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I’ve been making powerpoint presentations since high school. Back then, my presentations were filled with animations, colors, sounds, etc. Of course as I got older, my powerpoint slides became more professional and instead I spent more time switching between potential themes than anything else.
It’s been awhile since I’ve spoken, but booking Gangplank brownbag speakers and attending conferences has shown me that the best speakers are ones that don’t rely on powerpoints.
Not to say I haven’t seen excellent slide decks, but most don’t come with confident speakers. Unless you can make a speech stand on it’s own without the help of props, a powerpoint ain’t going to help you become an incredible public speaker.
ChandlerCamp is a recent example of how speakers step up when challenged. Organizer Tyler Hurst told speakers not to rely on a powerpoint or projector. As a result, speakers like Susan Baier put on fantastic workshops, focused on hands-on, real interaction with audience members that resulted in more learning than reading off slides could ever happen off slides.
Granted, this may not work for every audience or talk. But there’s the challenge. Could you make it work? Could you find a way to challenge the status quo?
So here’s my challenge to you. Before your next public speaking engagement, try making your point and teaching your lesson without relying on a slide deck. You might surprise yourself.
Related articles
- Anti-PowerPoint-Party Admitted to the National Election (prnewswire.com)
- In defense of PowerPoint (scottberkun.com)
I think it is a great idea to ask speakers to try to present without PowerPoint. Although, I love designing PowerPoint presentations, unfortunately most people aren’t aware of how much time and care needs to go into them—and not just picking out clever clip art. A good PowerPoint presentation accents and highlights your points, it doesn’t distract your audience or restate your point.
Maybe we should have a contest for “best presentation without PowerPoint”
One of my biggest gripes with Power Pointers is that many people will simply read you what they have written on the slide. The extemporaneous nature of a presentation that doesn’t rely on Power Point slides will help engage the audience, and the speaker.
Josh