PowerPoint is a common enemy. And it’s a pretty easy target. Books have been dedicated to the subject. We’ve all seen many a good idea die at the hands of a poorly-structured PowerPoint presentation.

But I don’t think that we need to get rid of PowerPoint. I think we need to get rid of presentations.
We advise our clients on a daily basis that media consumption (and expectations) are changing. Yet hours and hours (and hours) are wasted on the same old presentations that are emotionless, bullet-pointed monologues. That’s not how to communicate an idea.

I offer two alternative solutions: performances and conversations. Together, they eliminate the need for presenting.

Performances. Performances have no droning or meandering. They have a point. They are engaging. They require little work to follow. And, at the end, they may even leave the audience wanting more. When was the last time you attended a performance? When was the last time you gave one?

Conversations. Not every gathering can (or should) be a performance. But, if we are unable to deliver one, let’s not fall back on a presentation. Instead, turn the event into a conversation. While conversations are still “led,” they are two-way. They still require planning, focus and takeaways. But they encourage listening, sharing and participating. The outcome of which tends to be more people operating from the same playbook. Wouldn’t you (always) rather take part in a conversation than a presentation?

Now, here’s the thing. PowerPoint (or, for the lucky among us, Keynote) are perfectly good tools for developing a performance or a conversation. They aren’t the only tools. But, reframed, it’s clear that each can be used for good, in addition to the unfortunate evil.

We just need to be clear. Is this meeting a performance or a conversation?

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