Power(ful) Points

I have somewhat of a love-hate relationship with Power Point Presentations. I think they can be powerful tools to make a presentation more interesting, but I seem to always get stuck in the rooms where the presenter thinks reading the slides out loud to attendees is somehow – interesting? I mean, I learned how to read a long time ago.

At a work conference the other day (for attorneys and paralegals in the bankruptcy field), I sat through one workshop with a great, interesting Power Point. Too bad the presenter didn’t expand on the slides; she just read them to us.

But in another workshop, the presenters used a combination of Power Point slides, WiFi, and exposition. The Power Point complimented the presentation. It helped the visual learners, and didn’t detract from those who need to hear the message.

The third workshop used NO technology. It was essentially a semi-scripted conversation between two presenters. It was a very interesting, complicated topic, but the presentation was so poor that people were openly yawning, doodling, and checking their phones. I’m convinced that if one of the presenters wasn’t a Judge that all the attorneys need to appear before, people would have been walking out.

Communication is always about a balance. Who wants to be part of a one-sided conversation? How many of us learn when we’re being bored?

I think the trick is to find the balance; to use technology to highlight, but not overwhelm, the message.