Thursday, May 27, 2010

'At ease ... Listen up'

Having already criticized the ubiquitous PowerPoint slide show as a potential distraction from the speaker, I was heartened to learn from a New York Times article that a few of our nation's military leaders share my scepticism.

Now, the briefing is an important weapon in any commander's arsenal, so we can't dismiss their opinions lightly.

A general looked at the tangle of vectors in one PPT and said, "When we understand that slide we'll have won the war." He warned that the computer generated visuals "can create the illusion of understanding and control. Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable." Another was somewhat more blunt.

"PowerPoint makes us stupid," he said.

4 comments:

Bridget O'Malley and Laura Roth said...

Nice point, Dad. (Pun intended). I actually wrote about something similar on my blog: http://protivitirecruiting.blogspot.com/2009/10/interviewing-guidance-go-beyond-bullets.html

Mike Q said...

Just read it, B. Very good -- and you weren't even in the Army!

Maria said...

The observations of Edward R. Tufte on the foibles of ppt. are interesting to read. Using it creatively is possible, but it is not always utilized in that way-- nor to spark higher-level thinking.

A good question to ask one's self is: "What is the aim of this slide?"

Mike Q said...

That's a powerful point ... Sorry, I'll stop now ... Anyway, you're right.