On Mon, December 25, 2006 11:05 pm, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Are PowerPoint slides during tech talks an evolutionary leap for mankind > or a > step back? > > I tend to think a talk with slides is somehow 'better' but some dissent > has > appeared with people claiming PowerPoint is /not/ beneficial. > > I'm not sure. > > Any ideas? > > Chris > >
PP (and Linux) slide shows get a bum rap because of all the *really bad* slide shows given. The fault, Dear Brutus, is not in our slides, but in their vacuous content. Some things are best delivered visually, such as charts and graphs, photos of equipment, etc. Does your talk have anything like that? Then you need slides. Two of the most difficult things about giving a talk are (1) being disciplined in timing and presentation flow, and (2) holding the audience on topic. Well done slides can be an effective tool for both of those goals. I have known people who can fill an hour with dry markers and a white board, spouting seeming profundities, and saying absolutely nothing of any value. It's a gift. They usually rise very high in an organization. Their slide shows are equally vacuous. I start a SS by using outline form to shape the flow and timing of the points I want to present in the time allotted. When that's correct, I insert the real visual elements, graphs and photos. I forbid photos for atmosphere. I forbid little cartoon characters scratching their heads with question marks (I will use a cartoon such as a Dilbert IF if is pertinent to a point I'm making). I forbid animated effects that distract without elucidating any point, although I will have bullets appear one at a time to prevent a list of bullets from distracting and confusing. Finally, the slides MUST BE READABLE. A confusing, illegible, or distracting color choice or background will destroy any chance of communication, and should be resisted at all costs, even if the boss says she wants the "corporate family look." (NOTE: My current boss never has ... but I hear stories.) <heh> Think I don't have strong opinions on this? -- Lan Barnes SCM Analyst Linux Guy Tcl/Tk Enthusiast Biodiesel Brewer -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
