According to Switzerland’s Anti-PowerPoint Party (APPP) , the use of presentation software costs the Swiss economy 2.1 billion Swiss francs (US$2.5 billion) annually, while across the whole of Europe, presentation software causes an economic loss of €110 billion (US$160 billion).
APPP bases its calculations on unverified assumptions about the number of employees attending presentations each week, and supposes that 85 percent of those employees see no purpose in the presentations.
The APPP is seeking support for a national referendum to ban the use of PowerPoint and other presentation software in presentations throughout Switzerland.
As a long time admirer of the work of Professor Edward Tufte, this brought me to mind of his “Cognitive Style of Powerpoint”
A shorter essay appeared in Wired
The New York Times had a great article on the use of Powerpoint in the military here’s a slide:
So take it from the Swiss APPP, Professor Edward Tufte, The New York Times, or from me.
Powerpoint is not a teleprompter, its not a particularly effective means of communicating, and it wastes your most precious resources- the time of your most valuable people.
Want a lean idea?
Reduce your company’s use of Powerpoint.
Post inspired by article in CIO magazine
Niall says:
The problem is bad design not PowerPoint.
. Endless bulleted lists
. Overloaded graphic with illegible text
. Too much information on the slide
Are all examples of poor design. Reading the text off your slide is just poor presentation skills.
Many business meetings are too long or unnecessary for some or all of the participants… nothing to do with PowerPoint.