But we've always used it....

I've been getting involved recently in yet another debate about the use of PowerPoint. OK, it's a bit of a hobby horse of mine, but that's only because people tell me they "have to use it". What they usually mean is "We're expected to use it in our organisation". Well, OK. That may be a rule. But left to your own devices, you don't "have to use it" at all. The debate usually goes to and fro, until my co-debater says "OK, Alan, let's agree a compromise. There are some people who use PowerPoint badly, and they're in the majority. But some people use it really well, and it really does enhance a presentation".

Alas, I still say "no". I'm not trying to be dogmatic (I know it sounds like it), but I don't see why I have to "compromise" on the use of PowerPoint. This is a tool that has existed only since 1987 on Macs, and since 1990 on Windows. For some reason, it has now become de rigeur for corporate presentations, and worst of all, for conference speakers. What did these people do 20 years ago? Maybe some of them used overhead projectors, or even flipcharts. However, most of them just spoke to their audiences, and handed out any detailed information on paper.

At last there is a corporate rebellion under way. Even Bill Gates is reported to have banned PowerPoint from meetings, and asked his staff to "just tell me what is happening". The report into the Columbia Shuttle disaster included this telling sentence - "The (Columbia Accident Investigation) Board views the endemic use of PowerPoint briefing slides instead of technical papers as an illustration of the problematic methods of technical communication at NASA"

.....And everywhere else, in my opinion.