Book/Web Site Reviews
Editor's Note: Several IEEE members have written books of interest to PCS members. If you would like to have it reviewed by a newsletter volunteer, please contact Kit Brown at pcsnews.editor AT ieee DOT org.
Why Most PowePoint Presentations Suck
By Jack Deland
Altman, Rick. (2007) Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Suck. Harvest Books. 271 pgs. ISBN-13: 978-0615142234.
There's probably not a soul among us who's not suffered the infamous “death by PowerPoint:” endless text, bland bullet points, obfuscating backgrounds, gratuitous fly-ins and wipes—really, there's not much hope for good ole PPT, it's such a limited tool. After all, Edward Tufte says so. On the contrary, asserts Rick Altman—all you need is a little imagination and good techniques, both of which he demonstrates in Why Most PowerPoint Presentations SUCK [sic] and How You Can Make Them Better.
So, why do they, um, suck? Lack of imagination, the PPT imperative (“it ain't a meeting without a PowerPoint”), and people who think they've learned all they need in 15 minutes. How does one make them better?
Altman shows you how to maintain consistency across several presenters' slides, maintain focus throughout the set (critical), and build up a graphic sensibility. The book goes through many techniques, but with precious few illustrations—surprise! You have access to an entire website of clever, thoughtful designs to learn from (see www.betterppt.com). Much better than flat images, and you'll miss out if you don't visit the site.
Altman even covers some presentation techniques for humans, and there is a small section on using video and music to go beyond PPTs. It's a worthy book, even though it looks a little slim at $24.95. But 271 pages on PPTs is probably more than you'd ever thought this application deserved. Like any tool, if it is used with patience, thoughtfulness, and yes, passion, PowerPoint can actually serve very well.
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Jack DeLand is a practicing IA and lone writer with a software company in Southfield, Michigan. He is best known for a series of lectures, training and books on developing Windows Help systems, and now has interests in user experience and typography/graphic layout. His website is www.jackdeland.com