When I first pulled out Tufte's packet on Power Point, it looked like one of
the most boring texts on the planet. 30 pages on the style of Power Point? But
as I read, I started to see his point and even found myself laughing at certain
parts (talking about the “stupefied audience”). I agree with his argument that
Power Point is not the way to convey an important message and that there are
alternatives. Reading Tufte brings images to mind of what I imagine the typical
creator of these Power Point presentations to look like:
Pecha-kucha, although close
relation to the standard slide show, deviates just enough that it can work as
an effective presentation. And while I like how pecha-kucha places restraints
on the presenter, it is a little sad to me that this is the stage we are at. Professionals
doing important work apparently can’t be trusted to put together a coherent
presentation; therefore the format is force fed in the form of pecha-kucha. Even
if the presenter totally bombs on a slide, there are only 20 seconds to go
until a fresh start. This appeals to me as a presenter, but I hope this doesn’t
become the “New Way” of doing things, just like we have been taught for years
that Power Point is the preferred method for presentations. I would like to
think that human beings in the workplace are capable of creating their own,
concise, presentation without the need of constraints.
I remember taking a class
specifically devoted to learning Power Point in middle school. We were taught
all about how to make flashy transitions with text and add all sorts of cool
effects and colors. But now I worry that everything I learned in that class was
for nothing.
Add a comment