Preparing More Powerful Presentations

I wanna be achairborne Ranger…(click to view full) It has been said that Power Point slides have become the primary communication tool in the US military, and in other militaries, too. It’s certainly endemic in the corporate world, and quite a few folks are less than thrilled with the results. Information presentation guru Edward Tufte’s “PowerPoint is Evil” article in WIRED’s September 2003 issue presented a powerful argument, and Proceedings’ December 2004 issue featured a plea from a retired US Navy captain for a military-wide stand-down. It may be that, to quote the semi-joking adage, “No bastard ever won a war by making viewgraph slides for his country. He won it by making the other poor bastard make slides for his country.” The truth is, slide presentations are here to stay. Alternatives should indeed be encouraged – but when slides must be used, it is possible to use them well. As a service to our readers in the military and the corporate world, here are a few links designed to help make you better presenters… Presentation Resources In a follow-on revision to this post, DID will present these resources within the context of a larger framework for making effective presentations. […]