I enjoyed Eric Bergman‘s book 5 Steps to Conquer ‘Death by PowerPoint’: Changing the World One Conversation At a Time, once I got over my initial disappointment that it isn’t about using PowerPoint to conquer death. (This will come as a relief to the Microsoft Office development team, who would see that as some serious scope creep.)
So, like me, you’re still going to die. But if you’d rather not do it behind a microphone—or in an audience—then you might like to check out Eric’s book. My review is in the January issue of IABC/BC’s Connect:
Somewhere in the world right now, someone is facing an audience with a remote in their hand, notes on their lectern, and a failed presentation in their immediate future.
Within the next 15 minutes, most of the audience members will have checked out: losing focus, interest, or – in extreme but not entirely rare cases – consciousness.
That scene’s going to play out around the planet today with thousands of groups from training seminars to team meetings to pitch sessions. A staggering number of PowerPoint decks will be shown today to an even more staggering number of people — with staggeringly little benefit.
That’s what Eric Bergman is trying to change. In 5 Steps to Conquer ‘Death by PowerPoint’: Changing the World One Conversation at a Time, the Toronto-based communication consultant argues that the vast majority of PowerPoint slides aren’t just being created in vain: they’re actively undermining our ability to communicate.
Let me know what you think!
Update: The link to the review on the IABC/BC website isn’t working any more, so here’s the full review.
The biggest thing standing between you and your audience may be your slides
5 Steps to Conquer ‘Death by PowerPoint’
by Eric Bergman
Petticoat Creek Press
review by Rob Cottingham
Principal, Social Signal
Somewhere in the world right now, someone is facing an audience with a remote in their hand, notes on their lectern, and a failed presentation in their immediate future.
Within the next 15 minutes, most of the audience members will have checked out: losing focus, interest, or – in extreme but not entirely rare cases – consciousness.
That scene’s going to play out around the planet today with thousands of groups from training seminars to team meetings to pitch sessions. A staggering number of PowerPoint decks will be shown today to an even more staggering number of people — with staggeringly little benefit.
That’s what Eric Bergman is trying to change. In 5 Steps to Conquer ‘Death by PowerPoint’: Changing the World One Conversation at a Time, the Toronto-based communication consultant argues that the vast majority of PowerPoint slides aren’t just being created in vain: they’re actively undermining our ability to communicate.
“We should only use visual aids when there is absolutely no other alternative to effectively explaining our ideas,” he argues.
You don’t have to go quite that far to be convinced by Death by PowerPoint’s case for putting your story ahead of your slideshow, and “questioning the value of every slide.” Whether you write speeches or deliver them — or both — you’ll find a lot of solid advice in its pages.
Bergman says that the way most presenters use PowerPoint (and Apple’s Keynote, web-based Prezi and other presentation apps) distracts and distances an audience from the speaker, sabotaging their ability to retain information. Text-heavy slides and indecipherable charts do some of the worst damage, making it harder for a speaker to connect with an audience in a way that can persuade and move them to action.
Maybe worst of all, too many speakers begin preparing their speech in PowerPoint. Instead of their slides supporting their talk, they end up crafting their presentations to support their deck.
Bergman suggests (only half-joking) allowing speakers to use five slides, and then requiring a $250 charitable contribution for every extra slide they use. And he encourages speakers to think twice about whether they need PowerPoint at all, favoring tools like whiteboards and flip charts.
(Or fruit. He cites a consultant who illustrates the principles of successful negotiation with a lemon, a knife and a peeler.)
Cliff Atkinson‘s Beyond Bullet Points, Garr Reynolds‘ Presentation Zen or especially his latest, The Naked Presenter, most of this won’t come as news to you. And if you’ve been following Nancy Duarte’s books slide:ology and Resonate, you may be using PowerPoint or Keynote to much greater effect than many of the people in Bergman’s examples.
But while his critique of PowerPoint (or, rather, the way most presenters use it) gets star billing, he takes his own advice and devotes most of the book’s attention to creating an effective, memorable presentation.
His straightforward approach will be particularly valuable for anyone who feels daunted at the thought of writing a speech – or who suspects the presentations they’ve drafted lack focus and impact. Bergman’s presentation framework has you start with a clear and simple outline — written in complete sentences, which force you to clear up the kind of fuzzy thinking that bullet points can conceal.
While Death by PowerPoint may be most useful to beginning speechwriters and speakers, veterans will find a lot to mull here as well. And even if it’s something you disagree with vehemently, it’s a chance to re-examine some assumptions about speaking and engagement.
For example, Bergman makes a compelling case for at least trying to change the way you answer questions. His prescription: don’t try to answer every related question the audience could conceivably have. Instead, deliver your answer in 10 words or less and take the next question. (One risk is that what you gain in brevity you may lose, at least in part, in warmth and connection.)
If you’re one of the multitude trapped in a pointless presentation later today, and find yourself zoning out, consider taking the opportunity to read Death by PowerPoint. The death you avoid may be your own… or your next audience’s.
Rob Cottingham (web | Twitter | LinkedIn) is a veteran speechwriter and the principal of Social Signal, a Vancouver-based social media strategy firm. He also draws Noise to Signal, a cartoon about living, working and doing business in the networked era.
