Death by PowerPoint - AQA 2008 PDF

2008; 30: 833–835 COMMENTARY Death by PowerPoint – the need for a...

2008; 30: 833–835 COMMENTARY Death by PowerPoint – the need for a ‘fidget index’ R. M. HARDEN Association for Medical Education in Europe, Dundee, UK Abstract PowerPoint is an application designed to help the speaker or lecturer assemble professional looking slides to be used in oral presentations. The result sadly is often an unending stream of slides with bullet lists, animations that obscure rather than clarify the point and cartoons that distract from rather than convey the message. This paper examines what the speaker can do to avoid ‘death by PowerPoint’. The options of an alternative communication format or an alternative presentation tool are considered. For most speakers, however, the problem is not with PowerPoint but with how they make use of it. Three approaches to making presentations using PowerPoint are described which should yield rich rewards and a more attentive and appreciative audience. Downloaded By: [EBSCOHost EJS Content Distribution] At: 20:38 3 June 2009 In the past decade we have seen a paradigm shift in oral PowerPoint corrupts the communication process by focusing presentations at conferences and meetings. Gone are the on format rather than on content, sometimes with serious 35 mm slides, the use of transparencies with an overhead consequences. A fascinating example he uses is how a poorly projector and writing with chalk on a blackboard or markers presented PowerPoint slide hid key information which was, on a whiteboard. There have been some notable exceptions, at least in part, responsible for the Columbia space shuttle such as when Edward de Bono sat on a chair on stage at the disaster. The limitations of a slide sequence based on bullet- AMEE conference in Edinburgh in 2004 and enthralled his pointed lists is demonstrated by Peter Norvig in a spoof audience with a talk illustrated by drawing on an overhead PowerPoint presentation of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg projector. This is unusual and at AMEE 2007 in Trondheim address. He shows how a stirring and inspiring presentation all of the 400 or so presentations were delivered using lost much of its impact by applying a formulaic over- PowerPoint. It is estimated that, worldwide, there are now over application of PowerPoint (http://norvig.com/gettysburg). 30 million PowerPoint presentations made each day. Another commonly encountered problem with PowerPoint We are told that PowerPoint is an application that will help presentations arises from the fact that the basic principles of the speaker or lecturer to assemble professional looking slides multimedia learning and instructional design (Mayer 2005) are to be used in oral presentations and speakers and audiences frequently ignored. Contrary to what one may expect, slides now seem to want and expect PowerPoint presentations at should not be designed to stand alone or to be self medical meetings. The result sadly, however, is often an explanatory. They should be closely integrated with the unending stream of slides with bullet lists, animations that speaker’s commentary rather than be used on their own to obscure rather than clarify the point and cartoons that distract present an isolated message. The presenter’s commentary rather than convey the message. Too often PowerPoint used to explain a diagram on the screen is effective because presentation elevates format over content. Exley & Dennick information is presented in a different form. Lee & Bowers (2004, p. 79) cautioned users of PowerPoint–‘turning all visual (1997) studied a group of 112 university students to determine aids into bulleted lists is a mistake and if you spend a whole how they learned best. Students hearing spoken text and day watching PowerPoint conference presentations it will looking at graphics learned significantly better than students strongly reaffirm the need to avoid death by bullet point’. In an looking at graphics alone or reading printed text while looking article ‘PowerPoint is Evil’, published in Wired, Tufte (2003), at the graphics. It is even more important to recognize that it is a visual communications guru, invited readers to ‘Imagine a not effective simply to repeat the same words that are written widely used and expensive prescription drug that promised to on a text slide–a common mistake with PowerPoint presenta- make us beautiful but didn’t. Instead the drug had frequent, tions. Indeed this repetition may decrease rather than augment serious side effects: It induced stupidity, turned everyone into the listener’s ability to understand what is being presented. bores, wasted time, and degraded the quality and credibility of The practice of circulating PowerPoint slides as handouts communication. These side effects would rightly lead to a summarizing a presentation emphasises the overreliance on worldwide product recall’. He goes on to note, however, that the visual element and should be discouraged. It is akin to despite these