Power Point

Now, sometimes powerpoint presentations can be pretty much the best thing ever. I know that I would not have been able to pass biology without them. The problem is, most of the time powerpoint is horribly misused. Here are my little complaints.
1)  Don't put in snazzy music clips unless you're talking about the birth of jazz.
2) Under no circumstances does text need to swirl in, stop, turn backwards, jump up and down and turn three different colors. Make your point, do it succinctly. No fireworks.
3) Same goes for slide changes. If you want to have one of the subtle ones like this slide slides in from the left to replace the other slide, fine, but no bouncing it makes your audience's head hurt, and you lose credibility.
4) The point of powerpoint is to present an outline of your presentation, with charts and graphs. It is not supposed to be your whole conversation. A lot of the time people put so much information in their slides that their audience is overwhelmed and you override the purpose of a visual aid in the first place.
5) Finally, Presenters are often overshadowed by their powerpoints. If a presenter relies too much on their powerpoint, they lose the power of a live presentation. Be present, or just send an email.

However, if used properly, Powerpoint can be an invaluable tool. It can help you organize your thoughts and points in a presentation, present visual data like charts and graphs and if approached correctly, can turn out really good presentations that are attractive, to the point, and sure to maintain an audience's attention.