I CAN'T STAND POWERPOINT

I first published the following article ten years ago on my (German-language) personal blog - ehmers-blog.de. Some things do not lose their relevance even in the digital age after a fabulous ten years. I wish you much pleasure and inspiration while reading it.?

I can't stand Powerpoint

Okay, that's unfair. Because just as the problem is often not in the computer, but sitting in front of it, it's the same here. It's not the program that bothers me. What bothers me is the general impoverishment of the presentation culture. Admittedly, this phenomenon is more evident in industry than in retail, and generally more so in organizations of a certain size - but there, at times, it is tremendous.

Let's be honest: haven't you ever asked yourself during a PowerPoint presentation whether colorful pictures are not supposed to conceal the lack of content - and sometimes even of intellectual ability? Personally, I find it extremely annoying when someone tries to steal my time by hogging my attention with graphically excellent charts, even though he has no substantial message. It never happens to you like that? Then you can consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, I encourage you not to put up with it. But it's not just time that is stolen from the audience. Think about how much working time is spent on preparation and, above a certain organizational size, on allignment.

How could someone invent cars and airplanes, fly to the moon and climb Mount Everest, create the civil law and the Constitution - without PowerPoint? How could someone succeed in convincing others that you can dry laundry not only on the line, but also in a machine, without animated visualization via PowerPoint?

Today, it hardly seems possible for many people to make the proverbial and banal decision about the installation of a confectionery vending machine in front of the cafeteria without at least ten PowerPoint charts. Ten charts, by the way, only in the more favorable case - including the final chart "Thank you for your attention", which often enough misses the point because everyone has mentally switched off by the third chart at the latest. Often to work on mails under the table via smartphone.

So what is it that makes a bad presentation using PowerPoint?

1) No content that needs illustration. If you can clearly describe your topic in a few sentences, then you should do exactly that. Anything else insults the intellect of the audience.

2) From six slides per minute it belongs to the genre of movies - and movies are better watched on a (at least) 55 inch LED TV with a proper sound system (you know: preferably sold and professionally installed by the ElectronicPartner dealer of your choice).

3) Oh, sorry, the 1423 numbers in my imported Excel spreadsheet are hard to read (as are the 20 lines of text in 10 pt font that I read monotonously and with a fixed gaze to the screen).

4) "Let-me-impress-you-with-my-knowledge" charts, preferably cluttered flowcharts and structure charts that aren't really relevant but are meant to illustrate that you've studied the question in depth and with mighty heart and soul and are a real expert.

5) Integrated film clips and animations that are as irrelevant to the message as it is certain that they will not work smoothly. Especially popular at conventions in the "on memory stick with CI appropriate but exotic fonts" variant. The step-up variant for professionals: linked backup charts that end in a maze with no way back.

If you think, I'm sure you, like me, can think of at least three more negative classics, right?

In closing, I passionately advocate stopping these excesses wherever they occur. Some time ago - in a previous role - I once convinced my executive colleagues to impose a PowerPoint-free month on the entire company. It was simply sensational. Some of them had withdrawal symptoms, others were unmaskingly dumbfounded. Try it out - really exciting, I promise!