A ray of Powerpoint hope

I spent the last week getting hammered by bad Powerpoint.


I was at the annual meeting of the Canadian Urological Association. The speakers were all respected experts in their clinical fields, had excellent command of the scientific evidence supporting their arguments, and rigorously adhered to the Bad Powerpoint code of conduct:

Pack your slides with text. Read directly from the slide. Graphs and charts must be illegible. (If possible, download a pdf of the actual medical journal article and paste it onto the slide.) Comment/apologize using the Powerpoint Phrase of Doom.

The list goes on and on.

There was one bright spot, however. One speaker broke the mold. He talked about an esoteric subject (calcified nanoparticles, if you must know), but was completely engaging. He used plenty of photos and illustrations, rather than bullet points. He told a story, rather than recounting facts and figures. He was excited about the topic, and he let his excitement show. (Almost a cardinal sin at a scientific conference!)

While I'll likely never apply his information in my clinical practice, it was the most memorable lecture I attended.

Medical experts/speakers take note: Tell a story. Use pictures. Get excited!