PowerPoint - Why You Shouldn't Use It

PowerPoint is by far the most commonly used  presentation tool. It almost seems as though presenting without it would be a major faux pas. However there are reasons you should consider presenting without it and here's why:

Attention issues - As a speaker you want the attention of the audience to be focused on YOU, not the screen. It is very difficult to train your attention to the speaker when you are trying to make out what is on the PowerPoint slide. This is especially true if:

Too many words - Countless speakers pack their slides with words. Your audience wants to hear what you have to say, not what you have written on the slide

Technology issues - projectors, laptops, screens. They are not supposed to go wrong but they so often do and the presentation can be ruined as a result. It doesn't look good to be scrabbling around with cords and computers at the beginning of, or worse, during your presentation

These would be reason enough to consider an alternative but the use of PowerPoint directly leads to the following behaviors that detract from presentation effectiveness:

Reading your slides - you know you shouldn't do it but you will have seen countless presenters simply read from their slides. This is bad because it insults the intelligence of the audience and doesn't add to your presentation - if you are reading you are not adding any value

Using slides as a crutch - if you need to use slides they should support what you are saying but if you rely on them too heavily your presentation will be stilted and lack spontaneity.

Getting cute -  just because you CAN, it doesn't mean you SHOULD. This is especially important in PowerPoint. You can use great graphics, have innovative slide transitions and so on but you don't want the focus to be on the graphics, you want it to be on YOU

Turning your back on your audience - when you have slides appearing behind you it can be almost impossible to resist the temptation to turn around and look at them, especially if you are nervous. Related to reading the slides and using them as a crutch but you must retain eye contact with your audience and that's hard to do when looking at your slides

Too many slides - it's so easy to be get carried away. Any presentation can be expanded to include more slides. Using PowerPoint is fun so it is tempting to create more slides than you need which detracts from your message

Everyone else is doing it - when you present without PowerPoint you will stand out simply because you used a different approach.

Of course, there are circumstances where you need to use PowerPoint, or a similar package. Presenting to a major conference is a good example. However for most applications you will come across better without it.

It may be that you are uncomfortable with the idea of presenting without slides. That is a mindset that I encourage you to change. What is the goal of your talk? Whatever that is - to inform, gain clients, establish a reputation, you want the attention of the audience on YOU. The best way to do that is to stand in front of them and present your material without directing their attention to a screen. If you need to make bullet points, write them as you talk about them on a flip chart - it is much more personal.

Most people have a fear of public speaking. They will be glad you are up there and not them so they will be interested in what you have to say. Keep that attention on you, don't deliberately direct it away from yourself. Without PowerPoint you will force yourself to be more prepared since you won't be able to look up at your slides for reassurance - this will make you a better, more engaging, different presenter and your message will carry more weight as a result.

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