To be fair though much have this has been in response to the idiots that think it is completely appropriate to populate a single slide with a complete OPORD. Fonts, the amount and type of information presented and the background it is on all impact on the reader/viewer's ability to comprehend the information being presented.
My concern with PowerPoint has always been that without firm guidance on what is appropriate (just like we have for other forms of official corro/writing etc) you get lunatics who think that progressing bullet at a time with a supporting sound effect to announce the entrance is best use of the program. That's what my son does in Grade 6 in his IT assignments ... how commissioned officers ever thought it was appropriate is beyond me.
The first thing I always do on entering an organisation is seek to simplify and then standardise a PowerPoint style manual ... I guarantee you the boss appreciates it far more than everyone considering the slide deck as their own palette. If this makes me a PowerPoint Nazi that spends too long on the small stuff I’m happy to take the moniker … If PowerPoint is meant to be a visual aid (and from my perspective that’s what it is – it supports the brief) and it doesn’t aid because everyone remains completely distracted by the format, style and randomness of the content we have failed to use the tool.
The real issue is the thought process among staffers who believe that PowerPoint is not formal correspondence ... you wouldn't prepare an OPORD with a cubist interpretation ... why the hell do we do it with presentations?
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