[82lsju]

Agree with qwerty, but I suspect the person complaining about PowerPoint is complaining about how it is used. Just like prose can be well-written (rare, but great when you see it) or a literary disaster, PowerPoint is a communication tool, not an end in itself.  Way too often, corporate presentations are a disorganized disaster, and when not used properly, PowerPoint can contribute to that. But if you have ever seen an engaging speaker ((rare, but great when you do see it), you realize that a well-put together talk can actually be great.

BC

my top of mind biggest gripes about powerpoint, and yes like any tool it can be misused or used well.

- using 10 point (or smaller fonts) to "fit everything on the slide", which to me seems to be trying to avoid having whatever you have on the slide being readily readable, understood, and discussed, my rule of thumb is nothing smaller than 14 point font

- hammering through "60 slides in 60 minutes" and declining to take questions "I'll get to that on a later slide" or "hold that question until we finish the material", many of the slides with the previously mentioned 10 point (or smaller font), my rule of thumb is at least 5 min per content slide so no more than 12 content slides in an hour.

[82lsju]

Agree with qwerty, but I suspect the person complaining about PowerPoint is complaining about how it is used. Just like prose can be well-written (rare, but great when you see it) or a literary disaster, PowerPoint is a communication tool, not an end in itself.  Way too often, corporate presentations are a disorganized disaster, and when not used properly, PowerPoint can contribute to that. But if you have ever seen an engaging speaker ((rare, but great when you do see it), you realize that a well-put together talk can actually be great.

BC

my top of mind biggest gripes about powerpoint, and yes like any tool it can be misused or used well.

- using 10 point (or smaller fonts) to "fit everything on the slide", which to me seems to be trying to avoid having whatever you have on the slide being readily readable, understood, and discussed, my rule of thumb is nothing smaller than 14 point font

- hammering through "60 slides in 60 minutes" and declining to take questions "I'll get to that on a later slide" or "hold that question until we finish the material", many of the slides with the previously mentioned 10 point (or smaller font), my rule of thumb is at least 5 min per content slide so no more than 12 content slides in an hour.