For a while now, my LinkedIn bio begins: “I am a recovering educator, journalist, author, and PowerPoint user.”
It’s true. A few years ago, I vowed to never use PowerPoint or any similar slide presentation for my presentations and lectures. This was partly due to an honest self-assessment: I was objectively bad at creating anyone. No matter how hard I tried not to, I violated every rule in avoiding death by PowerPoint manual. My slides were text-heavy and visually unappealing, driven by equal parts insecurity and the self-aggrandizing fear that I might leave out something “important.”
In addition to these personal failures, I realized that I didn’t like the vast majority of the slide presentations I had to watch. Even the rare and good ones I’ve seen still suffer from almost constant technical difficulties. (I estimate the failure rate for a slide presentation presented in a new location to be over 90 percent.) We’ve all seen a frustrated presenter click in vain on a screen frozen on a slide, or show up at a conference only to discover that they didn’t have access to the projector, even though the organizer said they would.
Finally, my feeling is that slideshows may encourage participants to be less active and engaged while they simply wait for the link to the slideshow or take pictures of the slides. This probably hurts learning, since research shows that When students take notes, they learn more than when they photograph or review slides..
For all these reasons, I stopped using PowerPoint and other slide presentations. These are the techniques I use in my classes as alternatives to slide presentations. I find these methods not only more effective and attractive, but I also find them easier to implement. They also encourage greater discussion and allow for greater spontaneity than traditional slide presentations.
1. Slideshow Alternatives – Handouts
It’s basic. It’s low tech. But it works!
While printing for large groups is impractical and wasteful of paper, when presenting workshops for a small number of participants, I find that providing a packet that outlines the highlights and key parts of my presentation can be a great strategy. If I can actually access the room’s projector, as the organizers told me, I will show the presentation on the screen. If not, it’s not a big deal.
An added bonus is that the booklet gives participants something tactile to hold on to and use to take notes. I also found old brochures from presentations I attended a long time ago that can be a good reminder of a positive educational experience.
2. QR Codes
QR codes, the digital successor to the printed brochure, allow me to quickly create a brochure in Google Docs, then generate a code for it and share it with students or conference participants. I end up looking like a tech genius, but this is easier than connecting to the WiFi at Starbucks!
Using QR codes has most of the same advantages as a printed brochure, except it saves paper and requires less pre-planning on my part. I generate the QR code using the Google Chrome QR code generator, which is built into Chrome, but there are many free QR code generators available.
Once the code is generated, if I can actually access the projector in the room (as the organizers promised!), I will be able to share it on the screen. If not, as you may be starting to suspect has happened to me more than once, I can share it from my phone, my laptop, or, if I really want to get fancy, from a printed brochure.
3. Surveys and questionnaires
Generating a quick survey on the topic you’re talking about can be an interesting way for students or workshop participants to learn from each other. It also helps you determine where your audience is coming from and actively engages them in the discussion. Short questionnaires offer similar benefits and, in addition, pretests and quizzes It has been shown to help participants learn more.
In my case, when I teach students in an introductory journalism course, I might start with a quick quiz on journalism slang terms like the inverted pyramid, the nut chart, and the plumb line. Students won’t know what they mean and many will do poorly on the pretest, but it doesn’t count toward their grade, and research shows that taking the test will help them focus when you explain the terms.
I also surveyed students on topics such as their opinions on bias in the media and whether objective reporting is possible. The digital survey makes them think about these issues and helps drive the debate.
4. Objects, gifts and fun things that people can touch in real life
Whether you’re presenting to young students or experienced colleagues, we all like to play. Providing participants with something they can hold in their hand can enhance learning and liven up the presentation. It could be a science or history related object that you hand out, fun and not too expensive gifts, or some type of arts and crafts related to the topic at hand.
A professor friend of mine has his journalism students explore real physical newspapers as a class activity, and since many of them are digital natives, it can be a novel experience for them. I once gave a workshop on food writing and the highlight wasn’t the slideshow that took me eight hours to prepare on a Sunday I should have spent outside. Instead, it was pastries from a local bakery that I bought on the way to the workshop on a whim. I asked participants to taste the cakes and then write about their flavors. They began writing as experienced food critics. Each bite was worth a thousand slides!
