Sure—you collaborate. Been there, done that. You may feel confident that your icebreakers and conference room brainstorming sessions have checked off all the boxes (and hey, they’re a start!). But the truth is that effective collaboration is an ongoing process that’s less about increased activity and more about increased impact. It’s an individual and organizational skill set that demands strategy and creativity. And it should adapt as your business needs change.
The workforce has changed dramatically in the past several years, but the way teams collaborate largely hasn’t. Many are working with outdated processes that are slowing them down and, quite frankly, preventing growth. Collaboration should be treated with the same rigor and intention of any large-scale business initiative—and if you’re not continually refining and improving your team’s collaboration techniques, then you aren’t doing it right.
We’re excited to announce a new series of articles that will help you rethink your outdated tools and find better solutions to harness your team’s collaborative synergy. It’s time to ditch the antiquated ideologies of yesteryear and say hello to a new era of strategic, impactful collaboration. And we’ll be your guide.
Today’s topic: the endless monotony that is PowerPoint presentations
Did you know PowerPoint just celebrated its 35th birthday? And outside of aesthetic changes, the basic functionality of the software largely has not changed. PowerPoint has somehow remained virtually untouched in the presentation-sharing space, despite the fact that it’s likely one of the first pieces of software you learned about in your elementary school’s computer class. But while you’ve advanced since then, PowerPoint really hasn’t.
PowerPoint is the perfect example of a software that you may not even question in your tech stack. And don’t get us wrong: It has its place. But just because you’ve been using it so long, is it really the best tool to get the job done?
Why is PowerPoint so bad?
Great question. While PowerPoint itself isn’t bad, it turns out that there are actually several problems with the way it’s often used. Traditionally, a team member may turn to PowerPoint for one of two reasons: to pitch ideas or to share information. We’re not convinced it’s the best tool for either. Here’s why:
1. It’s not interactive
PowerPoints are often used to make business pitches or lead discussions, but the chat is just one-sided. It's wholly presenter-focused. Sure, you may be able to leave comments on the slide deck itself, but there really is no great way within the platform to collaboratively capture feedback and make a plan for steps forward. You either have to collect feedback verbally, which results in lost insight that can’t accurately be referred to later, or you have to take notes, which calls for additional tools that further silo your information.
So, yes, PowerPoints can be useful for knowledge sharing, but not for facilitating and documenting real discussions that drive informed decision-making later.
2. It’s time-consuming
PowerPoint presentations use a very specific structure, and it’s creating more work for you. It’s unlikely that you have deliverables that transfer easily to a slide. This means that after you’ve collected data and information to present, you then have a whole additional step of creating each slide individually from scratch. You are losing time and content impact by not using materials that have already been built.
3. It’s boring
Or, it can be. The PowerPoint format can feel quite static, especially when the creator isn’t familiar with or especially skilled at creating presentations. Even the most dynamic presentations don’t offer that much flexibility. At best, they may have some color and images, but at worst, they’re a boring canvas often read word for word. And when you’re trying to set your team up to brainstorm brilliant insights and ideas, boomerang slide transitions will go only get you so far.
4. It dilutes information
PowerPoint presentations have always been more about visual appeal than the transfer of information. That’s why your important data points are reduced to bulleted highlights, usually getting watered down or cut in the process. Because of this, a presenter really needs to walk you through the slides in order for you to fully understand their context and meaning, or else you easily miss key information that would affect decision-making and feedback loops.
Or, in some cases, something even worse could occur. Richard Feynman, CalTech physicist, recognized that “bulletized” thinking contributed to the Challenger disaster of 1986. According to Feynman, “The big problem was that NASA management wasn’t really listening to engineers—and breaking up issues into bullets helped them do that.” Several years later, combat commander H. R. McMaster banned PowerPoint in Iraq, when he recognized it promoted messaging that was too vague to be secure amidst critical missions. The message is clear: When important (even life-saving) data is reduced to mere bullet points, you likely cut out valuable—or even critical—information.
PowerPoint vs. Lucid: Why Lucid takes the lead in modern workplaces
It’s time to break up with PowerPoint and try out something smarter. It’s not us, PowerPoint. It’s you.
Lucid has several tools that will make your presentations more data-driven, efficient, impactful, and collaborative. In short, it checks all the boxes that PowerPoint doesn’t.
