Garr Reynolds

PowerPoint has always enabled people who are basically thick and dull to look clever.

Of course it’s boring - would you hold up cue cards to an audience and then READ THE SAME CUE CARDS - no? So why does a digital projector and PowerPoint make it a good idea?

But PowerPoint is worse than that - with PowerPoint you can put a buzzword next to a graph - next to a picture and with a swish fade effect and for some bizarre reason that makes the buzzword important.

People say - 'don't read the words on the slide'

Well, why HAVE the bloody slide then?

Does the slide say something MORE IMPORTANT than what you are saying? If it does well.. why aren't you just saying it?

In fact if what you are saying can be said just as well on a slide show, why bother turning up at all? Just press play and go home.

We HAVE a system of text and images that conveys information – it’s called the internet. It way better than PowerPoint and I don't need anyone talking over it while I look at it.

Death to PowerPoint.

Death to seminars.

Death to people who wear those clip microphones.

Bring back good speakers who can keep you interested and answer questions as they go along.

Powerpoint no more makes someone a presenter than having a typewriter makes them a novelist. But many people fail to notice that. I have sat through far too many dull presentations in my time, and succeeded in staying awake during some only by gnawing on my own wrist.… (mere)

Full of stock photos of decorative people, this book is a blend of Garr Reynold's expertise, lessons from Asian marital arts gurus, and some statements of fellow presenters. While many points are true (be there in advance, connect with your audience, don't read your slides), many tips have a touch of truism. Maybe it's a cultural thing, but the tons of stock photos and the colorful headings made me want to buy the book. Afterwards, I was disappointed by the lack of concrete examples and the same elements revealed themselves as mere decoration without any meaning. Not recommended for presenters with some experience.… (mere)