OK, so I've had this pet peeve about PowerPoint for some time now. Everybody thinks that just because they have it and can use it that they should. I would love for congress to pass a law stating that if you don't know the basics of presenting with PowerPoint that the people who you are abusing with it can assault you and beat you over they head with your laptop. I've sat through my share of terrible Powerpoint presentations everywhere it can be used (Church, Work, School...).
You might be thinking, now that's a dumb thing to call a pet peeve, but how much of your life have you wasted due to bad powerpoint? Someone may have a great message, but it is lost in the improper use of Powerpoint behind them. Top executives at our company would rather see powerpoint slides that a project proposal written up like it should be. You can't cover all of the details of a $5M project in 30 slides...it's just not possible.
So why is it so bad? Ignorance I guess. I guess some people think that cutting and pasting text from a paragraph onto the screen then adding a piece of Microsoft standard clip art is adequate. Not only that, then they will proceed to read to you what is on the slide. This may actually be not so bad because they are usually the only one close enough to read the infinitely small print anyway.
So, what is the right way? It's basic. Contrasting colors, smart graphics, and large fonts with only the main topics or subtopics. As a presenter, you should know what's on your Powerpoint so well that you don't have to look at it. It is an aid, not an outline!! Maybe some time I'll actually have enough time to teach on this, but until then....watch for flying laptops!!!
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