Learn Good Business Writing and Communication (Collection)

Truth 42. Good PowerPoint is more than pretty faces: It starts with writing

The speaker strides to the podium…turns down the lights…presses Advance…and slide by slide, his speech splashes across the screen so everyone can stare at the written words and hear an oral version at the same time. Later you get a handout that’s identical to the slides. A multisensory experience? No, just a boring one.

If this scenario sounds familiar, be warned that it will become even more so. Many business schools are training students to communicate predominantly in PowerPoint. In professional communicators’ circles, however, there’s a growing conviction that PowerPoint is often poorly and inappropriately used.

Yes, PowerPoint can add a visual dimension to what you ...