The Benefits and Drawbacks of Using PowerPoint

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The Benefits and Drawbacks of Using PowerPoint

• A Presentation by Cory Witt, Ben Mueller, Chad
  Naber, Larry Powers, Aaron Maze and James Belknap

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While PowerPoint can be a great presentational
aid, it also has many drawbacks that can make or
break your presentation!!!

• Drawbacks
• Unseen issues
• Fixable issues
• Benefits
• Presentational benefits
• Audience benefits

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Fixable Drawbacks include

• Some people really do not like being read to.
• According to the article Glazed Eyes people do
  not like being read to

Mr. Vice President, Mr. Chief Justice, and fellow
citizens, I accept with humility the honor which
the American people have conferred upon me. I
accept it with a deep resolve to do all that I
can for the welfare of this Nation and for the
peace of the world.   1  In performing the duties
of my office, I need the help and prayers of
every one of you. I ask for your encouragement
and your support. The tasks we face are
difficult, and we can accomplish them only if we
work together.2  Each period of our national
history has had its special challenges. Those
that confront us now are as momentous as any in
the past. Today marks the beginning not only of a
new administration, but of a period that will be
eventful, perhaps decisive, for us and for the
world.3  It may be our lot to experience, and in
large measure to bring about, a major turning
point in the long history of the human race. The
first half of this century has been marked by
unprecedented and brutal attacks on the rights of
man, and by the two most frightful wars in
history. The supreme need of our time is for men
to learn to live together in peace and
harmony.4  The peoples of the earth face the
future with grave uncertainty, composed almost
equally of great hopes and great fears. In this
time of doubt, they look to the United States as
never before for good will, strength, and wise
leadership.
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Audience Interaction

• Offer the audience a chance to interact instead
  of just reading to them and allowing them to feel
  trapped.

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Graphics can be Bad

• Swirling text
• Fading in.
• Slow moving.
• Pictures
• Irrelevant Animations

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How to Avoid

• Plan ahead and select the appropriate text
  graphics. Dont use distracting ones that will
  get you behind or off topic.
  
• Dont clutter the screen with too much.

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Too much text

• Professors often overload slides with
  information, forcing them to move through the
  material too quickly while overwhelming students
  with details. This can sometimes discourage
  students and lead them to stop listening to the
  lecture altogether (Active Lecturing The
  Potential of PowerPoint ).

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Example of Overload

• Drawbacks There are also drawbacks to using
  PowerPoint as a teaching tool. PowerPoint, when
  used incorrectly, can encourage student (and
  teacher) passivity by discouraging interaction
  between them. Professors often overload slides
  with information, forcing them to move through
  the material too quickly while overwhelming
  students with details. This can sometimes
  discourage students and lead them to stop
  listening to the lecture altogether

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Break it up

• Break up the slides, find a good point to
  separate it to the next slide so you dont have
  too much information on one.

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Example of well organized

• There are also drawbacks to using PowerPoint as a
  teaching tool.
  
• Can encourage student (and teacher) passivity by
  discouraging interaction between them.
  

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Contrasting Colors

• Colors can sometimes conflict if you do not
  choose them correctly.
  
• Choose colors that arent
  closely related

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Correct Color Usage

• According to Michael Osborns Public Speaking,
  complimentary color scheme should be used to
  heighten the sense of drama, and may enliven
  informative speaking and encourage change in
  persuasive speaking.
• Choose colors that arent closely related

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Noises can be distracting

• Power points can have too many noises

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Fix the noises

• Let the noise that you have selected interact
  with only the part it should.
  
• Properly space the time between noises if
  multiple are used

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Unseen Issues Include

• PowerPoint files require that the user has
  PowerPoint installed on their machine.

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How to Prepare

• Make sure before the presentation that you have
  all the needed programs and files ready.
  
• If they don't have PowerPoint installed, they can
  download and install a free PowerPoint Viewer
  available on Microsoft's site
  

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You Might have Sleepers

• People sometimes dont care and fall asleep

Picture source http//blog.piry.net/2006/03/
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How to Wake a Sleeper

• Wake them up with some interactions or noises.

Sound clip http//www.jimcarreyonline.com/soundcl
ips/dumbndumber.html
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Equipment Failure

• The projector, computer or power might not work.
  
  
• This is an unseen disaster but can be fixed

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Check and Re-Check

• Come in before your presentation and make sure
  everything is in working order
  
• Also make sure you know how to work everything

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PowerPoint Benefits

• According to ecglink.com PowerPoint and similar
  programs can be an effective tool to help
  audiences remember your message, while allowing
  you to prove, reinforce, and support your claims.

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Charts

• Charts can help clarify your ideas.

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Pictures

• Using pictures can emphasize things that are
  important.

Picture source http//www.power-point-uses.com/
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Visuals and Text

• The combination of both text and visuals allow
  the message to jump right out at the audience.
  

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Helps organization

• PowerPoint can act as a visual keyword outline.
• Keyword outlines will help your speech stay on
  track.

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Other benefits

• According to www.edtech.neu.edu/
• PowerPoint can be used to keep your audience
  focused.
  
• PowerPoint makes your content more visual.
• PowerPoint enables interactivity with the
  audience.
  
• PowerPoint allows for better note taking by the
  audience.
  
• PowerPoint can allow the audience to preview or
  review the presentation before or after the
  speech