Why Use Slideshows at All?

By Jerry Weissman

In a 2001 article in Small Business Computing, writer Angela Garber expressed the universally negative reputation of cluttered slideshows by coining the frequently cited epithet, Death by PowerPoint. Given the constant disparagement of slideshows by critics, audiences, and even by presenters themselves, why would anyone continue to use them?

After all, the memorable speeches of history did not use PowerPoint:

• Cicero’s orations in the Roman Forum
• Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
• Winston Churchill’s World War II rally to arms
• Martin Luther King’s Civil Rights speech
• John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address

So why, indeed, would anyone use slides? The simple answer lies in the aphorism, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Those familiar words are backed by a wide array of scientific evidence. One of the most thorough is an HP publication titled, The Power of Visual Communication, which cites nine learned sources and concludes that:

Even more to the (Power) point is the opinion of Stephen M. Kosslyn, the author of Clear and to the Point: 8 Psychological Principles for Compelling PowerPoint Presentations, a book based on his work at the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. As Dr. Kosslyn put it in one of his academic studies:

The timeworn claim that a picture is worth a thousand words is generally well-supported by empirical evidence, suggesting that diagrams and other information graphics can enhance human cognitive capacities in a wide range of contexts and applications.

Another respected expert on visual expression was Hans Rosling, a Swedish medical doctor and statistician, whose revolutionary graphical display methodology electrified his high-profile TED conference and made him an instant media and talk circuit rock star. Ten thousand words would not be adequate to describe his technique, so please see it for yourself in his video on YouTube.

A New York Times article about Dr. Rosling described the impact of his graphics:

The goal of information visualization is not simply to represent millions of bits of data as illustrations. It is to prompt visceral comprehension, moments of insight that make viewers want to learn more.

In that one sentence, Dr. Rosling, his dynamic software notwithstanding, validates the primacy of the presenter over even his superb graphics. More than that, he tells you not only why, but how to use your slides.

This blog is an excerpt from my book Winning Strategies for Power Presentations published by Pearson. Also, check out my newly released Presentation Trilogy—Presenting to Win, The Power Presenter, and In the Line of Fire—available on Amazon and other retailers.

    Jerry Weissman is the founder and president of Suasive, Inc., formerly Power Presentations, Ltd. Jerry founded Suasive in 1988 and quickly established himself as the coach for Silicon Valley CEOs delivering critical presentations for their IPO roadshows. He taught them to tell their company stories through the eyes of their investors, and in so doing, significantly increased the valuations of their companies. He amassed an elite client list and soon widened his focus to helping public and privately held companies develop and deliver all types of business presentations.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post or content are those of the authors or the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.