# PowerPoint:  You're Doing It Wrong



## Marauder06 (Jun 23, 2012)

An interesting take on the "PowerPoint is evil!" debate.

http://www.armedforcesjournal.com/2012/06/10031086


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## IT101 (Jun 23, 2012)

My unspecified organization could take a cue or two (or nine) from this article! All the coloring, organization emblems, bullets boxes, etc. for no really fulfilling purpose.

Considering half of my job revolves around ensuring my slides are in line with what my "higher-ups" want, I think that indicates we rely on PowerPoint a bit too much.


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## RetPara (Jun 25, 2012)

That's just one person's opinion.  The House Armed Services Committee should contract out for a staff study of the use of Power Point for the transmission of information in the first person as opposed to memo's doing it in the first person.  It should additionally cover a historical perspective of graphics in informal and formal communications, an ethnic based graphic communication chapter, and recommendations to alternative (mulch-cultural) communication methods and technology that may be able to replace Power Point.  DOD has been in the lead in graphic presentation and communication technology since the 1980's and should be striving to maintain that lead, least there be a dangerous "briefing gap".


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## Marauder06 (Aug 2, 2012)

http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/post...ght_eliminate_written_orders?wpisrc=obnetwork

Kind of the opposite extreme of things, the "no written orders" angle.



> Even my largest and most important operations orders were verbal [oral]. After all there wasn't any need for written orders. As division commander, I forbade the use of written orders within my division."


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## Viper1 (Aug 2, 2012)

Marauder06 said:


> http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/post...ght_eliminate_written_orders?wpisrc=obnetwork
> 
> Kind of the opposite extreme of things, the "no written orders" angle.


 
Consider the source and the organizational culture the source belonged to.  This was one division within a nation's Army that had multiple Corps.  Possible if the culture was developed from the top-down.  Exception rather than the rule though.  That'd leave a lot of room open for interpretation of commander's intent :) . . .  and possible mis-communication of orders.


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## AWP (Aug 2, 2012)

Viper1 said:


> That'd leave a lot of room open for interpretation of commander's intent  . . . and possible mis-communication of orders.


 
And deniability. "I never told them to do that."


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## Marauder06 (Aug 2, 2012)

Viper1 said:


> Consider the source and the organizational culture the source belonged to. This was one division within a nation's Army that had multiple Corps. Possible if the culture was developed from the top-down. Exception rather than the rule though. That'd leave a lot of room open for interpretation of commander's intent  . . . and possible mis-communication of orders.


 
I agree.  What we do, even at lower levels, is WAY too complicated to rely on verbal orders.


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## DrkEgl (Aug 2, 2012)

PowerPoint cannot substitute a lack of teaching skill, however too many use it as a teaching replacement.  It's a tool, one that can be an effective teaching aid, and not much more.  If you use it as more, you can end up looking like a tool.


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## SkrewzLoose (Aug 2, 2012)

Wait...this isn't the case study.  
Dammit.  :-/


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## Electric Eye (Aug 4, 2012)

My organization emphasizes that if you can't make your point in three slides or less, don't bother. That is a directive from a three star.


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## Robal2pl (Aug 5, 2012)

Just two cents from outside military. When I started teach classes as TA I took radical position to Power Point. Just forbidden the whole thing. Only spoken/read presentations were allowed. As well as laptops/smartphones/etc were not allowed.  Had to fight to maintain this "policy" but worked - effects were much better than with PP. When I defended my PhD thesis in June, I was advised not to do a Power Pint slide show. There was just too many bad presentations, earlier, full of visual effects but without with little relevant content,  even I felt better working on content itself, not slides. Digital tools are like any others, they require skills and can't substitue them. And modern education clearly forget this rule.


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