criticisms of PowerPoint, about 400 million circulating a video disc of a film with the visual but no audio copies are producing trillions of slides each year, convenient channel recorded. The temptation then, as with PowerPoint for the speaker but punishing, he believes, to both content presentations, is to add subtitles and text to the visuals to and audience. Tufte (www.edwardtufte.com) argues that enhance their stand-alone value. Correspondence: Professor Ronald M. Harden, Association for Medical Education in Europe, Taypark House, 484 Perth Road, Dundee DD2 1LR, UK. Email: [email protected] ISSN 0142–159X print/ISSN 1466–187X online/08/09–100833–3 ß 2008 Informa UK Ltd. 833 DOI: 10.1080/01421590802307743  R. M. Harden So what can we do as PowerPoint presenters? What action inadequate communication skills.’ We should recognize that can we take to avoid ‘Death by PowerPoint?’ On the next the solution with PowerPoint is apparent: we need not change occasion we have to give a lecture or make a presentation, the tool, merely change the way we use it. should we ignore PowerPoint altogether and leave it at home? What then can we do to improve our PowerPoint presenta- Can we just leave out a visual component to our presentation tions? Here are three things for consideration. First we need to and depend on our oratory? In some exceptional circum- recognize that PowerPoint presentations, while embracing the stances this may be the best response. In most cases however, use of technology to assist with the communication of the it is not. Few presenters by their oratory alone have the skills message, in many ways should be no different from other necessary to command the attention of an audience over a presentations and the same rules apply. Master the skills of period. There are also severe limits to the amount of making a presentation and an immediate beneficial impact on information and messages that can be conveyed effectively the use of PowerPoint will follow. Nisbet (2004), Professor of to the audience using only the oral channel of communication Education at the University of Aberdeen, noted ‘I am not alone in comparison to what can be achieved with a carefully in being concerned at the poor quality of presentation in some integrated oral and visual presentation. Estimates vary from of the papers I hear at conferences. This is not a matter of voice a factor of four to 400 as to the extent of this limitation but production, nor something that can be remedied by PowerPoint there is certainly a large gap. however skilfully done....’ He argues that presenting a paper at Should we emulate de Bono and turn to an alternative a conference is very different from writing a paper for communication format such as chalk board or the overhead publication. For example, in a presentation the traditional projector? In one reported study by Thomas & Appala Raju sequence used in written reports (introduction, previous work, Downloaded By: [EBSCOHost EJS Content Distribution] At: 20:38 3 June 2009 (2007), students when asked to choose their preferred form of aims, methods and so on) is liable to be boring and indeed may communication–chalk board or PowerPoint–preferred chalk distort the balance of the presentation. He reminds us that board to communicate thoughts, concepts and explanations. Aristotle in the Poetics recommended starting a drama in medias In another study (Meo 2008), a lecture in physiology was given res, into the middle of the action, a technique used in novels and to three different groups of students, one delivered using films, and worth considering as a means of catching the full PowerPoint, one using the chalk board and the third using attention of your audience in a presentation. Many of the skills both PowerPoint and chalk board. Students who attended the of presenting at conferences and meetings are similar to the lecture where both PowerPoint and chalk board were used, skills of lecturing as described in the AMEE Education Guide obtained better scores in a multiple choice question examina- number 22. In the guide, Brown & Manogue (2001) summarize tion compared to those students who attended the same the key skills of preparing lectures, explaining the topic and content based lecture on PowerPoint or chalk board alone. Not actively engaging the audience. everyone, however, will have the necessary skills to make The first suggestion as to how we can improve PowerPoint effective use of the overhead projector or of the chalk board presentations therefore, is to forget about PowerPoint in the and equipment with the required performance specification initial planning for the presentation. First think of the target now is not usually available. audience, the message you wish to convey, the strategies that Would it help if we adopted an alternative presentation tool you might adopt and the structure and timing of your to PowerPoint? Because Microsoft bundled it with Microsoft presentation, including the beginning, the middle and the Office, PowerPoint was an easy choice for