The simple and the ubiquitous

I’m a Powerpoint presenter. In fact, it’s gotten so I can hardly conceive of doing a presentation without a remote slide clicker in my hand. Like any communication tool and media, Powerpoint is merely one way to do it. Use it well and your communication is effective. Use it poorly and it’s no better than a flip chart or chalk and blackboard. I spend as much time planning the design and pedagogy of a presentation as I do on the content. The fact is, the medium needs to complement the content.

While Powerpoint and other presentation software continue to come with more and more bells and whistles, the fact is that often, the simpler the better, or, as that old rule says, K.I.S.S. I’m an educator and public speaker from before the personal computer became a ubiquitous presentation tool. I cut by public speaking teeth in the dark ages of flip charts and the overhead projector (yeah, look it up). Those early experiences served me well recently.

Some months ago, on a trip, I found myself invited to do an impromptu presentation. My first internal response was mild panic. I thought to myself, “I can’t do a presentation, I don’t have my laptop with me.” But after mentally rehearsing some of my stock presentations I grabbed a flip chart which was sitting in a corner. With a few minutes of preparation I was able to create a quick-and-dirty flipchart presentation that served all the functions of my electronic slide presentations: providing a focal point, illustrating a concept, a bulleted list of major points, and an outline to keep me on track.

I still prefer a good slide presentation, but in a pinch, having mastered the simple flipchart can come in handy (especially on that day when the power goes out in the middle of your presentation—which happened to me once). Here is a great site on using the humble flipchart. One day it may help you avoid a presentation disaster.