If you haven’t seen the world’s most complicated PPT slide, then I’m proud to be the first to show it to you:

Enjoy. 

The quote from the title of this blog, “PowerPoint Makes Us Stupid,” is from  Gen. James N. Mattis of the US Marine Corps.

Mattis is referring to how slides like this reduce complex military problems to a series of bullet points that don’t tell a story, they just add to the confusion. 

And it’s hard to disagree with that!

Apparently there is a growing tendency for the US Forces to try and use PPT to solve the war in Afghanistan.  However there is an insurgent group within the same US forces trying to get it abolished.  So PPT is causing factions among the troops!

The golden question remains:  Does PPT make us stupid?

Like you, I have personally seen it happen more than once. 

What other device can be blamed for a CEO of a company to stand up in front of 14 of his fellow Executive, look at a wall and mumble – “that’s not important”, or “that shouldn’t be in here”, or “as you can see there are problems with our sales” (we can’t – it’s too small!).

PPT has to be used selectively.  It has to prove your point.  And please don’t make it the handout/document on your wall!

Seth Godin has a nice few ideas about PPT too in this

PDF. 

And the full article from the New York Times that inspired this article is here.

Give me a bell today if you would like me to come out and teach you some of this stuff at one of our presentation skills workshops.