Storytelling through Powerpoint

Powerpoint has gotten a bad rap. Powerpoint gave the power to design to the people. Yes, we the people have abused that power, a bit—100’s of slides in 12 point font each filled with competing images and points to be made. With a bit of self-control, powerpoint can be a dynamic and powerful storytelling tool.

A great story begins by drawing the audience in. It takes the learner on a journey–writers call it a “story arc”. And, it ends with a big finish, a moral, a point to be made.  Think about Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth–it all began with a story being told through powerpoint.

One of the absolute best books I have discovered on powerpoint design is Nancy Duarte’s slide:ology. Here is an archived webinar discovered on vizthink.com, in which Nancy shares tips on how to apply design principles to powerpoint:

http://www.vizthink.com/blog/2008/06/18/webinar-creating-powerful-presentations-with-nancy-duarte/