Executives and public speakers should completely do away with PowerPoint presentations, a meetings industry association has said, as it prepares to ban the use of slide presentations at its yearly conference.
The move comes as the Meetings & Events Australia group wants more speakers to become confident in the art of speaking to large groups rather than relying on pre-built presentations.
“We don’t need to be using these presentations because we can access them on our desks and through webinars,” MEA chief executive Linda Gaunt told SmartCompany this morning.
“We need to keep meetings relevant. We want to see more case studies and examples given in presentations, rather than just slides, which can be particularly badly designed.”
Gaunt argues there are plenty of presentations and webinars available on the internet that provide bullet-point style information. Instead, she says, executives should learn how to engage audience members with captivating examples and stories.
“Instead of just using dot points, use case studies. Talk about a particular event or a story that will get your audience members interested.”
In fact, MEA has banned a number of PowerPoint techniques along with the presentations themselves, including bullet points, template backgrounds, clip art, and even the practice of reading from the screen itself.
Gaunt says there are simply too many alternative ways to give a presentation without resorting to reading from the screen or giving bullet point lists.
“Don’t just stand behind a lectern. Move out in front of the crowd, be confident in what you’re saying and give anecdotal evidence to support your case.”
“Be a little more innovative in what you’re doing. The main thing is to keep these face-to-face meetings alive.”
Gaunt says while there’s still room for these types of digital presentations, they shouldn’t be used as a crutch.
“Face-to-face meetings could end up being obsolete if we use things like PowerPoint too much. Instead, we need to engage and create a captivating experience. Then, your audience members can go back and use that speaking style with their own clients.”
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
