negative effects of powerpoint presentation

Pros and Cons of PowerPoint Presentations: What You Need to Know

PowerPoint presentations have become a staple in both the business and academic worlds. Whether you’re pitching a new idea to your boss or presenting research findings to your classmates, PowerPoint offers a versatile platform that can enhance your message. But like any tool, it has its strengths and weaknesses.

You might find PowerPoint incredibly useful for organizing your thoughts and adding visual flair to your content. However, it’s easy to fall into the trap of overloading slides with text or relying too heavily on flashy graphics. Understanding the pros and cons of PowerPoint presentations can help you make the most of this powerful tool while avoiding common pitfalls.

Key Takeaways

• Visual Engagement: PowerPoint presentations enhance audience engagement through the use of images, charts, and graphs, making complex information easier to understand.
• Structured Delivery: They allow for logical and coherent organization of content, aiding in clear communication and better information retention.
• Ease of Reuse and Sharing: Presentations can be easily updated, adapted, and shared, saving time and effort, especially useful for recurring business activities.
• Tech Dependence Risks: Relying on PowerPoint means potential disruptions from technical issues, highlighting the need for a backup plan.
• Potential Distractions: Overusing visual effects and text can distract from the core message, requiring a balance of visuals and concise information.
• Learning Curve and Time Investment: Creating effective presentations requires significant time and skill, posing a challenge for beginners and a potential drain on resources.

Pros of PowerPoint Presentations

PowerPoint presentations offer versatile and impactful tools for entrepreneurs and business enthusiasts like you. Understanding their benefits can significantly enhance your communication, pitching, and training efforts.

Visual Impact

PowerPoint presentations allow you to create visually engaging content that catches your audience’s attention. Including images, charts, and graphs helps illustrate complex data, making it easier to understand. For instance, use high-quality product images to showcase your new startup’s offerings. Visual cues can also emphasize critical points, aiding retention and engagement.

Structured Information Delivery

PowerPoint presentations provide a way to organize information logically and coherently. Use slides to break down content into manageable sections, facilitating clear communication. For example, in a business pitch, outline your market analysis, business model, and financial projections in distinct slides, ensuring your message flows seamlessly. This structure makes it easier for your audience to follow and digest information.

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Reusability and Sharing

PowerPoint presentations offer reusability, saving you time and effort. Update and adapt existing slides for different audiences or purposes, such as client meetings or internal training sessions. Sharing presentations is straightforward; simply send a file via email or upload it to a cloud service. This efficiency can be particularly beneficial when managing multiple side hustles or pitching to varied stakeholders.

Cons of PowerPoint Presentations

PowerPoint presentations, while powerful, have their drawbacks. As an entrepreneur, you’ll need to be aware of these to maximize your effectiveness.

Overdependence on Technology

Relying on PowerPoint can backfire if the technology fails. A sudden software crash, compatibility issues, or hardware malfunctions can disrupt your presentation and affect your credibility. Always have a backup plan.

Potential for Distraction

Visual aids are helpful but can easily turn into distractions. Overloaded slides with animations, transitions, and excessive text can shift the audience’s focus away from your message. Balance visuals with concise, relevant information.

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Learning Curve and Time Consumption

Creating a professional presentation requires significant time and skill. If you’re just starting, mastering the software can eat into hours better spent on your business. Consider if the time investment is worth the outcome, or if simpler alternatives might serve you better.

Keep these potential pitfalls in mind to harness PowerPoint’s strengths without falling victim to its weaknesses.

PowerPoint presentations can be a powerful tool when used thoughtfully. They offer a great way to visually engage your audience and present information in an organized manner. However it’s important to be aware of their limitations so you don’t fall into common pitfalls.

By balancing the strengths and weaknesses of PowerPoint you can create presentations that are both effective and engaging. Remember to keep your slides clear and concise and don’t rely solely on technology to get your message across.

With a bit of practice and mindfulness you’ll be able to leverage PowerPoint to its fullest potential. Happy presenting!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key benefits of powerpoint presentations in business and academic environments.

PowerPoint presentations offer visual impact, structured information delivery, reusability, and easy sharing. These benefits make it easier to communicate complex ideas clearly and efficiently.

How can PowerPoint presentations enhance visual impact?

PowerPoint allows users to incorporate multimedia elements like images, charts, and videos, making presentations more engaging and visually appealing.

Why is structured information delivery important in presentations?

Structured information delivery helps in organizing content logically, making it easier for the audience to follow and understand the key points.

How does PowerPoint support reusability?

PowerPoint presentations can be easily edited and adapted for different purposes, allowing users to reuse content without starting from scratch.

What makes PowerPoint presentations easy to share?

PowerPoint files are easily shared via email, cloud storage, or collaboration platforms, enabling seamless communication and teamwork.

What are the potential drawbacks of relying heavily on PowerPoint?

Overdependence on PowerPoint can lead to potential technical disruptions, distractions from overloaded slides, and the time-consuming learning curve required to create professional presentations.

How can overloaded slides be a distraction in PowerPoint presentations?

Overloaded slides with too much information or too many visual elements can overwhelm the audience, detracting from the main message.

What is the time-consuming aspect of creating PowerPoint presentations?

Creating professional and polished PowerPoint presentations often requires significant time and effort, especially for those unfamiliar with the software.

How can entrepreneurs effectively leverage PowerPoint’s strengths?

Entrepreneurs should balance the use of PowerPoint by keeping slides concise, focusing on key messages, and preparing for potential technical issues to maximize its benefits while minimizing drawbacks.

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Ryan Kingsley

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17 Advantages And Disadvantages Of PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a versatile and user-friendly multimedia presentation program compatible with most devices. It lets you make and share limitless presentations with ease. However, it comes with a fair share of disadvantages, like the complex features and tools, issues with performance on less powerful computers, and its price.

1. Available for All Major Operating Systems

2. abundant features, 3. widely accepted, 4. lots of themes and templates, 5. versatile interface, 6. relatively easy to use, 7. support various formats, 8. smooth integration with other office programs, 9. support add-in, 10. compare documents, 11. relatively easy to collaborate, 12. available mobile version, 13. password protection, 14. lack of innovation, 15. a bit complex to learn, 16. some performance issues on weak systems, 17. it’s relatively expensive, advantages and disadvantages of powerpoint – at a glance.

• PowerPoint is available on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android , and the web.
• PowerPoint has a rich set of features , including templates and themes.
• Even for beginners, PowerPoint is relatively easy to use .
• PowerPoint enables customization through a wide range of add-ins .
• PowerPoint simplifies collaboration with others by allowing easy sharing and editing of presentations.
• PowerPoint has limited innovation over its three-decade history, potentially making presentations feel dated.
• Learning to use PowerPoint’s features and tools can be complex for some users.
• PowerPoint may have performance issues on less powerful computers.
• Compared to alternatives, PowerPoint can be relatively pricey if purchased outright.

Advantages Of PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is an excellent tool for presentations and more. Here are some of its key advantages:

PowerPoint is available for both Windows and macOS , as well as for mobile devices running iOS and Android. This makes it a convenient tool for creating presentations, regardless of what type of device you are using. You can also use PowerPoint for the Web in a web browser, making it even more accessible. Not a lot of presentation software offers such flexibility.

PowerPoint is the most feature-rich presentation software out there. It has everything you need to create a professional-looking presentation, including built-in templates, themes, and much more. Other presentation software simply cannot compete with PowerPoint in this regard.

PowerPoint is the most widely used presentation software, and it’s the industry standard tool for preparing presentations. People are generally familiar with how PowerPoint works, which makes it easy to use when giving presentations. It is also the most compatible presentation software , meaning that it can be opened and viewed on just about any device.

PowerPoint comes with a variety of built-in themes and templates that you can use to make your presentation look more professional. If you’re not a design expert, these templates can be a lifesaver. With just a few clicks, you can make your presentation look great without spending hours on design.

The interface of PowerPoint is also quite versatile. You can easily access all the needed features by using the toolbar options. Its interface is also customizable , so you can change it to suit your needs better.

PowerPoint is relatively easy to use , even if you’ve never used it before. Of course, it takes some time to learn all the features and how to use them effectively. However, you should be able to start creating basic presentations without much trouble.

You can open and edit presentations saved in various formats with PowerPoint. Some of the supported formats include pptx, ppt, gif, mp4, jpeg , and more. This is a convenient feature if you need to import or export presentations in variable programs. Other presentation software supports only a limited number of formats.

PowerPoint also integrates smoothly with other Microsoft Office programs, such as Word and Excel. This makes it easy to create presentations that include data from other Office programs. Moreover, PowerPoint files are supported by most online storage services, such as Google Drive and Dropbox, for seamless sharing.

PowerPoint also supports add-ins , which are small programs that add additional features to the software. There are a large number of add-ins available for PowerPoint that you can use to customize your presentations further.

The Review feature in PowerPoint allows you to compare two presentations side-by-side . This is a handy feature if you need to spot the differences between two versions of a presentation. It’s especially useful when you want to review the changes to your presentation made by someone else.

PowerPoint makes it relatively easy to collaborate with others on a presentation. You can easily share your presentation with others and allow them to view it or make changes by sharing a link. This is a convenient feature if you are working on a team project.

PowerPoint is also available in a mobile version , which allows you to create and edit presentations on the go. You can download the PowerPoint app for free from the App Store or Google Play to use on iOS or Android devices. This is a handy feature if you need to make last-minute changes to your presentation.

One of the features of the PowerPoint software that most users find useful is the password protection feature. This allows you to set a password for your presentation so that only those who know the password can open and view it. Most other presentation software does not include this component.

Disadvantages of PowerPoint

Now that we’ve looked at the advantages of PowerPoint, let’s take a look at some of its disadvantages:

It’s been around three decades since PowerPoint was first released, and in that time, it hasn’t seen a whole lot of innovation. This lack of innovation can make it feel dated compared to some of the newer presentation software options on the market. Some users find PowerPoint slides boring, as there is not much scope to create creative or interactive presentations.

The features and tools of PowerPoint can be a bit complex to learn , especially if you’ve never used the software before. It can take some time to get a grasp on how to use all the features effectively. And if you want to create more complex presentations, it may take even longer.

PowerPoint can also have some performance issues, especially on weak systems. The software can be a bit resource-intensive, so it may run slowly on older computers . Additionally, large or complex presentations may take longer to load and may not run as smoothly as you’d like.

If you want to purchase PowerPoint outright, it’s relatively expensive compared to some of the other presentation software options on the market. Google Slides offers many of the same features as PowerPoint, but it’s free to use.

PowerPoint is a widely used presentation software that is available for all major operating systems. It offers a large number of features and is widely accepted.  However, it can be a bit complex to learn and is relatively expensive. Despite these disadvantages, PowerPoint is still a popular choice for creating presentations.

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7 PowerPoint mistakes that are killing your presentation

By Paul Moss

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A few careless powerpoint mistakes can dramatically impact both the effectiveness and professionalism of your presentation..

Over the course of my career in consulting and strategy (and as a PowerPoint instructor for those industries), I’ve seen a lot of slides – great slides, terrible slides, and everything in-between. And what I’ve come to learn is that there’s a handful of common PowerPoint mistakes that many people don’t realize are hurting their presentation.

In this post I’m going to talk about the mistakes I see most often. I’ll give some basic examples of each mistake, explain why it hurts the presentation, and show you what you should be doing instead.

For the list, I’ll mostly be focusing on corporate style presentations, like what you’re likely to see day to day in the business world, but many of the lessons can be applied to other types of presentations as well.

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Table of Contents

1. Complicated Visualizations

Your job as a slide creator is to make it as easy as possible for the audience to understand your message, and unnecessarily complicated visuals don’t help you do that. Instead, they just confuse the audience. 

In this slide from Muckerlab there is a simple sales funnel on the left, with various sales channels on the right. With enough time I can figure out the message, but it’s a bit challenging for my brain to map sales channels to the various stages of the funnel.

“Ecommerce & Digital Marketing” Muckerlab, 2014

You might think that your visual is easy enough to understand, but remember that the audience hasn’t had the same amount of time to look at the slide as you have, so it’s much more difficult for them to grasp the key takeaway quickly. 

In the slide below from Edelman there are four different charts, but each one is communicating the same type of information. By mixing up the chart style like this it makes the slide overly complicated. Instead of showing four simple column charts, they’ve forced the audience to understand and interpret each type independently. This just makes it harder for the audience to grasp the key takeaways of the slide.

“Global Deck” Edelman Trust Barometer, 2012

Instead, ask yourself, what’s the key takeaway of the slide, and how does my chart or graphic help support that key takeaway. Avoid trying to make yourself look smart, and instead figure out the simplest way to communicate the idea you’re trying to communicate. 

This slide from Credit Suisse is a great example of keeping the chart simple and clear. It’s just a normal-looking stacked column chart with easy to read data labels, a clear background, and a simple takeaway. The result is an effective and professional looking slide that’s easy for the audience to understand. 

“Analyst and Investor Call” Credit Suisse, 2022

2. Simple Titles

The point of a title on a slide is to get a quick summary of the slide’s main takeaway, so the audience can better read and understand the details.

