Ridding the world of bullet points

"People often remember pictures long after words are forgotten" - wisdom from an anonymous source.

I didn't know but I've been told that its a nice thing to place what you're going say on the slides that are supporting your talk. This I'm told helps non-native speakers of the English Language pick up what you're talking about. I appreciate the intent, but what I usually end up seeing as a result, are slides like this:



My firm belief is that "people cant read and listen and participate at the same time". In effect, slides that look like that not just take away the attention from the main "story" you're trying to tell, but also reduce your efficacy as a trainer/ presenter. Now you'll ask me why and my answer is -- "If you're reading what's in the slide or even narrating the story in different words, why are you there?" You could perhaps send out the same "deck" as an email and maybe entertain questions at a later stage -- that would perhaps be more engaging than just reading from the slide.

I prefer instead handling the language problem by doing the following:

• Creating Handouts;
  
• Speaking clearly and slowly;
  
• Pausing to ask questions;
  
• Whiteboarding (and I wonder why this is such a neglected skill);
  
• Accepting Input and using the language of your audience to build your whiteboard image/ data;
  
• Using visuals that clearly relate to the topic of the slide;

So, instead of using a slide like this:



I'll create a slide that looks like this (with all of the bullet points pushed into the notes section):



I can print out this same slide to serve as my speaking notes. A modified version of the notes could be used to create handouts for the audience. I usually enjoy whiteboarding the results of the discussion to serve as a visible record of what transpired during the talk/ presentation/ training session. What this does for me:

• The audience pays attention to me more than the slide;
  
• The slide supports my points by focussing on the topic for the moment;
  
• I get the opportunity to anchor concepts through the act of accepting input and whiteboarding;
  
• The audience gets a handout, which is a memorable account of what they really learnt in class;

I wish I see lesser bullet points on slides and more pictures. I wish that presentations are more about telling a story than just a "sum of parts" -- that would truly be a breath of fresh air in corporate boardrooms!