I must admit that I am not proficient when it comes to using PowerPoint, nor was I aware of just how deeply it impacts the way we communicate today. The ability to organize information in an orderly fashion has many advantages, and people can certainly benefit from having information presented in different ways. Verbal and visual communication are important for getting an idea across, and theoretically PowerPoint allows the two to become one.
The notion of limiting your ideas to seven words and seven sentences is an acceptable rule of thumb because it forces you to prioritize and systematically evaluate information, but it should not be an absolute. Different types of arguments require different ways of organizing. As Clifford Nass pointed out, sometimes the process behind the argument is lost in translation.
After having read this article I will consider becoming familiar with PowerPoint in order to communicate more effectively, but I do not desire to become someone who must read information off of a slide. Nothing communicates knowledge more effectively than being able to talk comfortably about the information on the screen rather than just repeating it verbatim. In order to communicate properly there must be a balance between explicit systems like PowerPoint, and more personal rhetoric by an individual.
I agree with you statement that there must be balance between PowerPoint and the person using it. Too many people rely on it as a crutch that will save them from having to really present their information personally.
ReplyDeleteDavid, thank you for admitting you are not proficient with PowerPoint—-but you know certainly how to blog! (I am still appreciative of your willingness to help me set up mine that first day of class.) As I said in my comments about this article, I haven't a clue how to initiate a PowerPoint presentation and this article didn’t exactly entice me to do so.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been able to think of an adequate analogy about all the hype about PowerPoint. However, the closest I’ve come is when, as a child, you receive an exquisitely wrapped gift which elevates all your expectations for a wonderful present. But when you open it, you find only a pair of white socks. That’s an extreme example but I think the article insinuates that many PowerPoint presentations are so focused on the graphics, colorization, and seven-word phrases, that the gist of the speech or lecture is totally disregarded. As a visually oriented person, I appreciate maps, charts, and timelines,etc., but only as an addition to, not substitution for, substance.