In this slide from BCG for example, the title says “Rising housing costs may be driving creatives out of the city”. So naturally, the audience is going to skim through the content looking for evidence of rising housing costs and creatives leaving the city, which makes for more effective delivery. (

“Melbourne as a Global Cultural Destination” BCG. For more BCG content be sure to check out our full BCG slide breakdown

But unfortunately, many titles aren’t this descriptive. Instead what I see are titles that tell me the topic of the slide and nothing else . I get an idea of what the slide is about, but I’m forced to come up with my own takeaway.

“Fixed Income Investor presentation” Credit Suisse, 2022

You see this especially on slides with summaries of data, like this slide from Salesforce about its finances. But even on these slides it’s usually a good idea to put a takeaway in the title.

“Finance Update Q4 FY21” Salesforce

In this example from Orsted , they’ve shown some annual financial data, but they’ve also summarized what they want the audience to take away from the slide – that they are in line with expectations. 

“Investor presentation Q4 and full-year 2020” Orsted, 2021

By including a full sentence for your title, ideally one that summarizes the main takeaway of the slide, you make it much easier for the audience to understand what it is you’re trying to tell them.  

3. Default PowerPoint Designs

The third mistake I see more often than I’d like is using default PowerPoint designs. The worst case of this is using old slide themes, like in this example. Anyone who has spent any amount of time in PowerPoint recognizes this design, and aesthetics aside, it just looks like the slide was thrown together last minute. 

“First 30 Days” Markstar, 2017

You certainly don’t want to overdesign your slide, but at the very least try to avoid the out-of-the-box designs PowerPoint provides for you. Many of these designs haven’t changed in years, and usually they’re meant for a different kind of presentation (like a school project). 

And the same goes for PowerPoint shapes, graphics, and even colors. They all come across as unprofessional and overused, so it’s in your best interest to avoid them altogether.  

But where I think this is most easy to mess up is with tables. A table like this for example looks fine enough, but with just a few tweaks it can be made to look significantly better.

In this example, all I did was bold the titles, turn the negative values red, left align the first column and right align the others, make the top line extra thick, then add other lines to separate the regions. The result is a much better looking, and much easier to read table. 

When it comes to design, even just a little bit of extra effort can help you avoid cliche, unprofessional looking slides.

4. Unrelated Content

In corporate style presentations, it’s completely okay to have lots of content, so long as each piece of content has a purpose. What I see way too often is stuff that’s just there to fill space, and doesn’t have an actual purpose. 

In this Starboard Value slide , there are a lot of unnecessary distractions. For example, the box at the bottom is really just a repeat of what’s in the subtitle. Likewise, there’s a lot of text in the bullet points that could be trimmed down or eliminated without changing the message of the slide. It would help the audience focus more on the key takeaways, without getting distracted by all the fluff. 

“Transforming Darden Restaurants” Starboard Value, 2014 See our full breakdown of this slide here .

But what bothers me the most is the picture at the bottom, which really isn’t adding to the slide in any meaningful way. Yes, it’s on topic – the slide is about breadsticks after all – but it’s not giving me any useful information. We all know what breadsticks look like, and this doesn’t help me understand the key takeaway any better. 

Pictures are typically the most common culprit when it comes to unrelated content. It can be really tempting to throw a picture on a slide to fill up the extra space – especially if that picture looks professional and seems to loosely match the topic of the slide. 

Even McKinsey is guilty of this sometimes, as in this example . The picture looks great, but it doesn’t help the audience understand the main message of the slide about digital manufacturing being a high priority for a majority of companies. Instead, it just distracts the audience. 

“Moving Laggards to Early Adopters” McKinsey & Co., 2018 Learn more about how McKinsey designs data heavy PowerPoint slides.

In this example from a different presentation, they kept the slide fairly simple, with only information that supports the main takeaway of the slide, and nothing else. The result is a clear and easy to understand slide with a well-supported takeaway. 

“Capturing the full electricity potential of the U.K.” McKinsey & Co., 2012

So when you’re adding content to your slide, whether that’s a picture, chart, or anything else, make sure it contributes to the message in some way. And if it doesn’t then just leave that part blank and adjust the other parts of the slide accordingly. 

5. Distracting Backgrounds

This is related to the last mistake about unrelated content but is important in and of itself. A bad background can completely ruin a presentation. At best it’s distracting, but at worst it looks horribly unprofessional and makes the content hard to look at. 

Once again this is where PowerPoint is to blame. Some of the default backgrounds make it almost impossible to read the text, especially if that text doesn’t provide any contrast.

But even simple backgrounds can be distracting, as in our previous example from Starboard Value . Shading the background makes it difficult for my eyes to know where to focus my attention. Not to mention it makes some of the text slightly harder to read. 

Even subtle text or images in the background can be distracting, as in this BCG example . 

“Projecting US Mail volumes to 2020” BCG, 2010

The general rule of thumb with backgrounds is if you notice it, you should change it. The idea is you want to reduce the number of distractions on your slide so that the audience can focus on the insights. In that regard, you can almost never go wrong with a plain white background. This keeps the audience focused on your content, and ultimately on your message. 

This slide from Accenture is a great example of a non-distracting background that keeps the emphasis on the content. Nothing is diverting my attention and I can focus on what they’re trying to tell me. 

“Fintech New York: Partnerships, Platforms and Open Innovation” Accenture, 2015

But of course, the background doesn’t always have to be white. Sometimes darker backgrounds work better for longer, live presentations, especially when those presentations are given on a large screen. 

In another example from later in the presentation, Accenture uses a darker blue background that’s simple, clear, and professional. And most importantly, it doesn’t take my attention away from the content on the slide. 

6. Not Guiding the Audience

Most modern business presentations are full of text and data, which can make it difficult for the audience to process the information on a slide and see the key insights . In a live presentation, it is even more difficult – the audience has to simultaneously listen to the speaker, read through the content on the slide, and think critically about the information. 

The easy way to manage this challenge is to guide the audience through your slide with visual cues – things like text, callouts, and boxes. Unfortunately, it is something that many people just don’t think to do.  What this leads to is dense, difficult to read slides , as in these two examples:

“Bridging the Gap Between CIO and CMO” Isobar, 2014

“Transforming Darden Restaurants” Starboard Value, 2014

And the same thing can happen with charts . By just putting up a chart with no real commentary or guidance, you make it hard for the audience to understand what it is you’re trying to tell them. 

“Fifth Assessment Report- Synthesis Report” IPCC, 2014

In many ways, this is the counterpoint to the last mistake. Whereas you don’t want unimportant pieces like your background to be distracting, you do want the important parts of your slide to be distracting, because it helps the audience quickly grasp the key takeaways. 

Returning to our Accenture example, notice how they’ve used bolded text to help call attention to what’s important. Likewise, they’ve also used a line to put emphasis on the title of the slide. 

Check out our full breakdown of this slide here .

This BCG slide has quite a bit of information on it, but they’ve made it easy to work through by drawing the most attention to the title with green font and large text, then the next amount of attention to the subtitles with bold black text and green lines underneath, and then the least amount of attention to the bullet points. It helps the process the information on the slide in the way they want them to – starting with the highest level idea, and working their way through the details. 

“Evaluating NYC media sector development and setting the stage for future growth” BCG, 2012

This chart from McKinsey is another good example of guiding the audience.  Instead of just keeping the chart plain, they’ve added callouts that help emphasize the message in the title. 

“Jobs lost, jobs gained: Workforce transitions in a time of automation” McKinsey, 2017

Guiding the audience can be as simple as adding an arrow or bolding important text. But even small changes like this can make a big difference in your presentation. 

7. Too Many Colors

It can be tempting to use a variety of colors on your slide, but doing so just distracts the audience and takes attention away from the important parts. And not only that, it can look really unprofessional. 

On this slide for example they’ve decided to separate each of these sections by color to make it easier to distinguish between them. But instead of making it easier to read, the slide is difficult to understand and hard to look at. The sections are already naturally separated, with lines, titles, and even icons. But by adding bright colors, in addition to the orange and green that’s already on the slide, they’ve reduced the slide’s readability considerably. 

“Harnessing the Power of Entrepreneurs to Open Innovation” Accenture, 2015

The best slides use color strategically, to help highlight key points and ideas.

In this Bain slide for example, they’ve decided to highlight the important columns in red, while keeping the less important columns in grey. It provides a nice contrasting effect that helps emphasize the message. 

“2011 China Luxury Market Study” Bain, 2011

Likewise, this Deloitte slide contains a minimal amount of color, making it easy to sift through the data and focus on only what’s important. Not to mention it keeps the visuals of the slide clean and professional. 

“Consumer privacy in retail” Deloitte, 2019

It’s a bit counterintuitive, but when it comes to color, sometimes less is more.

Final Thoughts

A few simple tweaks to your presentation can really make a difference in both its quality and overall professionalism. Above all, be sure to focus on your main message, and avoid any distractions that might take away from that message. If you can keep an eye out for cliché, unprofessional, and meaningless content, you’ll be well on your way to creating high-quality, insight-rich presentations.

P.S. – If you’re really looking to up your PowerPoint game, be sure to check out our full courses: Advanced PowerPoint for Consultants and Advanced Presentations for Consultants .

You can watch a video version of this article on YouTube .

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What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of PowerPoint

Explore the Advantages and Disadvantages of PowerPoint in our latest blog. Discover how this popular presentation tool can enhance communication and engagement while also exploring potential pitfalls. Gain insights on harnessing its power for effective presentations and navigating its limitations for more impactful business and educational content.

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The average salary of a PowerPoint expert in the UK is £40,000 GBP per year, according to Talent.com . In this blog, you will get to know about the Advantages and Disadvantages of PowerPoint. Let's dive in deeper to learn how it can impact your presentations!  

Table of Contents        

1) Advantages of PowerPoint  

2) Visual appeal and aesthetic design  

    a) Easy to use and accessible  

    b) Efficient information organisation  

    c) Disadvantages of PowerPoint  

3) Conclusion       

Advantages of PowerPoint   

PowerPoint is a powerful software tool developed by Microsoft that enables users to create visually appealing and engaging presentations. It offers various functionalities and features that make it a popular choice for individuals and professionals who want to convey information effectively. Here, we will explore the Advantages of PowerPoint and how it can enhance your presentations. Let's dive into the benefits it offers:  

Visual appeal and aesthetic design   

One of the primary Advantages of PowerPoint is its ability to create visually appealing presentations. With a vast array of design templates, colour schemes, and graphical elements, PowerPoint allows you to add visual appeal to your slides. This visual enhancement can captivate your audience's attention and make your presentation more engaging.

Easy to use and accessible   

PowerPoint is known for its user-friendly interface, making it accessible to users of any level. Its intuitive design and straightforward navigation enable users to create presentations quickly and efficiently. Moreover, PowerPoint is compatible with various operating systems, ensuring broad accessibility across different devices.  

Efficient information organisation   

One of the significant Advantages of PowerPoint is its capability to organise information effectively. With features like bullet points, numbered lists, and hierarchical structures, you can present your ideas in a logical and organised manner. This helps your audience understand and retain the information more easily.   

Enhanced audience engagement   

PowerPoint offers various features to enhance audience engagement during presentations. Animations, transitions, and multimedia elements can make your slides dynamic and captivating. Additionally, interactive features like hyperlinks and embedded videos can encourage audience participation, making your presentation more memorable.  

Time-saving and convenience   

These templates offer professionally designed layouts and graphics, allowing you to focus on the content rather than spending hours on design. Furthermore, PowerPoint's autosave feature automatically saves your work, providing convenience and peace of mind. 

Unlock the full potential of your presentations! Learn how to use PowerPoint effectively and create compelling, professional slides .

Versatility and compatibility   

PowerPoint's versatility is another key advantage that sets it apart as a presentation tool. It offers broad features and compatibility options that make it highly adaptable to different content formats and sharing platforms.  

a) Support for various media formats:  

PowerPoint provides support for a diverse range of media formats, allowing you to incorporate different types of content into your presentations. You can seamlessly integrate images, videos, audio clips, and charts, enhancing your slides' visual appeal and interactivity. You can create engaging and immersive presentations that resonate with your audience by leveraging these multimedia elements.   

The ability to incorporate various media formats in PowerPoint allows you to leverage different modes of communication. Visual elements, such as images and charts, can help illustrate complex concepts or data, making them more understandable and memorable. Videos and audio clips, on the other hand, can add a dynamic and interactive element to your presentation, allowing you to deliver information in a more engaging and captivating way.  

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b) File conversion and sharing options:  

Powerpoint Presentations can be easily converted to different file formats, offering flexibility in sharing and distribution. Whether you need to share your presentation with colleagues, clients, or a wider audience, PowerPoint enables you to save your slides in formats such as PDFs, video files, or even images. This versatility ensures that your presentation can be accessed and viewed on various devices and platforms, making it convenient for your audience to engage with your content.  

Converting your presentation to PDF format can be particularly useful when you want to share a finalised version of your slides while preserving the formatting and layout. PDF files are widely compatible, allowing anyone to view them using a PDF reader without the need for specific presentation software.  

In addition to PDF, Powerpoint Presentations can also be saved as video files. This format is ideal for situations where you want to share your presentation online, embed it on a website, or upload it to video-sharing platforms. By converting your presentation to a video, you can ensure a consistent playback experience across different devices and platforms.  

