“We Have Met the Enemy and He Is PowerPoint”

"When we understand that slide, we'll have won the war." -General Stanley McChrystal

A recent New York Times article outlines the problems with the armed forces' reliance on PowerPoint: The complexity and interconnectedness of the war cannot be adequately presented with slides. Either you overwhelm your audience with visual complexity or reduce the problem to bullets. Either way, the details – the meaning – are lost on the audience.

The solution to this dilemma seems relatively straightforward. PowerPoint is best understood and best used as a visual aid. The slides should be reserved for pictures, maps, graphs, charts, and diagrams. That way, the complexity can be addressed in the oral part of the presentation. If a hard copy of the material is needed, it should be written up as a memo or report in Word.

Sorry, Defense Secretary Gates, it's the only way.