There is a disease of epidemic proportions at our doorstep. It is known as PowerPointitis. You may laugh, as you are likely to be familiar with Microsoft PowerPoint®. The manufacturer promises that this software can provide the tools you need to make your point—powerfully. But in all seriousness, does it truly do so?

Definition & Clinical Features

PowerPointitis is a disorder arising from the dependence on the PowerPoint® computer programme for the purpose of making presentations/lectures. At one point or another, most PowerPoint® users have succumbed to this disease. PowerPointitis affects both men and women to the same degree. But Subtype I, also known as ‘Technopointitis’, has a predominant male prevalence.

The main result of PowerPointitis is a disinterested audience. The receivers of PowerPoint® presentations often manifest symptoms that may include headaches, blurred vision, loss of concentration, drowsiness and lethargy. (Several rare cases of hallucination and irrational behaviour have also been reported. But these seem to be related to a separate disease known as the ‘Pokemon Phenomenon’.)

Various Subtypes of PowerPointitis

• Subtype I: ‘Technopointitis’

  One of the more insidious forms of Powerpointitis, ‘Technopointitis’ is believed to occur most commonly among men and advanced users of the programme. It commonly involves the frequent use of PowerPoint® functions such as ‘custom animation’, ‘hyperlink’, and ‘movies and sounds’. The main complaint from audiences is that it takes too long to load something that is not worth viewing. A simple example of ‘Technopointitis’ is as follows:

• Subtype II: ‘Textus Numerus’

  ‘Textus Numerus’ is a very common condition, consisting of having too much to say in a single slide. An important aspect of PowerPoint® is to put things in point form. However, not everybody comprehends this point, as illustrated in the next column:
  ‘Textus Numerus’ has several unfortunate effects. First, the focus of the viewer shifts from the speaker to the wall. Second, the student viewer is suddenly confronted with a difficult dilemma: to frantically start copying everything on the slide, or to cut losses and catch up on some lost sleep from the party the night before. ‘Textus Numerus’ affects each individual differently, and this stratification is most often seen from the front to back of the lecture hall.

  One commonly used treatment for the copying problem is to print handouts with six slides on each page. This is not recommended as it produces a large amount of waste paper with tiny unreadable text.

• Subtype III: ‘Visualitis’

  This disorder results from gross misconceptions and too much choice of variations. ‘Visualitis’ presents itself in many forms:

1. 1. There is a misconception that the more types of fonts and sizes used in a single slide, the more appealing is the text. Unfortunately, a Ransom Note effect is obtained, which by most standards, is highly unattractive.
   
2. Colour, discretely used, can provide emphasis and interest. However, there is a misconception similar to the above point whereby the more colours are used in a single slide, the more attention-grabbing the effect. Instead, nausea usually results.

3. The choice for backgrounds is now limitless. Although some slides are fun to make, they can sometimes distract, rather than enhance one’s text.

• Subtype IV: ‘Lost in Space’ Syndrome

  Although PowerPoint® is aimed at helping an individual to organise his/her presentation, it is very often difficult to know where exactly you are in the presentation, due to the slickness of the programme and the likely ineptitude of the presenter. While it is possible to move around and skip slides in PowerPoint®, anyone who has tried to do so will tell you that it is not an easy task.

The Cure

Sufferers of the disease need fear no more. There is hope in the form of a triple vaccine, or a set of guidelines one can follow when using PowerPoint®:

• Simplify the Message

  Take note: “Less is more.” Very often, we are so keen to include as many things as possible into a lecture that we forget a single point is remembered more clearly than many points. It is far easier to put in many details than to be selective. However, we need to filter out what is essential to know, as opposed to what is good to know.

• Simplify the Slides

  The lecture/presentation is all about communication. When our slides are cluttered or distracting, we lose our link with the audience. Once lost, it is difficult to regain the audience’s attention.

• Understand the Limitations of PowerPoint®

  It is very important to understand the limitations of this software programme. Despite its progressive image, PowerPoint® can be a rather poor interactive medium as it is difficult to change the direction of the presentation once it has begun. In contrast, more ‘ancient’ methods such as overhead projectors and blackboards possess comparatively easier and more interactive capabilities. The PowerPoint® format is also often too simplified a means to convey one’s message entirely, as demonstrated by the impossibility of understanding most printed PowerPoint® handouts.

Conclusion

When using PowerPoint®, we teachers have to keep in focus the objective of our presentation: are we trying to teach, or are we trying to showcase our prowess with technology? If we are to teach effectively, then let us learn how to master a tool such as PowerPoint® so that students will understand and receive our presentations well. In this way, PowerPoint® will then exist to empower, not overwhelm, us.