Let me start with a little anecdote from How to move minds and influence people by Ian Carruthers (must read for anyone who ever needs to present and report on anything).
The following was an email from a newly installed boss at a software company in the US:
A quick note to let you know that I have just authorized the IT team
to remove all PowerPoint software and presentations on our system. This
releases 500 gigabytes of space, but more importantly, frees us up to
talk with each other and our customers rather than present at one other.
Please take the opportunity.
Best wishes
John
Lately, the 'Powerpoint is evil'-virus seems to be doing the rounds again, and most of the time the arguments compare very well to some of the worst ppt-drivel you have ever witnessed. I'm not sure if the above story falls in the nobrainer category (not if it's true), but the author only used it as an illustration (after all, it is a book about storytelling, and a very good one at that).
Seth Godin does have something interesting to add to the discussion, namely that you shouldn't let it change the way you'd give your presentation if you were doing it without Powerpoint.
Step 1: get a confederate (a helper, not someone from Atlanta) to sit in the audience ready with the first obviously seeded question.
Step 2: Walk onstage. No laptop.
Step 3: "Any questions?"
Step 4: The seeded question is something like: "So, Seth, what have you been up to?"
Oh, and if you're looking for practical tips on presenting ideas, check out Presentation Zen. And while you're there, be sure to check out the entry on the Microsoft vs Apple design issue, expanding it from package design to (you guessed it) powerpoint slides (you should have seen this by now, if you're wondering what this is about).
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