Furthermore, Powerpoint Presentations can be easily shared through various online platforms and cloud storage services. Whether you choose to use email, file-sharing platforms, or cloud storage solutions like OneDrive or Google Drive, PowerPoint's compatibility allows you to collaborate with others and share your presentations effortlessly.  

Collaboration and sharing options   

Collaboration is made easy with PowerPoint's sharing and collaboration features. Multiple users can work on a presentation at the same time, making it ideal for team projects or group presentations. With cloud storage and sharing platforms, such as OneDrive or SharePoint, you can share your Powerpoint Presentations with others, enabling seamless collaboration and feedback exchange.  

Professionalism and credibility   

PowerPoint's professional look and vibes contribute to the overall credibility of your presentation. The polished design and layout options help create a sense of professionalism, which can enhance your message's impact. By using PowerPoint, you can convey your ideas with authority and leave a lasting impression on your audience.  

Multimedia integration   

Incorporating multimedia elements is a breeze with PowerPoint. You can easily insert images, videos, audio clips, and animations into your slides, making your presentation more dynamic and engaging. Visual and auditory aids can significantly enhance the audience's understanding and retention of information.  

Presenter support and notes   

PowerPoint offers several features to support presenters during their delivery. The presenter view provides a helpful tool for managing your presentation, displaying speaker notes, and previewing upcoming slides. You can also add speaker notes to individual slides, ensuring that you don't miss any crucial points during your presentation.  

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Disadvantages of PowerPoint   

Overreliance on visuals   

While visuals can enhance a presentation, overreliance on them can be a disadvantage. When too much emphasis is placed on visuals, the audience may become distracted or miss essential information. It's crucial to strike a balance between visuals and textual content to ensure the message is effectively conveyed.  

Potential for information overload   

Powerpoint Presentations have the potential to overwhelm the audience with excessive information. Presenters may feel compelled to include every detail on the slides, leading to information overload. It's important to prioritise key points and keep the content concise and focused to prevent overwhelming the audience.  

Lack of interactivity   

PowerPoint is primarily a one-way communication tool, limiting interactivity during presentations. While you can incorporate interactive elements, such as hyperlinks or quizzes, the level of interaction is often limited. This can hinder audience engagement and participation, particularly in scenarios that require active involvement. 

Limited customisation options   

While PowerPoint provides various design templates, the customisation options may be limited compared to dedicated design software. Presenters seeking highly customised and unique designs may find PowerPoint's options somewhat restrictive. However, for most presentations, the available templates and customisation features are sufficient.  

Technical glitches and compatibility issues   

Technical glitches and compatibility issues can occasionally occur when using PowerPoint. File corruption, formatting inconsistencies, or software compatibility problems can disrupt the smooth delivery of your presentation. It's crucial to test your presentation on the actual equipment or platform to minimise the risk of technical difficulties.  

Dependency on the presenter   

Powerpoint Presentations often rely heavily on the presenter's ability to deliver the content effectively. A presenter who lacks public speaking skills or fails to engage the audience may negatively impact the overall effectiveness of the presentation. Developing strong presentation skills and practising delivering your presentation is important to ensure a successful outcome.    

Not suitable for all presentation types   

While PowerPoint is a versatile tool, it may not be the best choice for all presentation types. For instance, highly technical or data-heavy presentations may require more specialised software or tools that offer advanced data visualisation capabilities. It's important to assess the specific requirements of your presentation and choose the appropriate tool accordingly.  

Accessibility challenges   

Powerpoint Presentations may pose accessibility challenges for individuals with disabilities. Issues such as small font sizes, lack of alt text for images, or inadequate colour contrast can make it difficult for visually impaired or hearing-impaired individuals to fully engage with the content. It's important to follow accessibility guidelines and make accommodations to ensure inclusivity.  

Copyright and intellectual property concerns   

When using images, videos, or other media in Powerpoint Presentations, it's essential to respect copyright and intellectual property rights. Failure to obtain proper permissions or give proper attribution can lead to legal issues. It's crucial to use licensed or royalty-free media or obtain explicit permission from copyright holders before including them in your presentations.  

Risk of boring and monotonous presentations   

Powerpoint Presentations have earned a reputation for being boring and monotonous if not designed and delivered effectively. The reliance on bullet points and text-heavy slides can result in a lack of variety and engagement. It's important to employ storytelling techniques, incorporate multimedia elements, and vary the presentation format to keep the audience interested and attentive.

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Conclusion       

We hope you read this blog and understand the Advantages and Disadvantages of PowerPoint. PowerPoint's versatility and compatibility make it a powerful presentation tool. With support for various media formats and easy file conversion, it allows users to create engaging presentations and share them seamlessly. PowerPoint is a valuable resource for effective communication and impactful presentations.  

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Frequently Asked Questions

PowerPoint offers twelve common types of slides, including Title, Picture, Text, Agenda, and more, each designed for specific content and presentation purposes. 

The three main views in PowerPoint are Normal View for editing, Slide Sorter View for organising slides, and Slide Show View for presenting. 

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Productivity

5 reasons why powerpoint can harm your learning.

You’ve been drinking way too many cups of coffee. You’ve been pinching your arms, hands, legs, knees, and even your ears. It seems that, no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to fight off the sleepiness.

The good news? This isn’t your fault. The bad news? It seems that you still have to endure the remaining 30 minutes of some boring PowerPoint presentation.

If this sounds familiar, no worries. We’ve all been there. Even though PowerPoint can be a useful tool, it poses some potential risks when it comes to learning. Here are five ways that PowerPoint can harm your learning.

1. It can discourage complex thinking

Few things are more misleading than when a PowerPoint presentation is oversimplifying and skipping essential points related to a topic. This can make the audience believe that the topic is far simpler than it actually is, creating a huge gap between the reality and the perception.

According to Paul Ralph at Business Insider , PowerPoint slides discourage complex thinking. As he said:

“Slides encourage instructors to present complex topics using bullet points, slogans, abstract figures and oversimplified tables with minimal evidence. They discourage deep analysis of complex, ambiguous situations because it is nearly impossible to present a complex, ambiguous situation on a slide. This gives students the illusion of clarity and understanding.”

How to avoid it?

If you are presenting on a complex topic, make sure to include the essential bullet points. You should also clarify from the start that the information you are presenting is just the tip of the iceberg. If audience members want to understand the material better, recommend some specific resources. Include these specific resources on the last slide. This will give them a more realistic view on how big the topic can get. This way, it’s their choice to pay attention to your disclaimer and follow up with the resources later.

2. It can lead to lazy thinking

A PowerPoint presentation often works like a script for the presenter. Then, when a question is asked, there are often two possible outcomes:

If the answer is in the presentation, he or she will say “I will cover that answer in my next slides.”

If the answer is not in the presentation, he or she will say “I am not completely sure, let me check on that and get back to you.”

Arthur Drobin says the following in an article from Psychology Today : “PowerPoint isn’t only a problem for audiences who must sit through boring presentations in the dark, but just as significantly for the presenter who is stuck with the information on the slide. Using PowerPoint leads to lazy thinking. All too often the presenter can’t answer questions that aren’t immediately relevant.”

Your PowerPoint presentation shouldn’t be your script. You should have knowledge and experience pertaining to the topic which you are presenting. Of course, you may get some surprising questions that will make you have to think a bit on your feet.

By knowing your topic well, you should be able to answer most questions that come up, even if the answers aren’t included in your slides. So, when a question is raised, take a step back and truly consider it — not just whether or not it appears on your slides.

3. It can kill productivity

When I was working for one of the biggest companies in Norway, a majority of the elite employees were avid users of creating PowerPoint presentations. When you begin to miss meetings because you are creating PowerPoint presentations for other meetings, how productive are you? Being busy is certainly not the same thing as being productive.

This is a point that an article on Computerworld backs up: “Tremendous amounts of time are spent in the military on putting together presentations, and [this] takes away from true productivity.”

Even more importantly, it’s not easy to learn new material when you’re busying yourself with unproductive and unfocused work.

PowerPoint should be used as a supportive tool that will enhance your presentation. Do your presentation without notes and use just a few well-selected PowerPoint slides. PowerPoint should be used to enhance important sections of your presentation. This might be a few bullet points or a graph that is backing up the point you are speaking about.

Or, do like Jason Dorsey , who gave a presentation in front of a large crowd without  PowerPoint slides.

4. It can drown your audience

There is a metaphor regarding presenting information that goes like this: “If someone asks for a glass of water, don’t spray them with the fire hose.”

Few things are more annoying than when you ask someone a specific question, one that should require a short answer, and they start giving you a big lecture.

Edward Tufte said, “In a business setting, a PowerPoint slide typically shows 40 words, which is about eight seconds’ worth of silent reading material. With so little information per slide, many, many slides are needed. Audiences consequently endure a relentless sequentiality, one damn slide after another.”

Even though there is seldom a maximum number of slides for a business presentation, this doesn’t mean that you need to drown your audience in slides. Respect them and let them breathe. The fewer slides you have and the more succinct they are, the easier it will be for you to keep their attention and to get your points across. They will respect you more since you didn’t waste their time.

Another bonus is that you didn’t waste your own time on making a huge amount of unnecessary slides.

5. It can lead to serious misunderstandings

When a complex topic is presented on PowerPoint slides, it can be very difficult for the audience to interpret and understand the real message. This can lead to serious misunderstandings. Some incidents are more severe than others:  New York Times columnist Clive Thompson blames the space shuttle Columbia accident on poor use of PowerPoint.

First of all, you need to know your topic. Then, you need to put yourself in the audience’s shoes. Make the PowerPoint presentation very simple to understand, like you are presenting the topic to a ten-year-old kid.

Remember that your audience will probably not know the topic as well as you do. It can be highly admirable when a person can explain a complex topic in a simple way.

PowerPoint is a worthy and supportive tool — when it’s used in the right way. The intention of using PowerPoint should be to enhance your message, not to make it more unclear.

What is your experience with PowerPoint? Have you experienced a good PowerPoint presentation that delivered the message in a succinct way?

Featured photo credit: Michael Kellett / Michael Kellett Professional Photograph via flickr.com

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Impact of the provision of PowerPoint slides on learning

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• Teng Y Wang X (2024) Full caption, English proficiency and their relationships with behavioral, cognitive and emotional student engagement in Chinese EFL college content-based instruction video learning Education and Information Technologies 10.1007/s10639-023-12342-y 29 :1 (861-880) Online publication date: 1-Jan-2024 https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s10639-023-12342-y
• Liu Y Wu M Luo L (2022) Evaluation of Teachers' information technology application competency Based on IBC Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Big Data and Education 10.1145/3524383.3524426 (176-182) Online publication date: 26-Feb-2022 https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3524383.3524426

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Research Reveals PowerPoint Is Not to Blame

TLDR. PowerPoint doesn’t make bad slides and it doesn’t give bad presentations—people do. Here, I refute the arguments in a recent “death by PowerPoint”-type blog post. Though seemingly rooted in academic research, upon further inspection it becomes clear the author did not read the cited research papers. As a result, the author presents an incomplete and inaccurate picture of the impacts of using PowerPoint. Generally speaking, if you are going to rely on research to buttress your argument, be sure you read the entire paper because the abstract or introduction can give a limited view of the findings.

Lots of people like to hate PowerPoint. “Death by PowerPoint” is a refrain we’ve all heard time and again. I don’t think most people blame PowerPoint for bad presentations and instead—rightfully—blame the presenter.

In the canon of “I hate PowerPoint,” it was no surprise to read a recent Inc.com article by Geoffrey James entitled, “ It’s Official: PowerPoint Is the Worst Productivity Tool in All Creation .” In his post, James relies on a series of academic articles to buttress his argument that using PowerPoint hampers learning. Unfortunately, it seems he failed to read any of the research papers and therefore gets it all terribly wrong.

In what follows, I address each of the false and misleading claims James makes in his post. As you’ll see, his claims are demonstrably incorrect, and the very evidence he cites instead suggests that PowerPoint is no worse, and often better, than other presentation tools. The passages he quotes appear to be picked from paper abstracts and not the body of the articles—there is more to a published research paper than what is put in the abstract.

Generally speaking, if you’re going to cite an academic paper, you should read it first or, at the very least, skim it. Don’t solely rely on the abstract to give you the entire gist of the study. There may be alternative specifications and varying levels of precision and detail that are expressed more fully in the paper itself. Relying on someone else’s summary—including a journalist—is neither sufficient nor responsible.

Below, I present eight sections of James’ post (offset with large quotation signs) that make various claims about PowerPoint and study results. I have also included links to each cited academic paper if you want to read them for yourself.

Every description of PowerPoint “best practices” suggests using PowerPoint to make your presentation more vivid, alive and entertaining. A common way to do this is to animate your graphs, so that the bars grow into their final position, right before your audience’s eyes. Cool, eh?

Where does this come from? It is completely incorrect. I make no such claim in my book , and many of my favorite books in this area— by Nancy Duarte, Garr Reynolds, and Carmine Gallo, to name just a few —make no mention of making your presentation “more vivid, alive and entertaining” simply, as implied, for the sake of it. All of these authors, and many others that I follow and respect , focus on creating content that is clear and concise, and that helps the audience more easily obtain information. Perhaps a minor point, but one I felt important to make.

