Great Presentations Are Multimedia

05.22.2009 | Chris Bailey

Know what gets me fired up? When people blame tools for shoddy work when the blame should be pointed directly at the user. Case in point: PowerPoint.

Yes, we’ve all sat through some mind-numbingly dull PP presentations. And I guarantee we’ve all had similar experiences with presentations that didn’t use PP at all. The common denominator here is the presenter and their inability to use their presentation tools.

Paul Sloane at Lifehack wrote today about Six Ways to Transform your Presentation. Not surprisingly, step number one was Throw Away PowerPoint. This advice is almost cliché. PowerPoint is a tool just like a chainsaw. Give the tool to someone inexperienced, and yes, they might just destroy something.

Folks, the problem here isn’t PowerPoint…it’s the presenter.

I’m also going to argue that just getting up in front of a crowd and delivering a presentation without strong visual elements to augment your speaking is missing the potential of multimedia. Think which visual images would make what you’re saying stronger? Some folks learn more from what they see than what they hear.

The bottom line is: Don’t be afraid to engage all the senses in your presentation.

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9454 ResponsesGreat+Presentations+Are+Multimedia2009-05-22+14%3A07%3A19Chris+Bailey to “Great Presentations Are Multimedia”

jer979 (May 24th, 2009 at 10:40 pm) Reply

Yep, you nailed it. Way too easy to blame the tool and not the craftsman. As a former MSFTie, I've railed against PowerPoint a lot, but again, only how it is used, since I think, in the right hands, it does amazing things.

Thanks for the comment on my blog as well.
Chris Bailey (May 25th, 2009 at 8:24 am) Reply

Thanks, Jeremy. Like I said at the beginning, it gets me riled up when people hate on PowerPoint because the presenter doesn't know how to use it. And you're spot on: PowerPoint, Keynote, and other tools *can* do amazing things if they work in service of the presentation. Too many presenters believe they still have a “captive” audience just because they're stuck in the same room.

Appreciate you adding to the dialogue here
Michael Grosso (June 3rd, 2009 at 9:59 am) Reply

I agree. The best presentations are ones that incorporate multimedia elements, such as video and images.
These features add to presentations, making them more appealing to audiences. Couple them with an
engaging presenter, and the presentation is sure to be a success.
Chris Bailey (June 6th, 2009 at 11:45 am) Reply

Thanks for adding to the dialogue, Michael. Folks want to learn and be entertained. While this doesn't always have to be multimedia, it does help.

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I help business leaders and their organizations improve how they relate to their customers, employees, and other critical stakeholders. It’s born out of my belief that individuals crave meaningful relationships and want to be involved with companies that connect with them personally. I’m devoted to helping organizations discover the unique qualities that make them remarkable.

I’m currently a Master’s student at the University of North Texas studying business anthropology.