With titles like Learning to Love PowerPoint and PowerPoint is Evil, I anticipated that these two articles would hold opposing views about the program in question.
I believe, however, that David Byrne and Edward Tufte ultimately reach the same conclusion. A PowerPoint presentation may be a convenient and effective communication tool, but its true quality depends on the content the presenter brings to the table.
Both articles seem to focus in on the key point of limitation. While PowerPoint makes everything simple - bullet point here, bouncing text there, rinse and repeat - for the presenter to organize information, it cannot make up for a lack of good subject matter, nor can it be relied on as the best method for sharing ideas 100% of the time.
Although at first glance the articles may seem contradictory, together they make a successful argument. While those people who choose to use PowerPoint as an aid should not feel as if they have to sacrifice creativity for program presets, they should also remember that more than just slides are available for reaching their audience.
The point: No limits... within reason.
No comments:
Post a Comment