Well, it turns out that animated graphs lead to bad decision-making. Robert Cialdini, professor emeritus of psychology and marketing at Arizona State University, and author of the classic business bestseller  Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion , showed three groups of people performance statistics for a fictional high-school football player named Andrew. He then asked each group to rate Andrew, as a player, from 1 to 7. The first group received a hard-copy table of statistics, the second group got a hard-copy of bar graph, and the third group were shown a PowerPoint presentation with animated graphs. The first two groups rated Andrew a 4.5 and 5 respectively. The group that saw the animated graphs rated the Andrew a 6. Cialdini repeated the experiment using sports fans who were more experienced at understanding such statistics. The first two groups came up with the same number. The group shown the animated graphs rated Andrew as high as the novices had done, as a 6.

Let me be clear: James did not read the Cialdini study. Instead, he lifted the findings from this New Yorker article that he linked to in the next paragraph. Again, if you’re going to use academic research to support your argument, you should read the paper!

I, however, did hunt down the Cialdini study. It took me a while—the findings are not in Cialdini’s books or listed in his CV, and the New Yorker journalist did not respond to my request. I was able to contact Professor Cialdini directly who graciously shared the link to the 2013 paper published in the Psychology of Popular Media Culture .

In this case, the New Yorker (and subsequently James’) summary are both incorrect. The basic description is correct—the authors split their study participants into six groups: football expertise level (novices and experts) and the presentation type each person viewed (typed summary of statistics, printed PowerPoint charts, and animated PowerPoint charts).

Here’s where things go awry: Among the experts, there are no statistically significant differences between the three groups . Opinions among the experts who watched the animated PowerPoint charts were slightly higher than the other two groups, but not in a statistically meaningful way. Among the novices, opinions among the group that watched the animated PowerPoint slides were, on average, higher than among the static PowerPoint charts, which were in turn higher than in the typed results.

Of course, all of this seems intuitive, doesn’t it? If I don’t know much about a topic, more engaging (i.e., animated) visual content may be more likely to convince me of something than static content. Similarly, if I am an expert in some area, the ‘bells and whistles’ may not impact my conclusions as much because it is going to take more work to convince me. I should also note that the study authors don’t specify how animation was used—it could be something gratuitous like the Blinds or Checkerboard animation, or could be something more simple (and possibly more helpful) like having each series or category appear one at a time.

In sum, the presentation of these research results in James’ post are incorrect and misleading. In fact, the results may actually suggest that using PowerPoint can help make a convincing case to an audience that consists of people who are not experts in the topic or field—as the authors put it, “the technological sophistication inflated positive opinions, particularly for novices.”

There is one interesting aside that I think is worth mentioning. Among the 116 survey participants (24 female and 92 male), none of the women ended up in the expert group! This gender data bias is the subject of the fascinating new book by Caroline Criado Perez, Invisible Women and is striking here. The authors are aware of this potential bias, though it’s unclear to me how they can claim that, “the absence of women in the sample did not affect our results…”

A similar study of PowerPoint usage at the  University of Houston and published in Computers & Education  found that “students performed worse on quizzes when PowerPoint presentations included non-text items such as pictures and sound effects.

Once again, this is an incomplete representation of the research findings. The results are more nuanced and suggest that relevant PowerPoint content supports learning.

Let’s review the actual study. The researchers had survey participants watch three different types of presentations:

• “Transparency,” where the presenter used plastic transparencies (some of you might remember using these!);
• “Basic PowerPoint,” where the presenter used PowerPoint with only text information; and
• “Expanded PowerPoint,” where the presenter used PowerPoint slides that included not only text but also pictures and sounds. Importantly, the authors state that “Although the pictures did relate to the lecture, the sound effects and how the text appeared generally did not.” This group, therefore, saw information that was not all related to the content of the lecture.

James’ citation from the abstract (highlighted in the picture) only applies to the comparison between the “Transparency” group and the “Expanded PowerPoint” group. I think that finding makes sense—including irrelevant information would, I suspect, negatively affect learning. (The authors also report findings from a second experiment that corroborate these findings and that “unrelated graphics in a presentation have a negative effect on the enjoyment and learning of the material.”)

Importantly, and more relevant to the central issue about the effectiveness of PowerPoint, the authors find that there is no statistically meaningful difference in quiz scores between the “Transparency” group and the “Basic PowerPoint” group. If we don’t care about statistical significance, then it’s also worth noting that relative to the “Transparency” group the “Basic PowerPoint” group liked the presentation better (a mean score of 7.43 vs. 7.24), reported learning more (7.59 vs. 7.38), and had higher quiz scores (8.41 vs. 8.36). It also took the presenter less time to create the PowerPoint slides (1.5 hours vs. 1.83 hours) and were able to cover more information in class (28.5 points made vs. 26.5 points made).

By just reading the abstract, James misses the more important and more relevant finding that it is PowerPoint presentations with irrelevant information that inhibit learning , not PowerPoint presentations in general.

Another study at  Perdue University, also published in in Computers & Education  found that “students retained 15% less information delivered verbally by the lecturer during PowerPoint presentations.”

Again, James relies on the abstract (highlighted text above) to extrapolate to the entire paper and, once again, gets it wrong. As with the previous paper, the researchers tested two types of presentations: a standard lecture with no slides or exhibits (“Traditional”) and a presentation using PowerPoint.

The authors did find that students’ quiz scores were 15% higher on average for the first group than the group that watched a PowerPoint presentation, but that was only for verbal (e.g., audio) information. For other types of information—graphics, alphanumeric, and overall, the PowerPoint audience scored higher than the Traditional audience. Students also preferred the PowerPoint presentation in three of the four outcome measures—graphics, alphanumeric, and overall, all of which were statistically significant. The Traditional lecture won out on Discussion scores, though that difference was not statistically meaningful.

Importantly—and I think correctly—the authors note that, “No one delivery style is optimal for all content and contexts. Therefore, the blind use of a particular presentation type for all course material is not advised… Availability, familiarity, or sheer preference should not dictate the use of educational technologies. Course material (i.e., type of information) and objectives should influence the use of educational technology to develop a learning environment that fosters increased student performance and attitude.” If only James had read the paper.

As yet another aside, both of these first two studies (the first from 2003 and the second from 2009) compare PowerPoint presentations to those using transparencies. I wonder whether a new generation is more familiar sitting through presentations and watching (and using) PowerPoint and how that might affect these results. The world was undergoing a transition from transparencies to PowerPoint around the time of both papers, but does anyone use transparencies anymore? Can you even find a transparency projector? In other words, while these findings are interesting, I wonder if they are as relevant as they once were. If you don’t read the paper, however, you might not ask this question at all.

Yet another study, this one from Harvard, showed that having words on a screen while you’re talking has no effect, positive or negative, on comprehension or retention, making the creation of the presentation just so much wasted effort.

James decided not to link to this study, but I found it in a previous blog post he also wrote for Inc. with the clickbaity (and also incorrect) title, “ Harvard Just Discovered that PowerPoint is Worse Than Useless .”

So, let’s look at this more recent study ( from 2017 ). The authors compared the effectiveness of a presentation delivered in PowerPoint to one delivered in Prezi. It is especially worth nothing that this study was funded by Prezi . I don’t doubt the authors’ sincerity when they write that “we took special care not to allow bias or demand characteristics to influence this research,” but the optics of conducting research that finds Prezi is better than PowerPoint is just bad.

To the findings, once again James grabs the abstract summary and pawns it off as the entirety of the research. The basics of the finding are true: survey participants claimed, on average, to have found the presentation to be more organized, engaging, persuasive, and effective in Prezi than in PowerPoint.

But it’s also important to look at the entire framing of the study: Each presentation was less than 5 minutes and presented via Skype on viewer’s computers that were 13 inches or larger . The study is therefore really about the effectiveness of Prezi and PowerPoint in a webinar format . I would argue that watching a (short) webinar is very different than watching a live presentation in a room with a projector, speaker, and audience. It’s probably harder to maintain your audience’s attention in the webinar format, and thus Prezi’s panning, zooming, and spinning effects may be a way to grab people’s attention that simple clicking from one slide to the next doesn’t do (as earlier, we don’t know exactly what kind of animation was used here).

This study suggests that Prezi may be better in a webinar-style presentation, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a better choice overall. In fact, with many of the changes Microsoft has made to PowerPoint over the last year—the Morph transition , Designer , Zoom , and others—it is moving closer to Prezi in different ways.

The authors of this paper also do a nice job summarizing the existing research, which is funny because it refutes James’ entire argument:

“In terms of student performance…findings were notably mixed: Of the 28 studies we identified, 17 found no effect of PowerPoint lectures relative to traditional lectures, 9 found a performance benefit of PowerPoint over traditional instruction, and 2 found a performance benefit of traditional over PowerPoint instruction.

There is near consensus in the literature, however, when it comes student perception: Of the 26 studies we identified, 21 found that students preferred PowerPoint over traditional instruction, 2 found that students preferred traditional over PowerPoint instruction, and 3 other studies found no preference for one or the other formats.”

Also importantly—and also to refute James—the authors specifically note that, “Like others, we caution against technological determinism: Presentation medium is but one of many factors that determine presentation success, and presentations that rely on any given medium can succeed or fail.”

The root problem with PowerPoint is the way it encourages you to think, according to Edward Tufte, arguably the world’s foremost expert on information design.

I don’t know why Tufte is considered an expert on presentation design (for better advice, check out any of the books in this list ). He has provided little, if any, practical advice on how to give an effective presentation and has instead concentrated his efforts on criticizing PowerPoint. If you’ve ever attended one of his Presenting Data and Information workshops, you’ll know that he spends the entire day presenting material on slides ( see this critique ). Ironically, he argues instead of using PowerPoint, you should instead print your material on an 11”x17” piece of paper, let people read it, and then let them ask you questions. He doesn’t use that strategy in his workshop, but he recommends it to the rest of us.

Does Tufte use PowerPoint? Of course not—he uses Keynote! But is Keynote really that much different than PowerPoint? According to Tufte, yes. But both programs have some of the same bad animations, 3D charts, and other ineffective options.

In his Cognitive Style of PowerPoint screed (2003), Tufte laments the lack of information and data-dense graphs in a set of case studies (in my view, it’s a limited set of case studies). You can examine the document on your own if you like, but for my purposes here, it is worth going to the end where a postscript responds to this key question:

“The problem is with presenters who misuse PowerPoint. PowerPoint is just a tool; why blame the software for bad presentations? When a carpenter makes a crooked cut, do we blame the saw? Just because some people do silly things in PP doesn’t mean that PP has a problem; people do silly things in written reports also.”

Tufte responds:

“This makes one good point: responsibility for poor presentations rests with the presenter. But it is more complicated than that. PP has a distinctive, definite, well-enforced, and widely-practiced cognitive style that is contrary to serious thinking. PP actively facilitates the making of lightweight presentations.

This essay reports evidence based on several thousand slides, 5 case studies, and extensive quantitative comparisons between PowerPoint and other methods of communicating information. The results are clear: some methods of presentation are better than others. And PowerPoint is rarely a good method.

Nearly all the evidence of the essay suggests that there is inherent defect in PowerPoint, unless one advances the entertaining alternative hypothesis that nearly all PP users are lightweights and nearly all users of other methods are not. This is not the case; PP has inherent defect.”

Two portions are worthy of some response:

• “This essay reports evidence based on several thousand slides, 5 case studies, and extensive quantitative comparisons between PowerPoint and other methods of communicating information.” Tufte’s evidence is weak, uncited, and unsubstantiated. His “several thousand slides” likely refers to the various PowerPoint how-to books he supposedly examined, but there is no list of books or citations provided. It’s unclear what “extensive quantitative comparisons” he is referring to, but he does not perform an evaluation like those in any of the papers cited above.
• “Nearly all of the evidence of the essay suggests that there is inherent defect in PowerPoint…” In fact, his evidence suggests that the slides he found are poorly designed . Leaping from his small sample size to the world writ large is an obvious extrapolation fallacy . Nothing he shows or claims demonstrates that the PowerPoint software tool itself includes some kind of fatal flaw, nor does he show that PowerPoint has some innate malicious toolset that is not also a part of other software programs.

Tufte has built part of his reputation on bashing PowerPoint and suggesting that no, it’s not just a tool that people can use well or poorly, but that PowerPoint itself is responsible for bad slides. But I believe PowerPoint is just a tool, and like any tool it can be used well or poorly. I am, of course, not alone in this opinion and even the authors of the Harvard study feel the need to note that by using the word “PowerPoint” they are referring to the Microsoft product, not some other similar tool like Keynote: “When we say PowerPoint presentations, we mean presentations that were made using Microsoft PowerPoint, not other software such as Apple’s Keynote.”

Of course, PowerPoint isn’t without its flaws and poor defaults (though I think the defaults are getting better). Whether PowerPoint is better than the Keynote tool that Tufte uses—or any other tool for that matter—is largely a subjective matter for users. But Tufte provides little real evidence that PowerPoint presentations are in fact worse than other presentation approaches, and the body of academic research also suggests that this is not the case.

In other words, PowerPoint makes your organization dumber. That’s why, incidentally, that PowerPoint is so excellent as a  Sales tool  (as opposed to a productivity tool.) PowerPoint dumbs the customer down, making them more likely to make a buying decision based on bells and whistles rather than actual information.

