Microsoft PowerPoint: Enemy of the State?

Ever since its introduction to the business industry in 1984, Microsoft PowerPoint has been a staple present in the boardrooms of the business, academic, and military world. A slideware computer program that easily generates charts, graphs, and bullet points, presenting research and data in an easy format revolutionized the time spent on data-driven presentations. But while some praise the invention of the software, there are those who disagree as well. In fact, prominent U.S. generals and professors think PowerPoint is an evil entity.

According to Edward R. Tufte, a political science professor at Yale University who wrote an article on Wired.com, “PowerPoint is Evil,” says the Microsoft presentation software induces stupidity, turns everyone into bores, waste time, and degrades the quality and credibility of communication. Gen. James N. Mattis, commander of the Joint Force in the Marine Corps who was interviewed for a New York Times article, “We Have Met the Enemy and He is PowerPoint” says the slideware makes us stupid.

The argument presented in these two articles is that PowerPoint creates the illusion of understanding and control when there really isn’t. By oversimplifying interconnected data, statistics and conclusion in simple bullet points, the complexity or the significance of the issue being presented is not getting through as important, vital, priority number one.

Commanders in the New York Times article believe that not only are vital sources being left out to simplify the presentation report, but by using PowerPoint as information training tutorials is stifling critical thinking and decision making. Instead of producing an environment that encourages thought provoking group discussions, PowerPoint presentation brings a numbing sensation.

“In a business setting, a PowerPoint slide typically shows 40 words, which is about eight seconds’ worth of silent reading material. With so little information per slide, many, many slides are needed. Audiences consequently endure a relentless sequence, one damn slide after another,” Tufte says.

But can a software program be the blame? Is a comprehensive report with all the critical data and statistics gathered any more effective than a PowerPoint presentation? Is relentless sequence of reports any more cognitively stimulating than a relentless sequence of PowerPoint slides?