Why I Dislike PowerPoint

(At Least How It's Used in Some Large Companies)

PowerPoint is everywhere in corporate life. Meetings begin with it, discussions revolve around it, and after everything is said and done, the slide deck is all that remains. But this is the problem: PowerPoint was never meant to be the presentation, it was meant to support one. In large companies, this tool has been twisted into something it was never designed to be, and that's why I dislike it. A lot!

February 2025

This is the way that PowerPoint and other presentation software should be used. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. (Photo: Envato)

I recently put together a concept for an application. That was fun to make! I created a short video describing it and a website that went into greater depth. That was an interesting challenge that I happily mastered. Then it struck me… Since I was pitching it at a company, I'd also need a PowerPoint presentation. My heart sank.

I got to work, and it took me longer to put together a half-dozen slides than to produce the six-minute video. Every word, every bullet point, every visual felt like it had to be scrutinized, formatted, and optimized - not to enhance my message, but to fit into the rigid expectation of "a deck."

And then I started to think about the reason for this.

Microsoft PowerPoint is not a bad tool. In fact, it's quite effective at what it was designed to do: serve as a visual aid for presenters. A well-structured PowerPoint deck can enhance a presentation, making key points more digestible and supporting the speaker's message with visuals and animations.

But in large companies, PowerPoint has evolved into something else entirely. I dislike this. A lot! With a passion!!!

This could be me describing PowerPoint.
(Scene from the movie 'Clue')

It has become more than just a tool for presentations; it has become the presentation itself. And that, in my opinion, is a problem. And I don't only mean PowerPoint, I also mean other common presentation software like Apple Keynote, LibreOffice Impress, and Google Slides.

PowerPoint's Original Purpose

PowerPoint was meant to complement a presenter, not replace them. A speaker stands in front of an audience, engaging them with their voice, gestures, and insights. The slides are there to support the speaker's delivery, not to be the centerpiece. They provide structure, highlight key messages, and reinforce important points, but they are not the message itself.

At its best, a PowerPoint deck helps a speaker communicate complex ideas clearly and memorably. But after the presentation is over, something unfortunate happens in corporate environments.

Where data goes to die... slide decks. (Image: Dall-E)

The Afterlife of PowerPoint: When Slides Become the Only Artefact

In large companies, PowerPoint decks don't just support presentations - they outlive them. Once a meeting is over, the slides are uploaded, stored, and shared. They are passed around as if they contain the full essence of what was discussed. But they don't.

The real value of a presentation is in the presenter - their voice, their emphasis, their ability to connect ideas and respond to questions. When a PowerPoint deck is separated from its presenter, it loses its meaning. The slides were never meant to stand alone, yet in corporate settings, they often do.

This creates the following problems:

1. Loss of Context: A slide deck, no matter how well designed, cannot capture the nuance, tone, or emphasis that a presenter brings. Without the speaker, slides can be misinterpreted or misunderstood.
2. Uncontrolled Consumption: The original presenter has no way of knowing how their slides are viewed. Are they skimmed in a file preview without ever being opened in presentation mode? Are key slides skipped? Is the flow of information followed as intended? There is no guarantee that the message will be received as originally designed.
3. PowerPoint Becomes the End, Not the Means: Instead of being a tool to enhance communication, PowerPoint becomes the communication itself. Executives demand "a deck" rather than a well-articulated argument. Ideas are condensed into bullet points rather than explored in depth. The quality of thinking is judged by the polish of the slides rather than the strength of the message.

A Better Way Forward

PowerPoint is not the enemy here - it's how companies use it that's the problem. The solution isn't to get rid of PowerPoint but to return to using it properly: as a supporting tool, not the final product.

If a presentation is important enough to be shared, it should include more than just slides. It could be accompanied by a written summary, a transcript, or ideally a recording of the actual presentation. That way, the full message is preserved, including the presenter's voice, delivery, and emphasis.

PowerPoint was never meant to be a document format. It was never meant to replace conversation, dialogue, and discussion. Yet in large companies, it often does. That's why I dislike it - not for what it is, but for what it has become.

George Costanza says it like it is. (Scene from 'Seinfeld')