Death by PowerPoint. If you’ve worked in an office, sat through a conference, or attended any kind of corporate presentation, you’ve likely experienced this slow, painful demise. You sit down, the lights dim, and it begins: slide after slide of endless bullet points, charts that make no sense, clipart from 1998, and text so small it might as well be microscopic. By the time it’s over, you’re not sure whether you’ve learned anything or just lost 30% of your brainpower.
The thing about PowerPoint is that it was designed to be a tool for visualizing ideas, not a crutch for people who have nothing meaningful to say. But somewhere along the way, we stopped using it to enhance presentations and started using it to replace them. Instead of speakers communicating ideas, they just click through slides, reading off the screen like a bad audiobook. It’s become a form of corporate torture—death by PowerPoint, where the audience slowly loses their will to live, one slide at a time.
The Overuse of Bullet Points
Let’s start with the bullet points. What is it about PowerPoint that makes people feel like they need to fill every slide with an endless list of bullets? Bullet points are meant to be concise, but in PowerPoint land, they become a never-ending list of vague statements. “Optimize workflows.” “Maximize synergies.” “Streamline processes.” What does any of this actually mean? Nothing, that’s what. But hey, at least it looks official.
The worst part is when the presenter reads every single bullet word for word. We can all read. There’s no need to narrate the entire slide like it’s a bedtime story for toddlers. But that’s exactly what happens. You’re sitting there, staring at the screen, and the presenter is droning on, reading each bullet like it’s a revelation. Meanwhile, you’re just trying to keep your eyes open, because let’s be honest, you could have gotten the same information in a well-written email.
Overcrowded Slides: Less Is More
Then there’s the issue of overcrowded slides. Some presenters seem to believe that the more information they cram onto a slide, the better. You’ve got charts, graphs, bullet points, images, and sometimes even animations—all packed onto one slide like a corporate version of “Where’s Waldo?”. It’s visually overwhelming, and instead of helping you understand the message, it leaves you more confused than when you started.
Here’s the thing: less is more. PowerPoint slides should be simple, clear, and easy to digest. A slide with a single, powerful image or a short phrase is way more effective than one that looks like the instructions for assembling a nuclear reactor. But in the world of PowerPoint, restraint is a foreign concept. Instead, we’re bombarded with slides so dense, you’d need a PhD to decipher them.
The Curse of Clipart and Stock Images
I could rant for hours about the misuse of clipart and stock images in PowerPoint presentations. Nothing screams “I don’t care” like using that same stick figure climbing a mountain or the handshake image you’ve seen in every presentation since 2005. These visuals aren’t just tired—they’re irrelevant. They add nothing to the presentation, and at best, they’re a distraction. At worst, they make you wonder if the presenter even bothered to think about what they were trying to convey.
I get it—sometimes you need visuals to make a point. But for the love of all things professional, can we at least move past the Microsoft Office clipart gallery? Use visuals that are relevant to your message. Better yet, don’t use visuals unless they’re absolutely necessary. Not every slide needs an image. If it doesn’t add value, it doesn’t belong in your presentation.
The Inescapable Wall of Text
Another common PowerPoint sin is the infamous wall of text. You know the one—an entire slide filled with paragraphs of text that no one is ever going to read. Why? Because it’s impossible to process that much information on a single slide, especially when you’re trying to listen to the presenter at the same time. It’s overwhelming and counterproductive.
PowerPoint is supposed to complement the spoken word, not replace it. If you’ve got that much to say, say it. Don’t dump a novel onto a slide and expect your audience to sift through it while you mumble your way through the presentation. Use slides to highlight key points, not to bombard your audience with text.
The Pointless Transitions and Animations
I can’t talk about death by PowerPoint without mentioning the transitions and animations. Why do people insist on using these ridiculous effects? Text that zooms in from the side, bullet points that fade in one by one, spinning logos—what is the point? All it does is distract from the actual content of the presentation. No one is impressed by your ability to make text fly across the screen like a Star Wars intro.
And let’s not forget the “build” slides, where each bullet point appears one at a time as the presenter clicks through them. This doesn’t create suspense or keep the audience engaged—it just slows everything down to a crawl. We know there are more bullet points coming; you’re not fooling anyone. Just show the whole slide and let’s move on with our lives.
The Dreaded Data Dump
Now let’s talk about charts and graphs. I understand that data is important, but PowerPoint is not the place to dump every single data point you’ve ever collected. We’ve all seen those slides that are so packed with graphs, charts, and tables that they look like they were pulled straight from a doctoral thesis. The presenter stands there talking about the data, while the audience stares at the screen, trying to figure out what any of it means.
Here’s a tip: simplify your data. Highlight the key points and get rid of the noise. No one needs to see every tiny detail of your data set. A single, clear graph that illustrates your point is far more effective than a complicated mess of lines and bars that no one can interpret.
PowerPoint as a Crutch
One of the biggest problems with PowerPoint is that it’s become a crutch. Too many presenters rely on it to do the heavy lifting, instead of using it as a tool to enhance their message. The slides end up becoming the focal point of the presentation, rather than the presenter themselves. It’s like watching someone give a book report by just reading out loud from the book. What’s the point?
PowerPoint should be used to support what you’re saying, not replace it. If your entire presentation can be delivered by just clicking through slides, then you’re doing it wrong. A great presentation comes from you—your voice, your ideas, your insights. PowerPoint is just there to help, not to steal the show.
The Alternative: Storytelling
What if, instead of subjecting people to death by PowerPoint, we focused on storytelling? People connect with stories, not slides. A compelling narrative is far more engaging than a list of bullet points. If you’ve got a story to tell, tell it. Use PowerPoint sparingly, if at all. A good story can hold an audience’s attention far better than any flashy slide deck.
Think about the best presentations you’ve ever seen. Were they filled with slides? Or were they delivered by someone who knew how to tell a great story, to engage the audience with their words, their body language, and their passion? The answer is obvious. The best presentations don’t rely on PowerPoint—they rely on the speaker’s ability to communicate ideas in a way that resonates with the audience.
The Future: Death to Death by PowerPoint
It’s time we put an end to death by PowerPoint once and for all. We don’t need to kill PowerPoint itself—used correctly, it can be a valuable tool. But we do need to stop abusing it. No more overcrowded slides, no more bullet point marathons, no more pointless animations, and no more walls of text.
Let’s go back to basics. Let’s focus on clear, concise communication. Let’s use PowerPoint to enhance our message, not to bury it under a pile of corporate nonsense. And most importantly, let’s remember that the best presentations come from the presenter, not the slides.
So, the next time you’re tempted to create a 50-slide monstrosity filled with jargon, data dumps, and spinning transitions, take a step back. Ask yourself: Do I really need all of this? Or can I say it in a simpler, more engaging way? Chances are, you can.
Death by PowerPoint doesn’t have to be our fate. But it’s up to us to stop the madness. Let’s reclaim the art of presentation and save ourselves—and our audiences—from the endless, mind-numbing cycle of slideshows that suck the life out of every room.
