Life by PowerPoint vs Death by PowerPoint

September 17th, 2009

Life by PowerPoint

If you work with PowerPoint, you’ve heard the term “Death by PowerPoint”. Some days it seems PowerPoint has killed more people than the Iraq war. PowerPoint has never killed or hurt anyone. It is only a communication tool that can be a great tool when used properly or a very bad tool when used poorly. Unfortunately, it is so easy to use and used so often (estimated to be 30 million users daily), it is often abused and too often used to torture audiences rather than engage and excite them.

It is not “Death by PowerPoint” but “Death by BAD PowerPoint”. PowerPoint as a communication tool has the capacity to support a meeting communication, but can also kill an idea or meeting if used incorrectly.

PowerPoint can be an amazing tool when used correctly.  It can help engage your audience, enhance your presentation, help close a deal, explain a complicated process, keep an audience focused on the important points, share information faster and more effectively than a speaker without PowerPoint slides. It can bring life to your ideas and to your important communications!

2 Responses to “Life by PowerPoint vs Death by PowerPoint”

  1. Simon Morton Says:

    Here here! PowerPoint can be a wonderful tool in the right hands and a deadly weapon in the wrong ones.

    People need to know when (and when not) to reach for the PowerPoint deck. If it’s getting in the way of communication, ditch it!

  2. Andy Says:

    Wow that’s a great post! I love the distinction you made between PowerPoint and bad PowerPoint. As you said, when used correctly with imagination, PowerPoint is a powerful communication tool. Thanks for the insights.

    For more PowerPoint resources check out http://www.facebook.com/office

    Cheers,
    Andy
    MSFT Office Outreach Team