users and it was end. Only then look at how PowerPoint can be harnessed to compatible with what most other people had. There are help with the delivery of your presentation. You may be noteworthy competitors, however, some offering capabilities surprised at the effect this will have on your PowerPoint slides. that are more impressive than PowerPoint. Alternatives include The second thing we can do is to look at some simple ways Serious Magic’s Visual Communication 2 (www.seriousma- of improving our PowerPoint technique. You can learn to turn gic.com), Corel Presentations 12 (www.corel.com), and Pro your PowerPoint presentation into an exciting occasion–just Presentations 3 (Harvardgraphics.com). It is unlikely however don’t surrender to the allure of what PowerPoint has on that switching to an alternative programme would deal with offer. You don’t need to use for example the off-the rack the problems we have discussed. The fault almost invariably presentation templates and bullet point format provided by the lies not with PowerPoint but with the presenter. It is not software package. Examples of simple improvements to PowerPoint that does a poor job–it is the lecturer or speaker. PowerPoint presentations can be seen on the M62 visual In a useful book on the topic, ‘Killer Presentations’, Outon communications group website (http://www.m62.net). A range (2005, p. 19) argues that the problem with PowerPoint lies in of approaches are recommended you may not have thought how it is used. Transform its use and you transform its effect. about, such as the secret of the B or W keys. By pressing them He gives an interesting analogy. ‘Consider a 13th century the screen goes black or white allowing the audience to Samurai sword, crafted by someone who dedicated their life to concentrate on you, the speaker, for a few seconds. Remember perfection, creating a blade so sharp it can cut falling silk, so you, not your PowerPoint slides, should be the star of the strong it can slice through trees. In the hands of the Samurai, occasion. A host of other sites are also available on the web the sword represents justice, protection and a way of life based providing practical advice on PowerPoint presentations. on simplicity and harmony. To many people it is a thing of Writing in Medical Teacher, Holzl (1997) provides twelve tips beauty. Yet not so long ago in the UK such a sword was used for effective PowerPoint presentations. The paper offers to kill innocent passersby, by a man clearly unhinged. Does practical advice and encouragement to potential users. This that make the sword evil? Does it diminish its beauty or its advice covers basic and practical tips on such matters as the size youthfulness? Clearly it does not. PowerPoint is the same: just of text, fonts and use of colour. It also covers some of the because many of its 450 million users use it badly, that does specific features of PowerPoint which some users have not make a bad piece of software. It simply exposes some difficulty with. The most useful tips, however, are the warnings 834  Death by PowerPoint about the technological traps and pitfalls which may strike the check (to avoid being seen wearing a watch), he established unwary or, most importantly, the unprepared! an average fidget rate of 45 per minute, but this figure halved Third, think about breaking out of the mould of standard when the audience was attentive to the speaker’. Perhaps we PowerPoint presentations. In so doing you may even break need to apply a ‘Fidget Index’ to monitoring PowerPoint some rules such as the 10-20-30 rule evangelized by Kawasaki presentations. More careful planning of the presentation, using (2008)–a PowerPoint presentation should have ten slides, last some different PowerPoint techniques and perhaps even no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than adopting a new approach to a PowerPoint presentation may thirty points. I have liked to think of my own PowerPoint yield rich rewards and a more attentive and appreciative presentations more as a story or even a film script with the audience. slides contributing in different ways–some summarizing key points, others introducing visual images representing a new idea or concept and others providing examples of what I am Acknowledgements talking about. Other slides may be short two minute clips of I have learned much about PowerPoint presentations from individuals with a range of views. All help to frame the topic feedback from audiences and from a colleague, Molly Gunn I am discussing and contribute in different ways to telling the who has made major contributions to my own experiments story. Greenhalgh (2008) argued, in her usual articulate with the use of this presentation tool. fashion, for a similar approach in her ‘campaign for real lectures.’ She wrote ‘I recently decided that I had been on the Declaration of interest: The author reports no conflicts of receiving end of death by PowerPoint one too many times. interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and Downloaded By: [EBSCOHost EJS Content Distribution] At: 20:38 3 June 2009 I have probably also dished out my share of worthy, overly writing of the paper. structured lists of bullet points to glazed uninterested audiences. So I’m starting’ ‘the campaign for real lectures’. She described how instead of a standard PowerPoint Notes on contributor presentation she developed a different approach in which Professor RONALD HARDEN is Education Director for the International she linked each theme in her presentation to an image Virtual Medical School (IVIMEDS), General Secretary of the Association for (or three) and showed 94 photographs, five designs, three Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) and Editor of Medical Teacher. pieces of abstract art, two maps and a graph. A similar He was formerly Director of the Centre for Medical Education in Europe filmscript type approach to the construction of a presentation, and Teaching Dean at the University of Dundee, UK. rather than the routine series of bullet point slides, was recommended by Atkinson (2007) in his book and supporting References website, Beyond Bullet Points (www.beyondbullets.com/). Atkinson C. 2007. Beyond bullet points: using Microsoft Office PowerPoint Davies (2008) describes that while it is more time consuming 2007 to Create Presentations that Inform, Motivate and Inspire. when he adopted this strategy, he received much better Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press. feedback on his presentations. Writing also in the British Braithwaite B. 2008. Take the zen approach. BMJ 336:1326. Medical Journal, Braithwaite (2008) indentified another excel- Brown G, Manogue M. 2001. Refreshing lecturing: A guide for lecturers: lent resource that described the use of engaging, image-based AMEE Med Edu Guide No 22. Med Teach 23:231–244. presentations the Presentation Zen blog (www.presentation- Davies P. 2008. Beyond Bullet Points. BMJ 336:1326. Exley K, Dennick R. 2004. Giving a Lecture–From Presenting to Teaching. zen.com) and associated book, As well as denigrating the use London: Routledge Falmer. of bullet pointed, text heavy slides, its author, Garr Reynolds, Greenhalgh T. 2008. Campaign for real lectures. BMJ 336:1252. urges presenters to focus on the story that their presentation is Holzl J. 1997. Twelve Tips for effective PowerPoint presentations for the trying to tell, rather than getting caught up in the minutiae of technologically challenged. Med Teach 19:175–179. font sizes and sound effects. Isaacs D, Fitzgerald D, Isaacs S. 2007. A day in the life of a doctor: The Arguing the need for effective staff development pro- PowerPoint presentation. BMJ 335:1292. grammes, McLean et al. (2008) suggest that teaching is not an Kawasaki G. 2008. The 10 20 30 rule of PowerPoint. Available at: http://www.presentationhelper.co.uk/10-20-30-rule-powerpoint.htm. innate gift. Teachers require support in developing the ‘art’ or Accessed 24 June 08. teaching. With appropriate support and training perhaps we Lee AY, Bowers AN. 1997. The Effect of Multimedia Components on will see fewer bad PowerPoint presentations and the diseases Learning. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of PowerPoint phobia (PPP), PowerPoint stress disorder 41st Annual Meeting 340–344. (PPSD) and a form of depression called PowerPointlessness Mayer RE. 2005. The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning. (Isaacs et al., 2007) will become problems of the past. Used Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. properly PowerPoint can contribute to an effective and McLean M, Cilliers F, Van Wyk JM. 2008. Faculty development: Yesterday, today and tomorrow: AMEE Guide No 36. Med Teach interesting presentation, used badly it will disengage the 30:555–584. audience, trivialise content and almost certainly fail miserably Meo S. 2008. Power of PowerPoint and the role of the chalk board. Med to communicate the required message to the audience. The Teach (in press). fault lies not with PowerPoint but with the teacher. Nisbet Nisbet J. 2004. Presenting a conference paper. Res Intel 87:12–14. (2004) describes how ‘the Victorian genius, Francis Galton, Outon NB. 2005. Killer Presentations: Power the Imagination to Visualise devised a means of measuring the attentiveness of an your Point with PowerPoint. Oxford: How To Books. Reynolds G. 2008. Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design audience, his ‘fidget index’ [Nature, 32 (1885), 175 ‘The and Delivery (Voices that Matter). USA: New Riders Press. measure of fidget’]. When he found himself bored with papers Thomas M, Appala Ruji B. 2007. Are PowerPoint presentations fulfilling its at meetings of the Royal Geographical Society, he switched his purpose? S E Asian J Med Educ 1:38–41. attention to the audience and counted the number of head Tufte E. 2003. PowerPoint is Evil. Available at: http://www.wired.com/ movements per minute. Using 15 breaths per minute as a time wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html. Accessed 23 June 2008. 835