Dear Bob ...I'm responding to your December 11th Keep the Joint Running ("Presenting smarter"). Very little irritates me more than the misuse of PowerPoint presentations. Many less than persuasive people take your point about each slide telling a story too literally, and write a novel on each slide. Presentation software is a speaking tool. It doesn't tell the story for you, it only helps. The burden still falls Dear Bob …I’m responding to your December 11th Keep the Joint Running (“Presenting smarter”). Very little irritates me more than the misuse of PowerPoint presentations. Many less than persuasive people take your point about each slide telling a story too literally, and write a novel on each slide. Presentation software is a speaking tool. It doesn’t tell the story for you, it only helps. The burden still falls on your spoken words.I find that the human mind reacts best to graphics and spoken words. The written word is best used for documentation. I find that presentation software works best for me to show a graphic representation (graph, chart, picture, diagram) of my point that I speak to. Having the occasional bullet point slide is useful, to keep focused on the agenda or to summarize. I’m sure that this topic could start some real religious wars, not unlike EMACS vs VI, Linux vs Windows, Shiite vs Sunni, Catholic vs Protestant … well you get the point.– Crabby from bad PowerPointDear Crabby … You aren’t the only one (and for more on the topic, see this week’s KJR, (“Is PowerPoint intrinsically evil?”, 1/1/2007). Your point is the crux of the biscuit, isn’t it? My opinion, for whatever it’s worth: Presentation software isn’t restricted to supporting presentations. Often, the presentation also has to stand by itself when there’s no presenter to go with it.No argument, there are those who wonder why you should use a picture when a thousand words will do. They create text-filled slides, which are usually a waste of everyone’s time. Except, that is, in the case of a presentation that has to stand by itself with no presenter to go with it. Then there are situations where a multi-paragraph slide is the best solution. – Bob Technology Industry