PowerPoint Presents Problems

Although PowerPoint is often viewed as an incredibly useful tool with limitless possibilities for methods of presentation, it definitely harbors some blatant disadvantages. If not utilized correctly, PowerPoint can become extremely monotonous, leading to audience members fighting the urge to fall asleep. As a presenter, one of the main goals should be to engage the audience; however, many who employ PowerPoint tend to do the exact opposite. I recall enduring the wrath of PowerPoint during an academic seminar I once attended. The audience was essentially forced to sit through an unfortunate mixture of poor slide design, horrible fonts, overwhelming text that was practically spilling off of the slides, and the added monotony of the presenter’s voice. Moreover, the presenter decided to take advantage of the unlimited number of slides feature that PowerPoint offers, spending almost two hours boring everyone to tears. Unfortunate enforcement of PowerPoint (like in this miserable scenario) can only lead to people in the audience yawning more and applauding much less.           

I have presented five aspects of PowerPoint that I personally find worth hating.

1.       Excessive use of animation

I think it is wonderful that PowerPoint has this feature; nevertheless, like a dangerous weapon, if it is placed in the wrong hands, only disaster can result. I have witnessed PowerPoint presentations where speakers have used so much animation that I was certain I had a dizzying headache by the end of the event. I am not saying people should never use animations, but rather, animations should be used subtly if truly desired.

2.       People who read directly off of their slides (Don’t do it!)

PowerPoint can sometimes lead to the speaker just focusing on the slide and alienating the audience completely. What is worse is when the speaker reads the text right off of the slide. There is no need to do this. I am quite sure that most of the audience members can read at an elementary level. Also, who likes being read to (besides five-year olds)?

3.       Too much text on slides

A slide overflowing with text is not only daunting to the human eye, but also a sign to the audience that the presenter is not well informed, completely relying on the slides as the source for all his knowledge. The purpose of PowerPoint is to serve as a presentation aid, not as a substitute for the ill informed.   

4.       Poor choice of fonts and backgrounds (The worst is a combination of the two)   

Using Distracting backgrounds that makes text hard to read is a common PowerPoint flaw that people tend to exhibit. In addition, selecting obnoxious fonts is equally irritating. Nobody wants to stare at Comic Stans or Monotype Corsiva for extended periods of time. I acknowledge that sometimes the presentation might have a theme and certain fonts might reflect that theme; nonetheless, it is always safe to stick with the standards.     

5.       Limited audience interaction

PowerPoint is no doubt a great presentation aid, but I have noticed that it tends to prohibit interaction between the presenter and the audience. The presenter concentrates on conveying his/her message, while the audience just sits and listens. I have always enjoyed PowerPoint presentations where the presenter posts survey questions, interesting quotes, or really anything that leads to audience participation. Participation-based presentations with Power Point have a much stronger impact on audience members than the usual presentation style.