I wonder how people in Sales jobs feel about being called dumb? The research James cites, but has clearly not read, suggests that PowerPoint is no worse—and perhaps even better—than other presentation strategies. I am not defending the use of many of the PowerPoint transitions and animations— who is using the Checkerboard animation?! —but (as opposed to Tufte) I believe that it is the user, not the tool, that creates bad slides and delivers bad presentations. 

Finally, let’s look at James’ two suggestions for making your organization “smarter rather than dumber”:

Ban PowerPoint from your workplace . That’s for all internal meetings but especially when people from outside your organization are trying to sell you something.

I’m not sure why you would do this. Aside from the evidence shown above, PowerPoint has lots of other uses including designing memos and infographics. I suspect PowerPoint also suffices for some of the basic graphic design needs for many organizations such as creating shapes, logos, and basic templates, all of which could also be developed in the harder-to-use and more expensive Adobe Creative Suite. I also suspect that many (most?) of these kinds of organizations rely on other parts of the Microsoft Office suite already, so why would they purposefully delete PowerPoint? This argument makes little sense, either strategically or practically.

Start every meeting with a group reading . Prepare a short document summarizing the issues, providing some analysis, and defining the decision that’s to be made.

I actually like this recommendation, though I would tweak it to have people read meeting materials before the meeting. That way, meetings can focus on discussion and decision-making instead of debating details and minutiae likely more easily understood and absorbed beforehand when reading the materials. And why can’t PowerPoint be a viable tool to prepare these short documents? Personally, I find it much easier to lay out text, graphs, and other images in the blank canvas that is a PowerPoint slide than in the margin- and tab-restricted world that is Microsoft Word.

It’s true that I’m a PowerPoint user. I think it’s a great tool and I use it for my slide presentations as well as memos, handouts, infographics, and more. It’s not perfect—I could go without the swirly transitions and animations, and I wish they would drop the 3D exploding pie charts—but it works really well for my purposes. Personally, I don’t love Keynote or Prezi, but that doesn’t mean they are bad tools (I do basically like Google slides, likely because it mimics the PowerPoint environment).

If you’re a PowerPoint user, it’s completely fair to criticize the tool. It’s fair to make the case that it promotes bad practices and has too many options and bells and whistles. It’s also fair to claim that it hampers learning. But, if you choose to use scientific research to support your claims, please read the research and do not rely on summary-level bullet points or news articles. This is not an easy task and requires more time and examination, but as experts, authors, and thought-leaders, we have a responsibility to present clear, responsible arguments.

Thanks to Bruce Farrell,   Stephanie Lewis, Marshall Makstein, Tony Ramos, and Julie Terberg for their comments and suggestions on this post.

Featured Image by  Teemu Paananen  on  Unsplash

Bartsch, Robert A., and Kristi M. Cobern. “Effectiveness of PowerPoint presentations in lectures.”  Computers & education  41.1 (2003): 77-86.

Guadagno, Rosanna E., et al. “The opinion-changing power of computer-based multimedia presentations.”  Psychology of Popular Media Culture  2.2 (2013): 110.

Letrud, Kåre, and Sigbjørn Hernes. “Affirmative citation bias in scientific myth debunking: A three-in-one case study.”  PloS one  14.9 (2019): e0222213.

Moulton, Samuel T., Selen Türkay, and Stephen M. Kosslyn. “Does a presentation’s medium affect its message? PowerPoint, Prezi, and oral presentations.”  PloS one  12.7 (2017): e0178774.

Parker, Ian. “Absolute PowerPoint: Can a software package edit our thoughts?” New Yorker magazine, May 28, 2001, 76-87.

Savoy, April, Robert W. Proctor, and Gavriel Salvendy. “Information retention from PowerPoint™ and traditional lectures.”  Computers & Education  52.4 (2009): 858-867.

Tufte, Edward R. 2003. The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint. Graphics Press. Connecticut.

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Very interesting, thoughtful, and helpful information! More context is always welcome and I learned a lot from your analysis.

The second suggestion James makes is very similar to Tufte’s suggestion, which I might add he *does* do at conferences, to a point… he usually has paper handouts. However, I don’t think its so easy to ask people to do advance preparation for most meetings. Tufte in fact talks about this and how he tried asking people to read in advance but it didn’t work, most people just show up not having read it. So, I wouldn’t modify that second suggestion, I think just using the time from the meeting is the most efficient and respectful of people’s time.

This was wonderful. I am gathering information on the effectiveness of PPT and I found this to be extremely helpful. I appreciate greatly the time and energy you put into debunking the myths being put out there by others. Too many people are guilty of skimming the high points and passing it off as fact. This was a reinforcement for me and I hope it is for others as well to dig deeper into the research.

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Home » Pros and Cons » 10 Pros and Cons of Powerpoint Presentations

10 Pros and Cons of Powerpoint Presentations

If you need to make a formal presentation, one of the best supportive tools you can use to create visuals for those attending is Microsoft PowerPoint. It can be found in Office 365 subscriptions for both personal and business use.

The primary advantage of using PowerPoint is that visual representations can help to reinforce the key points you’re speaking about. Humans are visually orientated when learning new skills or ideas, so having a graphic representation of what you’re speaking about makes it easier to retain the information.

The primary disadvantage is that it takes time to learn how to use this software. For those unfamiliar with visual presentation software, the process can become difficult. It may even cause some to give up trying to learn it. Here are some of the other pros and cons of PowerPoint presentations that are worth thinking about as well.

What Are the Pros of PowerPoint Presentations?

1. It is easy to download and use virtually anywhere. PowerPoint is considered a standard product in many professional settings. This allows you to take your user license virtually anywhere to be able to create the graphics needed for your presentation. It is so expected, in fact, that you may create a negative first impression if you don’t have a PowerPoint presentation to offer.

2. It can make a presentation more interesting. Even interesting presentations can grow long and boring. With an animated presentation or interesting quotes or other fun slides, you can bring people back from their boredom.

3. It is easy to customize each slide to meet specific needs. Images on a slide can be decreased or increased in scale to fit your needs. It only takes a few clicks to insert, alter, and align images to create a needed visual representation. You can even use arrows, pointers, or other shapes to highlight key areas of information you want people to know about.

4. It is a simple process to create follow-along hand-outs. You can print each slide directly from PowerPoint. Then you can copy those slides to become a helpful hand-out that can be given to each presentation participant.

5. It is reasonably affordable for most professionals. Business plans for Office 365 start at just under $10 per month. This gives you 1 license to use on a computer of your choice. For $15 per month, you receive 5 computer licenses to use.

What Are the Cons of PowerPoint Presentations?

1. There’s always the chance of running into technical difficulties. Even tech-savvy individuals can run into presentation issues when the technology doesn’t work as intended. Maybe the computer stops working. Or you lose power to your outlet. Or the overhead display doesn’t work right. This can alter the positive first impression of a presentation very quickly.

2. Slides with too much information on them can become overwhelming. Because there are so many options that can be included on a PowerPoint presentation, it can be easy to go overboard on the number of colors, sounds, shapes, and other items that can be used. By adding to many things, you can detract from the information that needs to be shared.

3. It isn’t a substitute for what a presenter must do. Many who use PowerPoint tend to rely on the information on the slide instead of providing a learning narrative. It is easy to become too reliant on this software and forget that there is an actual presentation that needs to be completed.

4. Costs are always ongoing. Because it is part of the Office 365 package, you no longer receive a proprietary software license for one specific cost. You must pay a monthly or annual subscription cost, which over time can add up to more than what the proprietary license once offered. You must also download the software to each computer, which consumes data that may be capped for some small business owners.

5. Some participants may tune out your narrative. If your PowerPoint is very detailed, some participants in your presentation may focus on your handouts and slides more than your actual narrative. This may make it difficult to make the call to action that you want participants to follow at the end of the day.

The pros and cons of PowerPoint presentations show that with careful planning, any narrative can be enhanced for those who are participating in the event. Without that planning, the presentation may do more harm than good to the narrative.

Do you use Microsoft PowerPoint for your presentations? What helpful tips do you have to refine the presentation creation experience?

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What are the advantages and disadvatages of PowerPoint

• PowerPoint tutorial /
• Presentation design

PowerPoint is one of the most popular software for presentations. It is part of the Microsoft Office suite and can be used for personal, business, and educational purposes. Most known for its templates and easiness of use, PowerPoint had conquered the presentations game. 

From beginners to professional speakers, this software allows you to build your own presentations using text, images, video, audios, tables of data. There are a variety of animations and transitions that can help in delivering the presentation the way you want. 

We’ve been working for five years in Presentation Design, and most of our work is done using PowerPoint.

Even though I’ve been using it over the past 5 years, I’m learning something new every once in a while. I’m always looking to improve my process, do things differently or executing the wrong command. Some mistakes are good too, eh? I feel like PowerPoint is a tool which is overlooked by many people in the design industry. When I switch to other software, I’m thinking <<oh, I could have done this a lot faster in PowerPoint>>. I like order and precision. Through PowerPoint’s  grid and guides features, I’m able to satisfy these cravings of mine and create consistent and neat presentations.

Bogdan, Visual Hackers Designer

Advantages of PowerPoint

1. It can be used virtually anywhere

Put your presentation on a USB flash drive or in any cloud storage app and you will have your PowerPoint presentation at hand anytime. It is also included in standard professional settings, so with your user license, you can access your presentation from anywhere.

2. It is a collaborative solution

Work from home is now a normal thing to do. Tools that provide solutions for working together with your team even if you are in different locations are in high demand. PowerPoint adapted to this situation and with its online cloud storage, you can now work on presentations at the same time, or work on the same presentation without sending it to each other. 

3. You can choose to create your own design or use existing ones

PowerPoint offers you full control over your slides’ appearances. You have the freedom to customize your presentation with your own design. As it is easy to modify and play with the elements given by this software, you can create the perfect presentation for yourself. 

There are also templates already integrated into the software for visually appealing presentations and for those who want a quick and nice design. Furthermore, PowerPoint will give you design ideas with the images and elements you chose to have on slides.

If you customize the slides you have the Master Slide, it will help you set the fonts, images (logos), and other preferences for all the slides. The master slide is the top slide in the thumbnail pane on the left side of the window.

4. Multiple uses 

An adaptable and perceptive tool is how our founder described PowerPoint in a previous article. That is because this software is not only for presentations (even though it is most known for them), but also for other types of materials, such as flyers, marketing materials, gifs, videos, or CVs. We do PowerPoint infographics, our social media posts, and presentations for clients. 

89% of people use PowerPoint to create presentations.

Read more about how you can use PowerPoint:

PowerPoint is more than just a presentation tool

5. Export in different formats

With PowerPoint, you can export your materials in other formats than .pptx. We talked previously about all the types of materials you can create in this software and for them, it offers alternatives of saving you work. 

Presentations can be saved also in .pdf, this will reduce their size, videos can be exported as mp4 and for gifs, there is the specific option to save them as Animated gifs. Of course, there is also the option of saving a slide as .png or .jpg.

6. It facilitates an effective way of communication with the audience

Most of the time, PowerPoint is used for presenting to a larger audience (a few things have changed in 2020, but a zoom presentation looks just as good), as it is easier to be projected. Choose your communication style, do you want to rely more on images, text, or videos, all of them can be easily integrated into PowerPoint.

65% of the population are visual learners

7. You can insert multimedia formats

Visuals are the key in PowerPoint. Images and videos help you explain your idea better and in an engaging way in any presentation. There are some basic sounds that you can use or insert your own audio for the desired effect. 

Play with all the functionalities of this tool and use it to its maximum. 

8. Extremely efficient tool

Once you get familiar with the software, there are all kinds of features that you can use to become an expert in PowerPoint. We can even name 84 shortcuts that will change the way you use it and will also save you a lot of time.

Learn for yourself:

84 PowerPoint Shortcuts To Improve Your Presentation Game

9. It is accessible for all categories of users

Most of the time employees/staff have already the Microsoft license on their work computers, with PowerPoint included. Also, universities acquire the suite so students and teachers cand use reach out and use them.

Disadvantages of PowerPoint

1. High risk of technical issues

It can happen anytime, there are a lot of variables that intervene when you are about to use PowerPoint for presenting. Your computer can stop working, get an update right before you start, or lose power in the middle of the presentation. There is always the connectivity issue, do you use HDMI, VGA or do you have an adaptor. PowerPoint also has some specifics ada[ted for your computer, like fonts or videos, and if you don’t embed them or you don’t put them in a folder with the presentation they won’t work on somebody else’s computer.

2. Overuse of information 

After you accommodate with the software it becomes very easy to get lost in all the options you have. How much text is too much? Are there enough images? What font to use? How many fonts to use? By adding a lot of things you will lose sight of the purpose of the presentation. 

We know that there is a lot of important information you want to transmit, but leave some mystery for the delivery part. 

3. Predisposal to death by PowerPoint

PowerPoint presentations are very common in conferences, business meetings and universities, therefore your audience has seen quite a lot of presentations before yours. You need to catch your audience’s attention from the beginning with your presentation looks or with your way of presenting, otherwise, they will get bored and won’t listen to you present.  Make sure you put enough time into preparing your PowerPoint material, a good presentation with a fine speech will hit the target. 

Avoid templates as much as possible if you want to impress, or work on them and add your unique style to them. 

