As both a designer and a researcher, I’m constantly sharing my work. One of the most anxiety-inducing things I’m asked to do is present my work to a group. This involves making PowerPoint slides, practising my script, then getting in front of people and presenting off of a screen.
I’ve not met many people who enjoy giving presentations. It can be even more daunting when you’re sharing work with stakeholders, or people senior to you. There’s pressure to perform like a professional speaker and show your work in the best light.
For too long we’ve used slideshows as the default. We’re taught from an early age how to create a deck but not why we even really need one. There are many ways of telling your story, and I’d argue that a PowerPoint presentation is the worst way to do it.
Walking through slides doesn’t work
We’ve all experienced the pain of sitting through a boring presentation. Whether at school or at the office, a bad presentation isn’t only a waste of your time, but you rarely take any useful information away from it.
Edward Tufte is an American statistician famous for his work on information design. His essay on PowerPoint nails the flaws in presentations. Tools like Google Slides are the descendants of overhead projectors. Slideshows were the default before we…
