PowerPoint has become nearly unavoidable in the modern world.  It is used by students, teachers, and corporations every day.  While PowerPoint is a useful tool for presentations, it is only useful when used properly.  Unfortunately, it is misused more often than not.  PowerPoint should only be used when it enhances the presentation rather than detracts from it.  Obnoxious color schemes and over-saturation of text and images distract the listener from the topic at hand.  The powerpoint should not of assistance to the presenter, should rather assist the audience by complimenting what the presenter is saying.

I cannot tell you how many presentations both by students and professors I have had to sit through and listen to the presenter read directly from the slide.  I honestly feel it is a waste of everyone’s time to conduct a presentation this way.  I could read the slides from the comfort of my own home and get the point.  One good piece of advice on powerpoint presentations in my Business Communications course is to only show the slide while it is relevant to what you are saying and revert to a blank screen while you present information before the next slide.

Based on Edward Tufte’s “PowerPoint is Evil,” Tufte would likely disagree with me and argue that PowerPoint is evil all of the time.  I do think it can be useful, but I see how it becomes evil more often than not.  I think Tufte brought up a good point in talking about it’s use in elementary schools.  Our writing skills are developed early on and I think it is important that children are encouraged to write in full sentences and be able to expand on their thoughts, rather than simplifying them into bullet points.  What I think he means by “respect your audience” is that a presentation is between you and your audience, not between you and your powerpoint.  We should not boggle down their minds with nonsense but rather take the time to become confident in what you are speaking about to the point that you have no need to use PowerPoint.  Peter Norvig does a good job mocking the flaws of PowerPoint and how it is misused in his Gettysburg Cemetery Dedication presentation slides, showing a tacky color scheme and how the minimalist text provides absolutely no advantage.