Death by Power Point

Present like Steve Jobs

http://www.bnet.com/videos/present-like-steve-jobs/192173

March 2, 2011 Steve Job announces

roll out of I-pad 2

http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/1103pijanbdvaaj/event/index.html

Gates, Jobs and the Zen Aesthetic:

http://presentationzen.blogs.com/presentationzen/2005/11/the_zen_estheti.html

One thing nearly all college students will find themselves doing from time to time is a power point presentation.  If you arrived at this blog through my e-portfolio, you can see that I have had to put together a few for my classes. 

The use of the power point application is also pretty popular in the business world.  As an employee at a local brewery, I have put together numerous presentations using power point for such uses as safety training, classroom training prior to hands on training and for use in facilitating briefings and updates in meetings.

Once someone learns the basics of power point, they can easily put together, modify and add all sorts of bells and whistles to their slides. It is also quite easy to put everything someone thinks of in a presentation, rather than editing it. Since a great deal of information can be put on the slides, many will put everything they have to say on their slides rather than then relying on good preparation.

In the video we watched in class during the sixth week, “How to Present Like Steve Jobs“, Carmine Gallo discusses the methods used by Steve Jobs in delivering effective inspiring presentations that make him an admired speaker with many followers.  On his blog "Presentation Zen", Garr Reynolds in his blog post “Gates, Jobs, & the Zen Aesthetic” also discusses Jobs' methods while comparing him to Bill Gates CEO of Microsoft, Power Point's maker.

We all would do better by keeping their tips in mind.  It is unfortunate that when we are taught how to use power point and given assignments that will be graded, there are often requirements for the amount of transitions, the number of slides used and the number of animations such as bullets sliding in from the side.

All the motion from animation and slide transitions often takes away from the simplicity of the experience, obscuring the message. Requirements to have a certain amount of clip-art take away from the simple visual elegance often overwhelming and confusing the audience. Compare Steve Job’s presentation for the roll out of the I-pad 2 to the photos of Bill Gates in “Gates, Jobs, & the Zen Aesthetic” and you can easily see what I mean.

It would be more appropriate to be graded on the effectiveness of the presentation.  Does it inspire enthusiasm in the audience, are they informed or do they learn from the experience or do they tune out the presentation, fearing “death by power point”?

As new technology is rolled out we need to look at how we make use it. Just because something is possible with the technology, does not mean it should be done. Over using power point’s features just because they are there is analogous to racing through a crowded, congested city at 100 mile per hours just because cars are able to go that fast.  

 

Observing Steve Jobs and following the advice given by Carmine Gallo and Garr Reynolds will help you deliver more effective, inspiring and persuasive presentations, whether you use power point or not.