I finally had to write about it. You may have seen a few posts by others and the news media about Meetings and Events Australia banning PowerPoint from its meetings. Big deal! According to the group if you are using PowerPoint how well do you really know your material. Sorry, if that’s the reason it is a really one sided stupid comment. I have seen some great presentations using PowerPoint where the speaker really knew their material, exceptional well, and the PowerPoint just made the presentation richer, more interesting and for me a more visual experience. Watch a few TED talks on-line and you will soon see that those presenters who choose to use PowerPoint still know their content and still do a great job of presenting.
You can have both. Great presentations and PowerPoint. What has surprised me by all the comment is that no-one has questioned Meetings and Events Australia’s decision. The more I read the more I think this is a publicity exercise for an organisation that is most likely struggling against the digital world and falling attendances. Banning good (good is important as opposed to crappy,boring bullet points) PowerPoint will probably have the opposite effect. Why take away a tool that can enhance your presentation. We all know the power of the visual.
What I would rather see is a debate about what is a great presentation and some examples of that rather than this endless PowerPoint is bad debate.
Everything in life has the potential to enhance if used appropriately and detract if used poorly. PowerPoint is no different. Use it well and your presentations will be enhanced and your audience will respect you for it.
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