PowerPoint inhibits learning

 They can have sound, pictures and an unlimited amount of words and facts. And with a few short clicks, they swirl, jump, fade in and out and they can fly, they can fly, they can fly. They sound cool, right? Wrong.

PowerPoints. I loathe them. They are the dream of every lazy lecturer and the bane of my existence. I don't need a slide show to dazzle me into caring about the material. I am not impressed by the extensive number of fonts, colors and animations. The simpler, the better, folks. What happened to the days of teaching using chalk and innovative narratives to catch my attention? Now I just struggle to keep my eyes open while copiously taking notes, or should I say copying, from the PowerPoint.

I am not alone in my hatred for this specific Microsoft Office program. Col. Sellin of NATO's International Security Assistance Force was fired after he bad-mouthed officers who apparently gave more attention to slide shows and bullet points in PowerPoint than actual bullets, according to an Oct. 15 article on CNN.com. Sellin's complaint, however, was just one in a series of many grievances with PowerPoint use - or overuse - in the military.

There are some good ways to use PowerPoint. The problem is that most people don't know how. There is nothing worse than sitting through a lecture where the presenter or professor reads directly from the slide. I can read on my own, thank you. I have been doing so since I was six.

I have a few great professors - some who use PowerPoint and some who do not. The thing that separates the good PowerPoint users from the bad is their ability to teach outside of the words typed on the slide. Good lecturers use a slide show to enhance their already superb presentation. They will use the slides to list the talking points of their lecture and refer to it for specific dates and tedious facts. They will not use it, however, to list every detail of every battle and every general in World War II. When that happens, my eyes have no choice but to close, no matter how interesting the material may be.

Not only does a grueling PowerPoint put me to sleep, but it also hinders my learning. I try, don't get me wrong, but learning is not fun or effective when I'm just listening to someone read at me. The best types of learning are when the professors connect with the students. They share anecdotes that explain the material and help relate it to something easily comprehendible. A good lecturer is what makes the class fun, not a colorful PowerPoint with an extensive number of different fonts.

Presentations are important outside the classroom as well - they decide elections, close business deals and, when done well, even provide entertainment. If a presentation goes wrong though, it can be disastrous. A poor presentation can leave little or no impact on its audience and thus be easily forgotten. This might not be a big deal on a small scale, but think of an important military presentation. If a message is not properly conveyed, the safety and security of many could be at risk. Whereas, if the presenter focuses more on connecting with the audience in order to leave a lasting impression and a clear message instead of using confusing facts and a lifeless communication style, a disaster could be averted.

So here is some advice for all future presenters: When using PowerPoint, do not ever use animation (it is more distracting than cool), stick to basic colors and fonts (a PowerPoint presentation should never be considered art), limit the number of words per slide and never read directly from the screen. Now, for all the progressives out there, I encourage you to close your computer and try giving a presentation without PowerPoint. It may sound scary, but when done well, a good oral presentation can leave a lasting impact on the audience and maybe even keep them awake the entire time.

Molly Skyles is a junior communication major from St. Louis, Mo.