Nov
05
2015
The Power in PowerPoint
By Chris Mohr.
It wasn't the usual kind of letter to the Guardian, and it made me cheer all the more for being so unexpected. Dr.Ann Nugent, Senior Lecturer in Dance at Chichester University, wrote this in response to a recent article critical of powerpoint:
"I look on the delivery of a PowerPoint lecture as akin to a performance, not in any facile way but as a powerful means of communication."*
How right she is, and how refreshing to see this in print. Because, from my own experience, it's clear that PowerPoint is widely misunderstood and routinely misused - both in the way that slide presentations are conceived and in the way they're delivered.
So here's the thing: forget about PowerPoint being a visual aid. Instead, imagine it as your partner in a double-act- the dummy to your ventriloquist, the stooge to your stand-up, the Romeo to your Juliet.
Your starting point should be, what do you want your performance to achieve, and how can each slide help? To signpost? To consolidate learning? To provoke debate? To move? To amuse? To amaze? And only then: what words and images will produce the desired effect?
Next, work out what to show and what to tell. Dr Nugent again: "A lone word on a slide can lead to exploration of different intellectual and imaginative ideas. An image can open up new horizons..." So ditch those wordy slides and craft your spoken words with care.
And, as with all stagecraft, timing is everything. So tap into your inner director. Decide whether to introduce the next slide, or reveal it before you speak. Where do you need to pause, either for effect, or to allow the audience time to process information or 'read' an image?
Finally, rehearse with your slides. Try out with family and friends, practise as often as you can, and learn from other presenters. If you live near the south coast, perhaps you can even get to one of Dr Nugent's lectures. I'd love to be a member of her audience. And how often do you feel that about PowerPoint?
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Chris Mohr is a communications skills trainer with over 25 years' experience as a broadcast journalist and programme-maker for BBC radio, TV and online. Chris started training while still at the BBC, and acted as trainer and consultant to broadcasters and non-broadcasters in the UK and abroad in radio and TV production, community programming and public access to broadcasting. For the past ten years she has specialised in writing and communications skills training.
*Full text of the Guardian letter:
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/sep/28/powerpoint-lecture-is-akin-to-a-performance
