PowerPoints

I was reflecting on the use of proper presentation materials. Or perhaps, on the proper use of presentation materials. My conclusion is that there is a fundamental disconnect between what educational establishments say about instructional media and what they do about instructional media.

On one hand, it is a strongly held and justified position that hands-on direct manipulation is the best way to learn something (art and craft, design and technology, science) while graphic manipulation is the best way to conceptualise something or convey a concept. On the other, the fact that computers are facile at image manipulation and video delivery makes most educational administrators want to see things on screens - at least to justify the vast expenditure in IT that is based on the presumption that computers actually help people learn better than other modes of delivery.

For me, it has to be about deliberate intent to deliver good and useful content. The intelligent human chooses a medium and thinks about how best to use it. The human mind is attuned from birth (and perhaps before that) to pay attention to the human voice and its proper use. This is why face-to-face communication is still much desired. It is also true that the human voice has a power all its own, in rhetoric and declamation, in debate and incitement, in poetry and drama. As my friend Sue the Blue once said when discussing her lecture delivery (notorious for its skill, power and ability to pick up Best Lecturer awards), "No power, no point."

I also hang out a lot with my friends Dean the Bean and Dean-not-Dean. They are strong advocates for the proper use of the graphic image. Bad use of visuals leaves them in agony. No, wrong: leaves them in agony. I have learnt much about using graphic media through them.

But the person I find most inspiration in is this person. His seminal works on the presentation of information are a must-read for anyone dealing with honest and compelling delivery. Ranging from astronomy to cartography, from digital semiotics to instruction manuals, from networks to zoology, his beautiful books are excellent guides to the rational intelligence behind good content. And this is his guide to making points with power.

That's not to forget this tour-de-force of media presentation. It is (debatably, rightly so) the most-viewed post on Guy Kawasaki's blog, How To Change The World. It's a very educational blog. Its points are powerful too. As in the post next to that one.