4. Presenters rely too much on slides 

Sometimes when you are too focused on preparing the slides you may forget to actually prepare to deliver the presentation and you will end up reading from the slides. The audience wants to hear more from the speaker than what is presented on the slides, otherwise they could have looked over the presentation themselves.

5. Overuse of presentations 

There are situations when you get so used to the tool that you will start making a presentation for everything. Every report or status will become easier to do in PowerPoint for you, but it won’t be that fun for your colleagues and will cost you time. 

We recommend using Powerpoint for all kinds of materials, not just presentations. This tool can give you freedom in design and also help you with predefined elements. 

If you want to make a presentation yourself, invest time, look for tutorials or just reach out to an agency to help you create the right presentation. 

Here’s When You Really Need A Presentation Design Specialist

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The Best And Worst PowerPoint Presentation Examples

Engaging presentations are the lifeblood of effective communication in today’s information-driven world. Whether you’re in a boardroom pitching a new idea, standing in front of a classroom of curious learners, or delivering a keyote speech to an interested investor, the ability to create and deliver engaging presentations is a skill that can truly make or break your message. 

Various elements contribute to making a presentation good or bad, from compelling visuals to persuasive delivery; these factors collectively influence how your ideas are received and remembered. So, in this article, we will look at some of the good and bad presentation examples to help you transform your presentations and make them more engaging.

Main Differences Between Good V/S Bad PowerPoint Slides

Knowing the difference between the best and worst PowerPoint presentations is vital for creating engaging presentations.

What Makes A Good PowerPoint Presentation?

Have you ever wondered how you differentiate between a good design v/s bad design PPT? In this section, we’ll look at some examples of making PowerPoint presentations that inspire and engage the audience. Look at what’s behind the slides that stick in mind long after the projector is turned off:

• Less text, more impact
• Choose a color scheme that works
• Proper balance of animation and texts
• Logical flow of information
• Context-relevant graphics or illustrations

READ MORE: The Golden Rules for Impactful Presentations 

1. Less Text, More Impact

Imagine your presentation as a visual storybook. Less text on each slide means your audience can focus on your story, not squint at paragraphs. Use striking images or a single powerful phrase to grab attention. It makes your presentation look impressive and helps people remember the article’s key points. Keeping about 30 words per slide or 6-8 lines in your presentation will help maintain a proper flow of words and pictures, resulting in a fluid presentation.

2. Choose A Color Scheme That Works

You don’t need to be an artist to pick the right colors. A good presentation uses colors that work together nicely. Choosing harmonizing colors can guide the audience to focus on important information. Choose colors that look good together and don’t hurt the eyes. Microsoft Office’s color schemes can save the day if you’re short on ideas. Avoid using light colors on a dark background and vice versa.

3. Proper Balance Of Animation And Texts

Animations and transitions can be like party crashers in your presentation if not used wisely. They might steal the show from your message. A top-notch presentation keeps both animations and texts in check, ensuring they don’t overpower each other. However, don’t ditch them altogether! Use transitions and animations only to highlight key points. For example, make bullet points appear individually instead of all at once. It keeps your audience focused.

READ MORE: How to add animation in PowerPoint?  

4. Logical Flow Of Information

Think of your presentation as a road trip. Imagine if your GPS gave you all mixed up directions. Chaos, right? Similarly, your slides need a logical order and a roadmap. Maintaining the logical flow of your slides helps the audience follow the information easily. A logical flow makes your message clear and easy to remember. It’s like telling a great story with a beginning, middle, and end.

EXPLORE: Flowchart PowerPoint Templates

5. Context-Relevant Graphics Or Illustrations

A picture speaks volumes. Our brains love visuals. Using context-related graphs, photos, and illustrations that complement your slides can amp up important pointers and keep your audience engaged during the presentation. However, while presenting, make sure to explain why a graphic or a picture is there. Explaining the graphics verbally makes your message crystal clear and memorable.

EXPLORE: Want to create stunning presentations? Check out our presentation services !

A PowerPoint presentation shall excel in these aspects of making it engaging, informative, and memorable. These good PowerPoint presentation examples could help you make a better PPT in one or more areas, not leaving the audience disengaged or confused. 

While it’s important to look at good presentation examples, it’s equally important to avoid mistakes that can turn your presentation dull.

What Makes A Bad PowerPoint Presentation?

Ever been in a room with a presentation that made you want to escape through the nearest exit? We’ve all been there! In this section, we’ll highlight some common mistakes that turn a good presentation into a dull one. With many examples of good and bad PowerPoint slides on the internet, we have listed some bad examples that show the ‘DON’Ts’ and ‘AVOID AT ALL COSTS’ of PowerPoint mistakes:

• Image behind the text
• Using only bullet points and no paragraphs
• Having no symmetry in texts and pointers
• Being too minimal
• Keeping text too small

1. Image Behind The Text

Anyone who considered utilizing an image as a background most likely missed the memo. Text and images simply do not work together. One of the worst PowerPoint presentation examples is text overlaid on an image. Keeping the image in the background complicates understanding the text, and the main image should be clarified. Finding a text color that shines out in the background is nearly tough because all of those colors merely draw your attention away from the words. To avoid this calamity, avoid utilizing photos as slide backgrounds when you have text to highlight.

EXPLORE: Best PowerPoint Backgrounds Collection

2. Using Only Bullet Points And No Paragraphs

To make a presentation audience-friendly, reducing paragraphs to bullet points is a wise choice. However, it is critical to emphasize that this is more than simply putting only bullet points and leaving out all paragraphs. Using 5-8 bullet points is ideal for a slide. If the text size shrinks to 12 or 10 points, you’ve written a lot. Lengthy bullet points tend to bore the audience; some might even think of them as paragraphs.

3. Having No Symmetry In Texts And Pointers

A lack of balance or alignment between textual material and supporting visual elements, such as arrows, bullets, etc., can make your presentations appear unpleasant. When text and pointers are strewn about, it’s difficult for the audience to follow a logical flow of information; a common bad PowerPoint slide example to avoid at any cost. Your audience will be obsessed with deciphering the relationship between the text and graphics if your presentation needs more harmony.

4. Being Too Minimal

Being too minimalistic is as bad as overdoing it. Not having the required text on slides or keeping them blank makes them dull and non-engaging. You don’t need a color explosion or too many texts, but bringing some life to your slides is always a good idea. Using pre-made PowerPoint templates is a good idea to keep your content balanced; however, it is best not to leave blank spaces. A blank slide with no colors or text might give the impression of minimal effort. Strive for a balanced approach to keep your audience engaged and awake.

EXPLORE: 40,000+ PowerPoint Templates and Google Slides Themes

5. Keeping Text Too Small

Another thing to avoid is making your font size too tiny, almost like the size of a peanut. The size of the font is extremely important in any presentation. Think of it like trying to enjoy a beautiful scenic view through a tiny keyhole – not very enjoyable, is it? It’s the same with your PowerPoint. Your slides can be perfect with great colors, and graphics, but it’s a bummer if your audience can’t read them. A simple trick is to stand at the back of the room where you’ll present. If you can read the font comfortably, then you should be fine!

READ MORE: Best Presentation Fonts

A bad PowerPoint presentation will dismiss all your efforts and disengage your audience. To look more, avoid these bad PowerPoint presentation examples at any cost while making your next presentation.

We have carefully curated a visual appearance of how your PowerPoint presentations change by following the aforementioned points.

A good PowerPoint presentation is a balance – not too much, not too little. It’s about enhancing your message, not taking the spotlight away from you. However, striking that balance requires a lot of practice and trial and error.

You can always opt for presentation design services , like SlideUpLift. It gives you the advantage and access to presentation specialists. We design visually appealing presentations, with modern design elements, graphics, and illustrations; maintaining a perfect balance of every element. 

Whether you want to customize your slides completely or just tailor the color or font, we ensure that your brand or personal style always reflects in your presentation. 

Explore from our collection of 40,000+ PowerPoint templates and Google Slides themes. Utilize our presentation design services to create stunning PPTs. Give us a try with our custom-slides service , or schedule a call with us to know more!

What is the biggest difference between the best and worst PowerPoint presentations?

A good PowerPoint presentation effectively communicates its message, engages the audience, and uses visuals, layout, and content in a clear and compelling manner. In contrast, a bad PPT has cluttered slides, too much text, poor design choices, or distracting elements that hinder understanding.

How can I avoid making a bad PowerPoint presentation?

To avoid creating a bad PowerPoint presentation, focus on simplicity, use visuals wisely, keep text concise, maintain a logical flow, use appropriate fonts and colors, and avoid excessive animations or irrelevant content. Seek feedback from peers or experts to improve your overall presentation.

What role do visuals play in differentiating a good design v/s bad design PPT?

In a good presentation, visuals support and clarify key points. While in a bad one, they may be excessive, distracting, or irrelevant, overshadowing the main message.

How important is the audience's experience in determining the quality of a PowerPoint presentation?

The audience’s experience is essential in evaluating a presentation. A good PPT keeps the audience engaged and attentive compared to a bad PPT, which leads to disengagement and confusion.

How can I fix my bad PowerPoint presentation?

You can fix your PowerPoint presentation by opting SlideUpLift as your presentation buddy. With over 40,000+ PowerPoint Templates and Google Slides Themes to explore, you can choose what’s best for you. In case you have very specific presentation needs, you can opt for their presentation design services or custom slide service to create stunning PPTs. Schedule a call to know more.

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18 presentation mistakes you probably make (and how to avoid them)

July 11, 2017

Almost exactly one year ago I was in Paris with a colleague and his team of presentation coaches. We were gonna hold a presentation workshop for an international company and their senior managers. What unfolded in that workshop was eye-opening. We asked the attendees to reflect on what makes a presentation great versus awful, and the consensus was clear - bad slides can ruin even the most brilliant presenter's performance.

As we delved into the workshop, it became evident that the common pitfalls were "bad slides," "too much text on slides," and "ugly PowerPoint slides." Aha! The attendees understood the significance of clean design in business presentations. This was great news for me who was growing my presentation design agency.

Bad slides can make the greatest presenter fail

One might argue that as long as you're a captivating speaker, the slides are secondary. However, reality struck us during a 5-minute presentation exercise. One of the senior managers, let’s call him John, had great stage presence and his outgoing and fun personality caught my attention straight away. John was not talking about a super exciting topic, but his impressive way of presenting it made me actually want to listen and see if I could learn anything.

The issue was that John's slides kept pulling my attention away from him and what he was saying, and my focus was instead on reading his bullet points. And it didn't take long before I had lost him and what he was talking about. This happened over and over again with several of the other managers. It became clear that the details crammed into his slides were working against him, not for him.

Most of the senior managers were good at communicating their ideas but they didn't need all the content that they had stuffed in their slides. The details in their presentation slides worked against the speaker rather than supporting them. And this is a fact that most speakers neglect: do my slides enhance or detract from my message?

When you are preparing a presentation, try asking yourself these three questions:

Do I really need all these points on my slide? Embrace simplicity and let your speech fill in the gaps.

What can I delete from my slides and convey through my words? Less is often more when it comes to impactful presentations.

Do my slides support me, or are they stealing the spotlight? Ensure your slides complement your narrative, not compete with it.

The 18 most common presentation mistakes people do, and how to avoid them

On the second day of the workshop we worked together with the participants, did some role plays, critiqued their slides and how they gave their presentations. From these exercises we developed a big list of the most common mistakes people make when giving presentations. We also gave suggestions on how to stop making those mistakes. Here are the top 18 from that list.

1. Ignoring the Power of Design

Mistake : Underestimating the impact of presentation design.

Solution : Embrace clean, visually appealing slides that complement your message. Consider color psychology, visual hierarchy, and maintain consistency throughout. It's hard to tell stories with bullet points.

2. Overlooking the Psychology of Colors

Mistake : Neglecting the influence of colors on audience perception.

Solution : Choose colors wisely to evoke the right emotions. Warm tones for passion, cool tones for trust. Align your color palette with the mood and message of your presentation.

3. Neglecting Visual Hierarchy

Mistake : Failing to guide the audience's attention through visual hierarchy.

Solution : Use larger fonts, bold colors, and strategic layouts to highlight key points. Guide your audiences' attention with visual hierarchy.

4. Inconsistency in Design

Mistake : Not maintaining a consistent design throughout the presentation.

Solution : From fonts to color schemes, consistency breeds professionalism. Create a cohesive narrative by ensuring all design elements align with your brand.

5. Underestimating the Power of Storytelling

Mistake : Overlooking the impact of a compelling narrative.

Solution : Tailor your story to resonate with your audience. Craft a narrative arc with a captivating introduction, core content, and a memorable takeaway. Humanize your presentation with real-life anecdotes.

6. Not Knowing Your Audience

Mistake : Failing to tailor your presentation to your audience.

Solution : Understand their needs, challenges, and aspirations. Make your message more relatable by addressing their specific interests.

7. Neglecting Virtual Presentation Skills

Mistake : Ignoring the nuances of virtual presentations.

Solution : Master the art of virtual communication. Leverage tools, optimize visuals for screens, and maintain an engaging tone to keep your audience actively participating.

8. Avoiding Interaction in Presentations

Mistake : Sticking to a one-way communication approach.

Solution : Break away from monotone presentations with interactive elements. Incorporate polls, Q&A sessions, and multimedia to keep your audience engaged and participating actively.

