the me people see in this slideshow

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the me people see in this slideshow

• rhetoric powerpoint
• Patricia Sullivan

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• This presentation uses the generic content
  template to explore the rhetorical dimensions of
  PPT
• If my presentation represents ME, what ME does
  this presentation offer you?

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My message is. . .

• PowerPoint templates have a rhetoric
• If you rely on them, then they decide your
  rhetoric
• BUT, your job as a communicator is to take charge
  of your rhetoric

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PP templates started as aids to nondesigners

• The design templates offer 48 coordinated
• Backgrounds
• Colors
• Typefaces
• They helped nondesigners avoid hideous choices

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PP design template rhetoric

• Suggests that writers should
• Put consistently formatted titles on each slide
• Put content in the same places
• Limit content for each slide
• Use bullets and levels
• Provides for these inexperienced or busy
  nondesigners some well-designed templates

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PP design template rhetoric -- 2

• Assumes business people want
• Clean and crisp
• Professional
• Spare in text
• But gives almost baroque backgrounds for the
  minimal texts

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PP template makers then moved to content

• 24 content templates (in PP 2001)
• For Business topics -- brainstorming to training
• Telling writers what to say when and where

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PP content template rhetoric

• More intrusive than design templates, content
  templates offer
• A design (ala the design templates)
• A structure for the presentation
• Content prompts for each slide
• The transition between slides

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PP content template rhetoric --2

• Advocate structured writing
• Standard structure (Title, Introduction,
  Topics--handled one-by-one--Close)
• Major points first
• Decisions made according to audience interest
• Uphold the minimalist design principles as well
• Add spiffy transitions that could misrepresent
  the new writer

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Slide that follows shows a contenttemplate
slide from generic
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Topic One assumptions

• Details about this topic
• Supporting information and examples
• How it relates to your audience

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My Problems with this example

• Asks for a colon in the title
• May confuse writers about difference between
  details and supporting information
• Asks for consideration of audience to be captured
  in a point and places that last

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On the Plus Side

• It asks for details to be supported
• It suggests examples be used
• It asks for relating to audience
• It uses a simple design (except for the slide
  transitions)

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On the Minus Side

• It makes you think of your points as details
• If examples added, slide may be too long
• It thinks of audience afterward
• Can hardly forget the transitions

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Next two slides show two more content template
slides -- these near the end
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Real Life

• Give an example or real life anecdote
• Sympathize with the audiences situation if
  appropriate

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What This Means

• Add a strong statement that summarizes how you
  feel or think about this topic
• Summarize key points you want your audience to
  remember

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Rhetoric of these slides

• Both slides are added after three topic slides
  have completed the presentations content
• They try to connect with the audience and
  personalize the presentation
• Real life -- connects content and audience
  through example and sympathy
• What this means -- connects content to ME through
  my feelings or thoughts

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Rhetoric of these slides --2

• It is here that the generic content template
  differs somewhat from the 5 paragraph model of an
  essay
• This content strategically offers to leave the
  audience with something to remember. . . But if
  the content was as dry as the topics slide want,
  then it is too late to grab the audience (THEY
  ARE ASLEEP)

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Why content templates are dangerous

• Theyre easy
• They treat audience as a point to make, not a
  group to be persuaded
• Their prompts use language that can be
  misunderstood (and ultimately mislead)
• Inexperienced writers may follow them as THE WAY
  IT SHOULD BE

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BOTTOM LINEwhats wrong with content
templates?
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. . .All MEs look just alike.. . . All MEs
sound just alike.And powerpoint no longer
yields a competitive advantage