On PowerPoint and Kindred Souls

Sometimes a quote comes along that so reflects your thinking that you have to stop everything you’re doing and just enjoy the moment, knowing that somewhere out there is a kindred soul. I read such a quote today. My kindred soul? He apparently wears olive green and is known as the “Warrior Monk.” Cool.

Gen. James N. Mattis of the Marine Corps, is the commander of the U.S. Joint Forces Command located in Norfolk, Va. He was quoted in a recent New York Times article as stating the following gem: “PowerPoint makes us stupid.” 

I don’t know whether to salute, applaud or just cheer.

Think about this: Across the globe, people are subjected to thousands upon thousands of Powerpoint presentations daily. Leaders of all experiences stand in front of a group (actually, they usually stand to one side, out of sight) and rattle through slide after slide after slide of numbing ... what? Stuff? Information?

Yet here’s a man who’s accustomed to leading knows the difference between delivering information and actually leading. He’s not only charged with running an organization but with inspiring troops and, ultimately securing objectives. And he’s no fan of PowerPoint, the ubiquitous tool of every business professional and wanna-be.

Turns out there are a lot in the military who aren’t fans of PowerPoint.

“It’s dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control,” said Brig. Gen. H. R. McMaster said in a telephone interview afterward. “Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable.”

The article goes on to say that many commanders believe PowerPoint “stifles discussion, critical thinking and thoughtful decision-making.”

PowerPoint does have a place in the world of speechcraft. It’s great at delivering information and helps in creating understanding, the two most basic of communication goals. But it’s lousy at everything else like reinforcing values, changing attitudes or eliciting action. In other words, it’s lousy at doing things leaders are called on to do most, the areas where they can add the most value.

Edward R. Murrow, the legendary radio correspondent, once said that the fastest computer can only compound – at speed – the oldest of dilemmas between people. “In the end,” he said, “the communicator will be confronted with the old problem of what to say and how to say it.”

And PowerPoint just can’t help there.