9. Underestimating the Impact of Presentation Design Agencies

Mistake : Overlooking the expertise of presentation design agencies.

Solution : Collaborate with specialized presentation and/or PowerPoint agencies for visually stunning presentations. They understand the nuances of effective design and can transform your ideas into captivating visuals.

10. DIY Design Mistakes

Mistake : Thinking effective design requires a hefty budget.

Solution : Explore user-friendly design tools like Canva. Invest in online courses to enhance your skills and gather feedback from peers to uncover areas for improvement.

11. Ignoring Rehearsals

Mistake : Neglecting the importance of rehearsing your presentation.

Solution : Practice your delivery to enhance confidence and identify areas for improvement. Record yourself and watch it back. Seek feedback from a colleague.

12. Overloading Slides with Information

Mistake : Cramming too much information onto slides.

Solution : Embrace simplicity. Focus on key points and let your speech fill in the details. A clutter-free slide enhances audience understanding.

13. Disregarding Body Language

Mistake : Ignoring the impact of body language during presentations.

Solution : Be mindful of your gestures, posture, and facial expressions. Positive body language enhances your credibility and engages the audience.

14. Neglecting the Opening Hook

Mistake : Starting your presentation with a weak or generic opening.

Solution : Capture your audience's attention from the start. Begin with a compelling question, quote, or anecdote to hook your audience and set the tone.

15. Poor Time Management

Mistake : Overrunning or rushing through your presentation.

Solution : Practice pacing to ensure your presentation fits the allotted time. Be mindful of your audience's attention span and adjust your content accordingly.

16. Ignoring Feedback Loops

Mistake : Disregarding the importance of feedback.

Solution : Seek feedback from peers, mentors, or the audience. Constructive criticism helps refine your presentation skills and address blind spots.

17. Using Overly Complex Jargon

Mistake : Assuming your audience understands complex industry jargon.

Solution : Simplify your language to ensure universal understanding. Clear communication enhances engagement and relatability.

18. Lack of Adaptability

Mistake : Failing to adapt your presentation style to different audiences or settings.

Solution : Understand the context and preferences of your audience. Tailor your delivery to resonate with diverse groups, whether in a boardroom or a virtual setting.

Mastering the art of presentation goes beyond being a captivating speaker. It involves understanding the marriage of design and storytelling, navigating the technological landscape, and adapting to evolving presentation styles. Whether you collaborate with a presentation design agency or take the DIY route, the goal remains the same - to captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression. Embrace the power of design, craft compelling narratives, and watch as your presentations become not just informative sessions but memorable experiences.

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Bad PowerPoint Examples You Should Avoid at All Costs

There is a lot of information online on how to better your PowerPoint presentations. But sometimes an example of what you should not do can be very useful in the way of avoiding mistakes. So, what does a really bad presentation look like? Here I’ll show you the worst of the worst PowerPoint sins you can commit when designing your presentation. These bad PowerPoint examples will show you exactly what you don’t want your presentation to look like.

From slides so ugly they cause eye strain, to just plain boring, if your presentation looks anything like this, then you have some work to do! But to prove that everything has a solution, we asked our team of in-house designers to show us how they would fix some of these terrible PowerPoint slides.

Too much text

PowerPoint is a great tool, but it’s just that: a tool. It should not overshadow you. To exploit the presentation as a visual aid, you want it to complement the speaker, not to repeat word for word everything it’s being said. Too much text can be an important factor in the “death by PowerPoint” phenomenon. Just from seeing whole blocks of text, people watching your presentation can feel immediately overwhelmed. Surely you can relate to feeling annoyed just from finding out that the presentation you’re sitting through has way too much text on its slides.

People are usually visually-focused since, as a species, it’s the sense we have developed the most. Chances are that, as soon as people see the slide, they’re going to start reading it from start to finish. And doing so, they’ll be paying less (or no) attention to the speaker in front of them – in this case, you! And, if you’re just repeating what’s being said in the slide, why should they? Even when it’s not exactly the same, as a speaker you’ll be competing with your own presentation for your audience’s attention.

Having the speech word for word on the presentation can also worsen the abilities of even the most experienced public speaker. It’s too tempting to read, instead of going with the flow and accommodating your audience’s mood. Most likely, your presentation will feel stiff and not very engaging. After all, timing is a great part of becoming a successful presenter.

This is a bad PowerPoint example that clearly has too much text. When the text is this long, PowerPoint will immediately lower the size of your fonts to make it fit on the slide. In the end, you’ll find yourself with text so small that even if the audience wanted to read it they wouldn’t be able to.

So, how do you avoid lengthy text slides? Think caveman-like speech. Do not, by any means, dump complete paragraphs in your presentation. Some even say to even avoid complete sentences . Focus on your keywords, in the most important concepts or ideas that you want your public to take with them. People have limited capacity for retention, and focusing on key points will make your presentation easier to digest.

For example, check out the slide our designers fixed:

Animations are a tricky topic. PowerPoint has over 150 animations, and some presentations seem to have made it their personal goal to try all of them. As a general rule, too many animations are an easy way to make your PowerPoint look unprofessional and outdated. When every single element in a slide is animated, it’s distracting (and even tiring) for your audience.

Even for the presenter, animations can become a nuisance. Animating a slide in a way that every single element needs a click to appear or disappear is probably not the best idea. It’ll have you worried and distracted thinking if you have already shown all the points you were meaning to show, or if you have shown too many. Many times presenters can even give away their next slides too early. This will not only ruin your timing but probably distract your audience too, as they will remain thinking of the next point rather than focusing on what you’re speaking.

Of course, using animations doesn’t mean your presentation becomes immediately awful. Here at 24Slides, our designers use them often in our free templates. For example, check out this great Project Management Template . It has animations for several elements, but they work automatically, without the need of clicking. This way, the presenter doesn’t have to distract themselves with it.

Compare it to this bad PowerPoint example. Each element of the slide is animated separately, so it takes much longer to finally show them all. Also, each element has more than one animation. It makes the slide look overloaded, and distracts the audience.

So, how many animations are too many? There is no “correct” amount of animations. Most presentations can be more than fine with none at all. The key to work with animations without overusing them is to give them an emphasis purpose. See what I did there? If the whole paragraph was in bold letters, it would be difficult to pick out quickly which was the most important idea behind it. But since it is just one word, now “ emphasis” is the idea that will stand out.

Think of animations as a highlighter. It makes little sense for you to highlight every single word on a page. It will be unhelpful, and most likely, annoying. But if you highlight just the main ideas, it can be extremely useful. You can even use animation to highlight shock value or unexpected changes. Just remember: when talking about animations, less is always more.

For example, in this slide, the animations are used to shift the focus from topic to topic. Having all these arrows around might be confusing for the public, but with the colors and the arrow shifting, you can redirect your audience’s attention to wherever you like.

“Rainbow” Presentations

Color and its use is a whole other topic. But you don’t need to be an expert in color theory to be able to make a decent looking presentation (though it sure helps). You can summarize the general rules of using color in just one point: make it easy to read! Loud, bright colors , like orange, or lime green, are probably not the best for a presentation.

Also, take into consideration that for your public to be able to read easily you need to contrast your colors. For example, black letters on a white background, despite looking very simple, is also very easy to read. While something like light grey on white will probably give your audience problems. For example, check out this yellow text on a lime green background. It’s not very friendly, is it?

Now, if you want to go a step further and give your PowerPoint a more professional look, you should pick a color palette. Microsoft Office has thousands of templates you can pick from, and even some of our own. But if you don’t wish to use one, you can also pick a premade color palette. This will ensure that the colors on your presentation don’t clash together. Something as easy as this can give your presentation a much more polished look.

The Fake Minimalistic

Sometimes people can take too far the saying “less is more”. While having different color palettes in one single presentation may make it look unprofessional and eye-straining, an all-white presentation is not the answer either. PowerPoint’s blank templates are a good place to start since you can edit them to your taste and according to your own necessities. But they are not meant to be left like that for a serious presentation. Blank presentations are just plain boring, and that can be as distracting as too many colors.

Sobriety is different than being simplistic. Even if you feel you’re taking the “safe” route when designing a presentation, it can backfire. An all-white presentation can make you look lazy, or that you didn’t put any effort into it. It can affect the way people perceive your work too.

Take this bad PowerPoint example of an all-white presentation with just bullet points. As you can see, it becomes predictable and boring very fast. Plain PowerPoint presentations can also lead to the common “death by PowerPoint”. It just doesn’t give the audience any motivation to keep paying attention. It doesn’t have to be filled with colors, animations or graphics. Keep it simple, but elegant!

This is the slide fixed by our designers. No one can say it isn’t professional, but it’s not boring either. You can check out this Minimalistic Design Template for more inspiration.

Pictures and Fonts

As with colors and animations, here also applies the “less is more” rule. Your priority should be your audience’s ease when reading. For example, a font like Impact , which has too little space between the letters, is probably not the best choice. Over-stylized fonts can also be a problem, especially those that imitate italics. This also applies to font size too. In general, it should never go below 20 pts. The easiest way to see if your font size is good enough is to go to the farthest possible point of the room where you’ll be giving your presentation in. You should still be able to read it easily.

Choose your images smartly! Too many images can also be distracting to the public, especially if they overlap. When considering several images, ask yourself if you really need all of them, or if one can stand for some of the others as well. Check this bad PowerPoint example with too many pictures. It looks messy, right? Even if images are great to illustrate a point and to avoid using too much text, too many of them will make the presentation look outdated.

Also, avoid clipart! It has been a while since the 2000s, so there is no reason for you to be using Screen Beans.

What all these bad PowerPoint examples have in common

In summary, there are two basic rules for a great PowerPoint presentation. It must be visually engaging and it must be clear. Sometimes people can feel tempted to sacrifice one of these points to make the other stand out. For example, adding too many images or animations in hopes of making it more engaging to the public. But this will only make it look confusing and unprofessional. Or, on the other end, add too much text to make their every point clear. This will make a boring, overwhelming presentation that will distract your audience from the speaker.

What all these bad PowerPoint examples have in common is that they lack the balance between engaging and clarity. Avoid “death by PowerPoint” and engage your audience. Use everything in your power to catch their attention and keep it. Microsoft offers a lot of resources to do that: colors, graphics, pictures, embedded videos, animations and so on. It is up to you to use them smartly. Ask yourself, can I change this complete sentence for a picture or a keyword?

But also, review your own presentation as a spectator would. Is it clear? Are the pictures or animations distracting? Are the colors clashing which each other or are they eye-straining? Only when you consider both you’ll be able to design a truly great PowerPoint presentation.

If you want more tips on how to become a better presenter, you may like to read this article on the 15 most common presentation mistakes you want to avoid .

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9 Disadvantages of Using PowerPoint Presentations!

By: Author Shrot Katewa

If you frequently have to prepare and deliver presentations you normally want to use software that is suitable for the topics you’ll be covering. The software should also allow you to shape the presentation into a style you are comfortable with.

PowerPoint might have been recommended to you but now you are wondering whether a presenting tool with such a lot of features as PowerPoint is not perhaps giving just as many issues.

The biggest drawback of PowerPoint is that it has many features and requires adequate training to use them properly. If not used correctly, it can affect the reputation of the presenter. Other disadvantages include files don’t save automatically, and PowerPoint is not free to use.

In the end, you have to decide whether you can live with these disadvantages when you compare them to the advantages. In this article, we list for your convenience 9 of the most important disadvantages of PowerPoint.

Also Read – Advantages of Using Microsoft PowerPoint!

1. Text-heavy slides

Text-heavy slides give too much information with too much text. This makes the slide boring and the audience will lose interest in the whole presentation.

Many PowerPoint presentations are unsuccessful because the presenter or compiler of the slideshow has tried to put as much content as possible in text form on the slide. A good slide should ideally only have the headings and sub-headings of what the presenter is conveying to the audience.

And if more information in text form is necessary to make it easier for the audience to follow the presenter and comprehend the content, the text should be well organized.

The use of columns or blocks and even different colors will make the slide much more interesting. Unfortunately, the slides of many PowerPoint presentations are not well-designed. 

Compilers of presentations are sometimes in a hurry and just add all the content they‘ve found on the slide without actually designing the slide. They don’t discriminate between really needed content and content that can confuse the audience.

Research has found that text-heavy slides are often used when the presenter just wants to read the information from the slides to the audience, instead of using the PowerPoint slides as a tool to emphasize certain aspects.

2. Too many features can get overwhelming

The PowerPoint developers have over time put more and more features into the software to theoretically make it possible for the compilers of presentations to complete the task without using any other tools or software.  But too many features can confuse the user.

This can cause you to spend a lot of time compiling your presentation, as you first want to look at the available features for every aspect you use and figure out how it works. 

It is overwhelming to have to pick the right feature for literary every aspect of the presentation. This is often the reason provided by users when asked why they don’t use PowerPoint. They prefer software packages with lesser choices but which are easier and simpler to use.

3. Most features usually remain unexplored

Because of the overwhelming effect of the large number of features offered by PowerPoint, most compilers of presentations using PowerPoint simplifies the process when they use it for the first time.

They search for features they understand and which seem easy to use. They then tend to stick to these features and don’t explore other features.  

Many of the slide designing features are for example not fully explored by compilers. Generally, a compiler will search for templates to use and when they have found a few they like, they are not interested in looking for more or designing their own.

