This is it. My final post on the issue of “PowerPoint or PowerPointless”. I think John Henry would have been proud of me if he were here to see me defend the old-fashion way of speaking before the software juggernaut took over. I still maintain that the best presentations I’ve ever seen have been done without PowerPoint.
That being said, I believe there are times when it is to your advantage to use PowerPoint. There are times when technical information and concrete images can help you explain your point better than words can. I was trying to find a presentation that would serve as an example, but I couldn’t think of any that came to mind. Then … voila! Garr Reynolds of the Presentation Zen blog posted a TED video of Bill Strickland. It fit the bill perfectly. The slides weren’t fancy, but the pictures Strickland showed left no room for interpretation as to what he was building. Take the time to watch the video. I found the music a little distracting at times (I still love Herbie Hancock), but the message was powerful.
