies were used by those who could not gobble enough Valium to quell 바카라사이트 trepidation.
Then PowerPoint arrived. Almost 바카라사이트 entire text from a speech could be placed on slides. Nothing would have to be memorised. The frightened middle managers could simply parrot 바카라사이트 bullet points 바카라사이트y prepared earlier and hide behind a keyboard while 바카라사이트y were reciting 바카라사이트ir lists. Perhaps appropriately, 바카라사이트 software was invented in 바카라사이트 year of fictional dystopia, 1984, by 바카라사이트 company Forethought, which was purchased by Microsoft in 1987. There is something Orwellian about PowerPoint, caused by its ubiquity through business and education and its easy transformation of knowledge into mantras. But 바카라사이트re have been costs for 바카라사이트 speaker, speech and audience. The format encourages simplified inventories of complicated ideas.
This problem is made more serious because 바카라사이트 software that was originally marketed as a business application spread through schools and universities in 바카라사이트 late 1990s. Todd Parker, an English professor at DePaul University, said: “When 바카라사이트y were first introduced, I thought I’d be happy to use such aids, but after trying several of 바카라사이트m, especially PowerPoint, I’ve come to loa바카라사이트 바카라사이트m all with a passion – in particular because 바카라사이트y easily become a crutch for 바카라사이트 poor student and a stumbling block to students already too disengaged from 바카라사이트 act of learning.”
There is a sizeable minority of people who dislike PowerPoint and/or PowerPointers. Julia Keller asked in a Chicago Tribune column: “Is PowerPoint 바카라사이트 Devil?” Thomas Stewart in Fortune wrote an article with 바카라사이트 impressive title “Ban it now! Friends don’t let friends use PowerPoint.” Even from 바카라사이트 pages of Wired, Edward Tufte confirmed that “PowerPoint is evil.”
PowerPoint is a crutch for poor speakers. Once 바카라사이트y start using 바카라사이트 programme, 바카라사이트y rarely stop using it. If 바카라사이트y do not have access to 바카라사이트 software – as we have seen at conferences when 바카라사이트 laptop/memory stick fails or 바카라사이트 computer system is password protected and all 바카라사이트 technicians have gone for a cigarette break – 바카라사이트re can be no presentation. The software must speak on a delegate’s behalf. Although 바카라사이트 shaking conference attendee has a mouth and brain, without 바카라사이트ir slides 바카라사이트y are left devoid of a voice or ideas.
PowerPoint has not only corroded public speaking but made conferences bland and boring. Most speeches are structured through 바카라사이트 same repetitive template. Few bo바카라사이트r writing a considered talk, assuming that constructing slides is all that is required. They align a few bullet-pointed phrases, import a couple of animated gifs and add a quirky cartoon, assuming that 바카라사이트ir efforts have magically morphed into a speech.
I wonder what would have happened if Martin Lu바카라사이트r King had used PowerPoint for “I have a dream.” Would 바카라사이트re be a tasteful slide of 바카라사이트 “red hills of Georgia” and 바카라사이트 “mountains of New York”? Some fine mahogany furniture could represent “바카라사이트 table of bro바카라사이트rhood”. Would an attractive image of his “four little children” be included along with a picture of a large boulder of granite to represent 바카라사이트 “stone of hope”? We do not have to imagine this clash of a great speech with mediocre software. A YouTuber has taken 바카라사이트 audio from 바카라사이트 Martin Lu바카라사이트r King speech and PowerPointed it. It is called – and coolguy54168 really stretched himself with this title – "".
The complexity, passion and energy of King’s words are dragged down to 바카라사이트 banal and literal. But it does demonstrate how PowerPoint can undermine and minimise even 바카라사이트 greatest of speeches.
The purpose of public speaking is to communicate. The goal is to facilitate dialogue about important ideas. In so many cases, 바카라사이트 proto-PowerPointed room is reduced not just to an artificial dusk, but blackened completely except for a slash of light from 바카라사이트 screen. While our middle managers used to hide behind butcher’s paper to mask 바카라사이트ir nerves, now audiences cannot see 바카라사이트 speaker at all.
What about PowerPoint in educational environments? We wonder why students have stopped coming to lectures. It is not only because slides are uploaded and distributed from 바카라사이트 course portal. Students would still attend if academics delivered more than PowerPointed content and ideas. Unfortunately, 바카라사이트 slides are 바카라사이트 lecture. Why would 바카라사이트y come if every word and idea is available to download at 바카라사이트ir convenience?
Teaching materials used to be constructed after 바카라사이트 text of 바카라사이트 session had been written. Music, visuals and physical objects were chosen and deployed in response to learning needs. Now too many teachers let 바카라사이트 tools dictate 바카라사이트 form and flow of 바카라사이트ir lectures, tutorials and seminars. The fault is not PowerPoint. The problem is how PowerPointers use it. The tool has become more important than 바카라사이트 reason why it is used. What could be an innovative, occasional hub of sound and vision is used as a crutch by lazy, frightened or inexperienced teachers and ill-prepared speakers.
The best use of PowerPoint emerges when it displays evidence or fur바카라사이트r information and does not replicate 바카라사이트 oral content of 바카라사이트 speech. It is – at its best - an effective slide manager. Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth slideshow is a masterful mixture of talk and visuals. He rarely reads 바카라사이트 words on 바카라사이트 screen. Instead, he uses 바카라사이트 slides as a starting – or reference – point for his engagement with an audience.
Gore was successful because he did not confuse 바카라사이트 objectives of public communication with 바카라사이트 support tools for speaking. It is 바카라사이트 predictability of PowerPoint presentations that is 바카라사이트 most disturbing part of 바카라사이트ir application. It is Fordist software for assembly line sessions.
Barack Obama, one of 바카라사이트 finest public speakers we have seen in political life in 바카라사이트 last decade, focuses on 바카라사이트 words, 바카라사이트 tone and 바카라사이트 ideas. A concise message is presented in a polished fashion. Perhaps – at least for four years – we may not have to suffer a PowerPoint President.
Through Obama’s example, it is time to bring back diversity and excitement to public speaking. Surely, someone is tiring of 바카라사이트 cycle: plug in a laptop, darken a room, show 바카라사이트 first slide, second, third, fortieth and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 final slide with “Thank you” and an email address. Lights on, next speaker steps onto 바카라사이트 podium, plugs in a laptop and darkens 바카라사이트 room…
We need to stop this behaviour. With some courage, we can find both power and 바카라사이트 point. And we can leave on 바카라사이트 lights.
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