PowerPoint users have indicated in surveys that a feature like the adding of video snippets into the presentation is for instance an example of features that usually remain unexplored.    

4. Can affect reputation if not used correctly

The presenter or compiler of the presentation might be trusting PowerPoint to always automatically create well-designed presentations. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

The result can be a presentation with uninteresting and poorly designed slides.  And sometimes the presenter is a very good speaker but an inexperienced PowerPoint user. The combination of a poorly designed presentation with an inexperienced PowerPoint user can affect the reputation of the speaker.

Thus, the bottom line is that a good speaker has to ensure that every slide in the presentation is interesting and conveys just enough information to keep the audience focused.

The presenter should also use the presentation without reading from the screen. Eye contact with the audience is necessary to keep them focused.

5. Real-time collaboration is not the best

Real-time collaboration allows you to work with some of your other colleagues on the same presentation at the same time! This can for example be done with Google Slides. It is a great feature that is especially helpful when working from distant locations or working from home!

Must Read – PowerPoint vs Google Slides: Which Presentation Application Should You Use?

Unfortunately, only the PowerPoint in Office 365 has this real-time feature . If you use any other version of PowerPoint you will not be able to have real-time collaboration.

6. Requires downloading

Another disadvantage of PowerPoint is that you can’t run the application on the cloud as you can do with Google Slides for instance. The Office 365 PowerPoint software is the one exception.

You have to download the PowerPoint software onto your device to be able to use it.

7. Files are not automatically saved

One of the most frustrating things when compiling a presentation is to lose some of the already created slides because they haven’t been saved.  The ideal is that the software saves continuously as you are creating the presentation.

With PowerPoint (except for Office 365) you have to save manually. To ensure that work is not lost, you have to keep on pressing Ctrl+S from time to time. (Ctrl+S is the shortcut for saving a PowerPoint file.)

User reviews indicate that this is also one of the disadvantages that let presentation compilers move away from PowerPoint. In practice, you often just forget to save files manually and unsaved work can easily be lost.    

8. Files often too large to mail

 PowerPoint presentations can quickly become very large. Although you sometimes only want to mail a few files or slides, it often happens that you have to mail the whole presentation. When it exceeds the 10 MB or 25 MB file size it becomes difficult and sometimes impossible to mail.

9. A variety of errors can occur

Although the many features of PowerPoint might be an advantage for some users, the possibility of errors is very high when there are such a large number of features built into a program.  Presentations with fewer features normally develop fewer errors.

PowerPoint online support groups are full of questions. All these questions are an indication that users constantly encounter issues or don’t understand how the features work.  If you look at the answers on these forums it becomes clear that in some instances nobody actually has the correct answer.

Compared to other presentation applications there are much more errors when you use PowerPoint. 

Credit to Nakaridore (on Freepik) for the featured image of this article (further edited)

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Five Presentation Mistakes Everyone Makes

• Nancy Duarte

Learn from the most common traps.

We all know what it’s like to sit through a bad presentation. We can easily spot the flaws — too long, too boring, indecipherable, what have you — when we watch others speak. The thing is, when we take the stage ourselves, many of us fall into the same traps.

• ND Nancy Duarte is a best-selling author with thirty years of CEO-ing under her belt. She’s driven her firm, Duarte, Inc., to be the global leader behind some of the most influential messages and visuals in business and culture. Duarte, Inc., is the largest design firm in Silicon Valley, as well as one of the top woman-owned businesses in the area. Nancy has written six best-selling books, four have won awards, and her new book, DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story , is available now. Follow Duarte on Twitter: @nancyduarte or LinkedIn .

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The pros and cons of using Powerpoint in business presentations

• March 10, 2022

Powerpoint is presentation software that is often used in business settings. It can be a great tool to help you communicate your ideas, or it can be a disaster if not used correctly. In this blog post, we will discuss the pros and cons of using PowerPoint in business presentations. We will also give you some tips on effective business presentations with PowerPoint and how to use it in PowerPoint presentation design services!

Table of Contents

PowerPoint pros and cons in Effective business presentations with PowerPoint

A well-designed presentation may engage your audience, properly communicate your point, and advance your professional objectives. But you will face PowerPoint Pros and Cons that make it hard to decision, let’s meet them.

The Pros of Using PowerPoint in Business Presentations

You can insert multimedia formats.

PowerPoint is a robust tool that gives you the opportunity to play with all its functionalities and use it in whichever way best suits your needs. You can add images or videos, and change voiceovers for added effect – there’s really no limit on creativity when using this program!

It facilitates an effective way of communication with the audience

PowerPoint is the go-to program for presentations of all shapes and sizes. It’s easy to use, with a large library that includes animations as well! Plus you can change your style depending on what will work best: if it’s just text slides without any visual cues then rely heavily upon images or videos; otherwise mix things up by including both types within each other’ s presentation frame (Hurst).

Extremely efficient tool

PowerPoint is a powerful and versatile program that offers many features to help you complete your work more quickly. The list of 84 shortcuts can make it easier than ever before, saving time in the long run!

You can choose to create your own design or use existing ones

PowerPoint offers you full control over your slides’ appearance. You have the freedom to customize each individual element of a presentation with ease, giving it an authentic look that’s perfect for yourself!

PowerPoint offers a number of templates to help you create presentations. These include visuals such as images and text that can be easily customized for your specific needs, in addition, it provides design ideas based on what’s included within the program itself!

The master slide is the topmost one in your presentation, and it’s where you set fonts for all of them. You can also add images or logos to make each individual slide more interesting-looking!

It can be used virtually anywhere

Connect your presentation to a USB stick or any cloud storage app and you will have access at all times. This is included with standard professional settings, so no matter where they are located, employees can view it on their own devices!

Visual Appeal

PowerPoint allows you to create visually engaging slides using various elements such as images, charts, graphs, and videos. This helps to convey complex information in an easily digestible format.

The Cons of Using PowerPoint in Business Presentations

High risk of technical issues.

PowerPoint has many different features that can interfere with your presentation. Your computer might stop working, get an update right when you start using it or lose power in the middle of a show-and there are always connectivity issues! There are also specific things PowerPoint does for each individual user like fonts (that won’t work) videos not embedding properly if placed outside their folder containing all related files which could lead to complete confusion on how exactly these items should be used during development time as well since some programs require more memory than others depending upon what kind dialogues will pop up asking whatever question happens next…

Overuse of information

We all know that presentations can be overwhelming with so many options, but this is your one chance to get everything right. Don’t let yourself lose sight of the big picture or spend time figuring out which font will make slides look best when they’re printed out for people who come after you in line!

Predisposal to death by PowerPoint

PowerPoint presentations are common in conferences, business meetings, and universities. The way you present will determine whether or not your audience listens to what’s going on around them! Make sure that their attention is caught from the beginning by coming off as polished (and professional) while also adding some creativity with design choices like fonts/color combinations – just make these decisions early so they don’t distract later when there’s more important work at hand.

Presenters rely too much on slides

When you are too focused on preparing your slides, it can blindside how much work needs to go into actually delivering the presentation. Your audience wants more from a speaker than what they read on paper or screen – otherwise, they could have looked over them themselves!

Overuse of presentations

When you get so used to using a certain tool it starts becoming your presentation style, even for things like reports and status updates. It will take less time but cost more in terms of a fun factor because everyone else wants their turn at being on stage as well!

Overloading Information

The temptation to cram too much information onto a single slide can lead to information overload, overwhelming your audience and diluting your message.

Tips for Using Powerpoint in Business Presentations

• Keep your slides simple and organized.
• Make sure that all of the information is relevant to your topic.
• Use images, videos, and other multimedia elements to add interest.
• Practice your presentation beforehand.
• Be aware of your audience’s needs and interests.
• Stay focused on your message.

Other PowerPoint alternatives for Business presentations:

The presentation software is popular for its non-linear presentations, which allow the user to smoothly pan and zoom from one page of content on your screen without creating an impression that you are moving onto a new slide. This makes it easy enough even if users have never used this type before!

Canva is an easy-to-use PowerPoint alternative. The presentation templates come ready with numerous slides and all you need to do is choose which ones work best for your next meeting or event! Alongside basic features like changing fonts & colors, animated presentations can also be made possible if purchased through our Business plan – just pick out what content/slides from within those options suit YOUR needs most importantly then craft a beautiful-looking final product without worrying about time constraints because we got this covered.

The Slides.com cloud-based presentation software offers a solid, user-friendly alternative to PowerPoint! Its sleek editor workspace allows you to add background images and use various designs or themes while collaborating easily with others through 10 default templates that can also be customized by anyone else who uses this platform – no need for Designer Certification necessary (though it does help). You might want to try out our newest tool: “Slide Share” where users share their own presentations in order to inspire yours even further.

If you want a presentation that looks like it came right off the screen in your favorite Hollywood movie, then Keynote is what you need. With its sleek design and intuitive interface–not to mention all of those powerful features!–this software will make creating presentations easy as pie!

5-Zoho Show

Zoho Show is an online presentation tool that allows you to create and share your presentations with others from anywhere in the world. It has all of PowerPoint’s features, but it also provides some unique add-ons for better branding opportunities like weekly meeting minutes or presenter slideshows!

6-Google Slides

With over 50 million people using Slides every day, it’s no wonder that this presentation app has taken off in popularity. The easy-to-use interface paired with an available Google account makes for a versatile workflow—you can edit your slides from anywhere at any time!

What makes a business presentation great?

• A great business presentation is clear, concise, and engaging.
• It focuses on the key points of the topic at hand.
• The presenter is knowledgeable about the subject matter.
• The audience is interested in the topic being presented.

What makes a business presentation terrible?

• The presenter is unprepared or uninformed about the topic.
• The slides are cluttered and contain too much information.
• The presenter reads from slides verbatim.
• The presentation is dull and uninteresting.

Microsoft PowerPoint is a powerful tool for crafting compelling business presentations. Its pros, including visual appeal, organization, flexibility, and customization, far outweigh its cons, like information overload and potential boredom. To create effective business presentations with PowerPoint, focus on knowing your audience, crafting a clear storyline, using engaging visuals, and practicing your delivery. When used thoughtfully, PowerPoint can elevate your business communication, driving your message home and helping you achieve your objectives.

What is the negative impact of using PowerPoint in class?

Few things are trickier than when a PowerPoint presentation is oversimplifying and skipping critical topics related to a case. This can make the audience think that the case is far more straightforward than it is, creating a huge gap between reality and perception.

What are the effects of PowerPoint presentations?

A standard PowerPoint presentation has pictures, graphs, diagrams, and bullet points. It improves the memory capacity of the mind. It also helps students remember information for a long time. A PowerPoint presentation can enhance the intellect of students.

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Professional PowerPoints: Dealing with Negative Feedback

audience engagement

handling negative feedback

negative feedback

presentation tips

public speaking

Rick Enrico

SlideGenius

Jun 24, 2015

Hearing praises about your work boosts self-esteem and inspires you to be a better speaker.

However, there are times that your professional PowerPoints fall short of your audience’s expectations, exposing you to harsh critiques about your pitch. [sg-blog-modules module=three] Criticism is hard to handle, especially when it knocks your ego down. But all types of feedback—even negative ones—can help you improve and become a better speaker.

Here’s how to handle negative feedback positively:

Learn from the Negative

Don’t take negative feedback personally. Treat criticism as your door to growth and improvement.

If pictures are developed from negatives, so are you. Stop looking into the rearview mirror, and focus on what lies ahead. Move forward and learn from those mistakes.

Mold the feedback into something constructive, fostering effective change rather than solely concentrating on the critique itself.

Consider the Source

Sometimes, the feedback we get can be taken as hurtful insults and attacks on our person. These nonconstructive comments may be hard to accept at first, but don’t let them deter your progress.

Consider the person criticizing you and understand that they don’t have the same mindset as yours.

Feedback isn’t the same for everyone. Ignore distasteful comments and don’t dwell on it. Also, be aware of whether you’ve offended or angered a client or not.

Read between the lines and ask yourself the following questions:

• What are they concerned about? What are the key issues?
• Why are they reacting this way?
• What did I say that triggered them to give negative feedback?

These will help you digest the comment and understand where your critic is coming from. Always be mindful of how you engage the audience to avoid provoking anyone.

Maintain Professionalism

Taking feedback too personally creates a hurdle between you and your audience.

Keep an objective stance on the issues being raised to save your professional image. Take a few seconds to breathe, evaluate the situation, and avoid reacting outright.

Your audience seeks not only credibility but also a sense of professionalism. Reply to them with kindness and confirm that you are on the same page.

Thank them for sharing their input and create a safe space where both of your arguments can meet.

Letting go of negative emotions in response to hostile feedback is difficult at first, but accepting or rejecting critique is your choice.

Welcome your audiences’ criticism to improve yourself as a person and as a presenter.

Please your audience with a professional PowerPoint design. Contact SlideGenius now and discover how we can help you with your presentation needs.

[sg-blog-modules module=two]

Donald, Latumahina. “How to Handle Negative Feedback in 6 Simple Steps.” Life Optimizer . Accessed June 24, 2015. “ Presentation Tips: 5 Quick Steps to Audience Engagement .” SlideGenius, Inc . December 16, 2014. Accessed June 24, 2015.

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