Tips for avoiding "Death by PowerPoint" and information on valuable alternatives

1. Karen O’Hara
November, 2012

2. Using technology in
oral presentations
PowerPoint, video, Flash are used to
enhance oral presentations
 Don’t allow the technology to overshadow
the message
 Don’t just read the slides to us! We can read
faster than you can.
 Misuse of technology leads to Death by
PowerPoint
Organization is even more important: it is
easy to get sidetracked or lose your place
 Rehearsal helps with this issue

3. What is “Death by
PowerPoint”?
A state of boredom & fatigue induced by
information overload via PowerPoint
(Don McMillan video)

4. What does“Death by
PowerPoint” look like?
According to Alexei Kapterev, “deadly”
PowerPoints lack
Significance
Structure
Simplicity
Rehearsal

5. REAL LIFE EXAMPLE!!

6. Avoiding “Death by
PowerPoint”
Significance: Create passion  attract attention 
encourage action
Structure: Any structure is usable if it is convincing
memorable  scalable
3-4 supporting reasons for each main point
Simplicity: 1point per slide  images whenever
possible  few matching colors  very few fonts
Photos, not clipart
Rehearsal: Present it aloud  Get feedback 
Check room & equipment
Steve Jobs’ techniques (video)

7. PowerPoint “cousins”

8. Adobe Captivate
(www.adobe.com/captivate)
Self-running slide show (Flash movie)
Voice and music capable
Integrates with PowerPoint
Software simulations (record screens, a.k.a.
screencasting)
Similar products include Camtasia Studio,
Screenr, Jing
Example

9. Prezi (www.prezi.com)
Uses single canvas instead of separate
slides
Non-linear presentations, using zoom in
and out along a pre-defined path
Free model, but customers must publish
their work on the Prezi site.
Example

10. Pecha Kucha (Peh-cha’
kuh-chaʼ)
Japanese for “chit-chat”
20 slides, each shown for 20 seconds
(total of 6 minutes, 40 seconds)
Originally a vehicle for design
professionals to showcase their work.
Example

11. Slideshare: allows users to upload
PowerPoint, PDF, Keynote & Open Office
presentations
Slide decks can be viewed on site, on mobile
devices, or embedded on other sites.
Can rate, comment, share
Was acquired by LinkedIn—can now use this as a
component of professional portfolio
Example

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