Microsoft PowerPoints Are Terrible for Engineers

You\’re blaming the tool. It\’s clear that graduates are too lazy to do real analysis and resort to oversimplification. The fact they use PowerPoint has nothing do with it.

Is there a link to the disasterous Power Point slides? I would like to see them.

There is always too much data, but yet the major and salient points always need to be brought out. I recall a Feynman demonstration with ice water and an O-Ring after the disaster that had only one bullet point. But it was the important one.

management want for good looking presentation, technical paper is too hard for them already.

Hi, Doug.

Yes, Dr.Tufte explains a lot in a short 8 hours; he is the most riveting speaker that I\’ve ever heard. The New York Times called him \”The Leonardo da Vinci of Data\”.

Mr. Tufte has an excellent point, but I think that blaming PowerPoint is the wrong conclusion. His three points all reflect issues with the author of a presentation rather than the software package. Engineers need to think about how to present data and consider the audience receiving this information. If the audience is a group of engineers, why \”dumb down\” the information. Present the data and let the data speak.

Mr. Tufte\’s data presentation seminars are an excellent refresher for data presentation. He has a wealth of information on how to present data in a meaningful way. I would recommend anyone making presentations to take the time to attend one of the seminars.

That\’s not a problem with the tool (Powerpoint). That\’s a problem with the engineer using the tool. If the tool doesn\’t support the end use, find a tool that does. Powerpoint doesn\’t oversimplify the complex data, the AUTHOR does it. Your headline should read, \”Sloppy Engineering is Bad\”.

Talk about shooting the messenger! I have attended Tufte\’s seminars, and thet are great! But MS PPT is nothing but a communication tool; garbage in, garbage out. Rather, why not promote, i.e. TEACH o\’ professor emeritus a \’Tufte-approved\’ method/use of the tool? executives will ALWAYS need briefs and summarized information… Perhaps if the \’really good\’ report is written first, followed by the ppt brief derived therefrom?

Power Point is just a tool - and it can be a very useful one when used properly. The problem is not in the tool, but in how and when it is used. The real problem lies with the engineers (and sometimes their management, since they may oftimes mandate the wrong approach to communication) and whether or not they are putting forth the appropriate effort to ensure that the proper communication is achieved.

This should not be a question of \”new\” engineer vs. \”old\” engineer either. Communication is a critical and inherent part of the engineering responsibility. It is up to each of us to learn to do it correctly.

It definitely makes more sense to write a paper, then brief the paper with the presentation. But when management focus is on the presentation, that comes first and the paper never gets done.