I grew up accepting that bread and biscuits needed Marmite. When I lived in Australia, I encountered Vegemite and made the unpatriotic transition. But then I discovered Promite. Perfection. Everyone should taste Promite.
In a similar manner, I believe that every Speakers Club member should be able to use PowerPoint. I would not compel them to nor make it a requirement. But, as with Promite, it’s such a great thing I’d like everyone to have the chance to enjoy it as much as I do.
Perhaps it should be an optional assignment at the Advanced level. The ASC will shortly make available a self-instruction PowerPoint handbook: I have seen the draft and it is excellent.
However, I have three reservations and do not use PowerPoint now as much as I did a decade or so ago.
In many places where I work (Bangladesh, for example) the electricity cuts out – and I fear that this will soon start to happen here in the UK.
Having a prepared set of slides made me lazy, in that I would deliver more or less the same presentation to a group of professors in Pretoria as to a gathering of charity workers in Jamaica.
The PowerPoint format increasingly restricted me – I still like to communicate as I did when I was a mathematics teacher 110101 (binary) years ago and I like my thoughts, along with those of my class/audience to unwind freely in realtime, all over the blackboard.
Yes, everyone should experience PowerPoint – and maybe someone can solve my problems therewith.
MIKE DOUSE
Brecon Speakers Club
November 5, 2008 at 11:15 am |
I can answer your dilemma Mike by giving you some useful comments.
PowerPoint should enhance your speech, it should not be your speech
PowerPoint slides are for the audience – they will look at them on screen, you don’t need to.
In most cases, the relationship between a speech and PowerPoint is like the relationship between biscuits and Promite. Both are valid on their own, but combined they are great. In other words, in most cases, the speech could survive a power cut – you are a speaker after all !
Consider PowerPoint as a tool. Use it when it feels right, but equally don’t use it when it is not the right time.
To correct you slightly, the PowerPoint manual is written to encourage the use of PowerPoint and to give clear guidance for speakers and evaluators. There are eight assignments of which the first four at least do not require the speaker to be at an advanced level at all, and indeed the last four are still within the speaking skills of those in the higher stages of the B section of the ASC guide. It is not the intention that PowerPoint becomes an option for advanced speakers – rather that it becomes an option for all speakers. Although we are, and need to attract speakers from the business world, that is not the only use for PowerPoint and if nothing else, I encourage people to enjoy exploring this additional tool.
Ian Price
South East Vice District President
November 5, 2008 at 2:34 pm |
Thanks Ian, I agree with most of that.
You’ll recollect that last Sunday in Maidstone more than one person mentioned that the ASC Advanced requirements needed overhauling. Don’t you feel that giving an effective PowerPoint presentation might be one of the optional assignments?
Your manual is, I feel, great and, possibly after some modifications, would be valued by Club members. See also Challenge 27 in ‘Speaking the Speech’ and Section 11 of ‘Audio-Visual Aids to Splendid Speeches’ which, in fact, backs up your comments.
Must close before the electricity cuts out
Mike