An unpopular opinion I actually argued in a meeting: PPT is bad. Instead, write things down with sentences. Paragraphs, even. There is little that can be explained in a ppt that cannot in a five paragraph essay.
Furthermore; PPT dictates a particular speed of presentation, minimizes conversation, and expects people to understand in an arbitrary and dumb way. There's no going back for clarification, and it magnifies some voices while further silencing others.
Instead, have out a few pages. Ask people to read. And to bring comments.
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PPT is not for conversations. It is for dissemination of information foe visual learners while someone is making a speech.
ReplyDeleteMisha B maybe in theory, but 99% of the time that directly leads to (A) people making BAD speeches because they're just reading off the slides, while (B) most of the audience ends up reading the slides because the speech itself is terrible as a result of (A).
ReplyDeleteI spent the last 4 years working at a command that outright banned the use of PPT, and it was amazing.
Yes, slides should not contain the entire speech, merely an outline at most
ReplyDeletePowerPoint should never be used in a meeting
ReplyDeleteAgreed, >4 bullets per slide / > 10-12 words per bullet is just asking for trouble. The problem is that so few people are capable of exercising any restraint, and then you wind up with https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jerzy_Deren2/publication/258727125/figure/fig1/AS:340348351074309@1458156778531/Afghan-Stability-COIN-Dynamics-used-by-ISAF-Commander-former-gen-R-S_W840.webp
ReplyDeleteresearchgate.net
Misha B "PowerPoint should never be used in a meeting"
ReplyDeleteMeetings should never be used.
>.>
I wouldn't say that. Sometimes F2F is the best way to communicate.
ReplyDeletePPT is for boucjetizing information and controlling the flow as well as drumming the narrative.
ReplyDeleteThere are contextual opportunities for each. Just because people use tools badly or in the wrong context doesn't make the tool bad.
Mo Jave boucjetizing?
ReplyDeleteI use either mind maps or single words on screen as a reminder of what I should talk about
ReplyDeleteHa! Bucketizing.
ReplyDeletesigh Yeah... I just hate meetings. Or maybe I just hate the meetings that my current office has... there's almost never a point where an hour long meeting couldn't have just been an e-mail that didn't waste an hour of my time...
ReplyDeleteAh, that makes much more sense. I still maintain that PPT is best for one way communication.
ReplyDeleteMatt Johnson absolutely. I've been to a ton of "meetings" that should have been emails.
ReplyDeleteBad powerpoint usage is not uniquely causal of a BAD meeting... but there's definitely some correlation.
ReplyDeleteI love power points, I hate speeches. I can't stand taking 45 minutes to absorb info that I can read in under 10.
ReplyDeleteFor me a successful slide deck is one that let's me skip the meeting and still understand all the info.
Put it in text, don't make me listen to it. Unless they can command 5 figures per speaking engagement, they're not that interesting.
A meeting that most participants can effectively skip by reading a well-designed slide deck is more of a "briefing," and most organizations would benefit from recognizing that distinction.
ReplyDeleteA GOOD meeting cannot be replaced by a slide deck, and doesn't have to be long. My last unit ran weekly staff synchronization meetings that contained no slides, could not have been replaced by slides, and topped out around 15-20 minutes. Probably the two main contributing factors: everyone came prepared, and XO presided with an iron fist.
well, this exploded.
ReplyDeleteI facilitate four meetings for our scrum team. None of them (meaningfully) have a powerpoint, and none could:
1. Daily standup. The team syns up on what we are working on. I keep it on focus.
2. Planning. The team looks through the new user stories, and commits to what can get done.
3. Review. We show the client what work we've produced. Again, I facilitate this meeting -- keep it moving, encourage the client to ask questions. We provide a powerpoint five minutes before the meeting, for those who cannot dial in to see the demo of working software.
4. The retro: Ask the team how we did, and how we can do better.
If there's complicated information I want to convey to others -- which is what the OP was regarding -- I'd much rather do that with written words. Let people absorb it in there own time. Come together and talk about it. Maybe spend the first ten minutes in silent reading.