Comments on: Why do people make bad slides?

By: Brick & Mortar Blended » Annotated Post: November 13th

Brick & Mortar Blended » Annotated Post: November 13th — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:42:07 +0000

[...] Why do people make bad slides?…aptly describe 95% of the powerpoints designed by teachers (myself included). Point #1: “Bad Slides are Less Work” fits the “why” for teachers crammed for time. [...]

By: Abe Singer

Abe Singer — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:58:10 +0000

You may find this presentation of interest, it’s been received quite well when I’ve presented it.

It’s got some nice examples of bad slides, and some avice that I think improves presentation. It’s gone over quite well when I’ve presented it:

http://www.ligo.caltech.edu/~asinger/readable-powerpoint.ppt

Read the notes pages for detailed commentary and distribution permissions.

By: Each Instructional Technology Has Its Place | Thoughts of a Neo-Academic

Each Instructional Technology Has Its Place | Thoughts of a Neo-Academic — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:43:11 +0000

[...] from a college student discussing her frustration at instructors who use PowerPoint, with echoes on Speaker Confessions and even on Slashdot. Speaker Confessions is certainly the most amusing, primarily because it [...]

By: idij

idij — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:08:43 +0000

Sometimes though you just want the presenter to impart information. With enough detail that you can usefully refer to them later with slides good enough to be given to someone who hasn’t seen the presentation.

Now obviously it varies, but sometimes “the devil is in the details”, and if the slideset focuses only on the big picture you are going to be left wanting even if they covered the details in the talk. This is particularly true for technical training type presentations.

Long after I’ve stopped admiring your color scheme, or your cute image, I’m going to want to know how exactly to do thing X. If the slides don’t tell, then that’s a few thousand bucks per head wasted by the employer. I might remember what you looked like, but I’m sure as hell not going to remember what you said.

You may say slides should not be course notes, but the reality is that “slides are the course notes”, for every course I’ve done in 15 years of employment.

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:56:52 +0000

Ezra: Pointing out a problem might not solve it, but it can’t make it worse . The only way to make it worse would be to give people worse advice, or convince them it’s not really a problem.

But yes, I agree this post doesn’t offer a play by play of solutions. I’ll fix that.

By: Derek Simmel

Derek Simmel — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:16:14 +0000

Powerpoint (and similar computer-based slide presentation media) failings are not newly-discovered phenomena – yet their widespread use persists :( No media can solve the communication incompetencies of speakers – truly talented speakers can use media to complement their presentations, but do not rely on media to deliver meaning.

I suggest folks read Edward Tufte’s commentaries on the failings of Powerpoint and similar computer-based slide presentation media for communication – see:

http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/powerpoint

Also:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/14/magazine/2003-the-3rd-annual-year-in-ideas-powerpoint-makes-you-dumb.html?incamp=archive:search

I do not benefit in any way by these suggestions – I just agree with the author.

- Derek

By: ezra

ezra — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:26:58 +0000

articles like this contribute, cause they don’t clearly and easily tell the reader what to do better – the links provided are not very good.
articles like this contribute, casue they state generalitys (powerpoint is well known to be bad) without specifics
articles like this contribute, casue they don’t acknolwedge – as some prior posts do – that making a good presentation is a lot of hard work, and that it requries a bit of showman ship on the part of the presenter

By: María Elena

María Elena — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:20:19 +0000

Gracias Chris, siento como si hubiera tenida una revelación! voy a empezar a practicar. I feel like a had a revelation! now I will practice on my next presentation. Thank you. From Guatemala, Central America.

By: Dan Ward

Dan Ward — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:15:56 +0000

I think part of the thing is that many of us were never taught how to do it well. It’s not a subject that came up in any of my three engineering degrees (and I just finished a master’s in March!) – even though most of the classes I took involved some kind of class presentation.

Instead of thoughtful lessons on effective communication as part of a technical education, we tend to get no discussion about presentations at all… and lots of teaching-by-example of the PowerPoint Death By Bullets…

So I’m going to say our schools should probably step up to the plate – and they could even use Garr Reynold’s book as a textbook!

By: Chris Atherton

Chris Atherton — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:32:06 +0000

Hi Scott,

Thanks for the hat-tip! :)

I love that people are starting to question the Death By Powerpoint approach; I think exciting people by showing them alternative ways of presenting/teaching is one of the best ways to incite this kind of revolution, though I suspect it won’t reach everybody. But maybe all that’s needed is a critical mass before audiences and students realise that it doesn’t need to be like that, and start demanding more from their presenters/lecturers.

Keep shaking it up!

Chris