Page 104 - The New Articulate Executive_ Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader

THE POWERPOINT PARADOX 95

slides follow. Then more word slides. Is he reading or paraphrasing?
What is this man talking about? What is he trying to say? Is it just
me? Am I the dumbest kid in the class? Or am I having the same
reaction as everyone else?
I am wondering, is this how this guy teaches his classes? Finally,
I can take no more and slink up the aisle, out the door, and back into
the light. Almost immediately, another escapee walks up and we
begin to commiserate. A couple of other runaways and refugees
wander over. It turns out that it’s not just me, after all. We are all

shaking our heads, trying to figure out what had just happened—or
hadn’t happened. The verdict is unanimous: smart man, dumb show.
To add insult to injury—especially for the feckless souls who stuck
it out—we later learned the presentation lasted an excruciating two
hours.
Just another lesson in life about what can happen when we
entrust our productivity to well-meaning people who just don’t
know any better. In this case, to be brutally candid, there wasn’t even

a hint of color, flair, or style. The ultimate irony came later that day
when the professor, knowing I was an executive communications
coach, approached me in a hotel lobby and asked me how I thought
his presentation had gone.
I was at a complete loss for words. Finally, I said that it was one
of the most extraordinary things I had ever seen and would probably
never forget it. I made a couple of gentle suggestions, but he didn’t
seem pleased and wandered off.

TEN THINGS NEVER TO DO

An autopsy of the professor’s embarrassing performance turned up
the usual culprits. For the sake of economy, I will convert some of
them into a short list of recommendations:

1. Don’t turn off the lights—especially right after lunch.
2. Don’t use word slides.