The controversy on Power Point and visual aids will rage as long, I suspect, as we have bad presentations in the business world.  Which is to say, forever. 

The fundamental question is what else beside yourself do you need as a presenter?  What add-ons will enhance the experience of the audience rather than detract from it?

Here, it’s helpful to think about what the range of options are, and what the competition is like.  Of course, the bar is set very low in the business world.  Most people don’t expect riveting presentations, and they are not disappointed.  But lurking at the back of even these Stoic minds is the competition.  ‘I could be playing a video game….Or at the opera….Or watching a football game…Or attending a performance of Cirque de Soleil….’  That’s because even the worst business speech competes for our brain space with all the other things we have to pay attention to – from our BlackBerrys to the financial meltdown to our entertainment choices. 

If we take the most extravagant of these entertainment options – say, Cirque de Soleil – we have performers enhanced with movement, costume, music, lighting – in short, spectacle.  When you add a Power Point slide deck to your own presentation, you are taking one tiny little baby step toward that. 

But does it enhance the experience, like Cirque de Soleil’s costumes and music, or is it merely a distraction?  Ask yourself if the PP deck supports your talk or competes with it.  Is it a speaker outline, a series of slides filled with words which you either read or not, or is it a visual accompaniment to your talk?  Cirque de Soleil integrates all the aspects of the performance to give you one amazing visual spectacle.  When you put up a speaker outline, you’re in essence giving the audience 2 speeches, not one. 

In short, you’re distracting the audience, not enhancing its experience. 

Real visual aids, on the other hand, can enhance the presentation.  Think again about the range of options open to you.  Props, pictures, video, even the humble white board or flip chart – not to mention music and lighting – all can support and enhance your talk rather than rivaling it. 

If you are ever tempted to put a PP slide up for an audience that contains more than 10 words, lie down until the temptation goes away.  Instead, look for a real, high-quality photograph that tells the story.  Find the single number that makes the point.  Put a picture behind it.  If you must present numbers, find the one line graph or pie chart that gets the point across.  Visual aids are good.  Slides full of words are bad.  The next time you open PP and start typing a long heading, stop and remember Cirque de Soleil.