Book Review of:
Effective Executive's Guide
to Powerpoint 2002 

First graders now make Powerpoint slides for show-and-tell. When I was in the army I used to joke that the biggest decision most of the brigade commanders got to make was whether to use Arial or Times New Roman typeface. Business presentations aren’t taken seriously unless someone hauls out a laptop, projector and 250 color-coordinated slides complete with animation and sound effects. You see the slides, the presenter probably reads the slides to you and you walk away with a printed copy of them. 

On a more sinister note, Powerpoint subtly (and not so subtly) shapes the way decisions are made. Presentations and proposals are constricted to ideas that can be conveyed in bullet points. Auto Content Wizards suggest formats for such common presentations as “recommending a strategy” and “communicating bad news.” 

For example, the wizard for “selling an idea” suggests this format for the third slide: 

• Opening: Give Evidence...
• Relate an incident that clearly illustrates your main point.
• Keep an incident focused.
• Edit for clarity and relevance.

It’s fast food decision making: standardized, idiot-proof and boring. I use it all the time.

This book won’t to make you a Powerpoint expert. That’s not its intent. Instead, it will teach you the key points in logical sequence so that you can put together a credible presentation with minimal fuss. 

There are seven steps to learning Powerpoint:

• Learn the logic
• Outline your content
• Add objects
• Design your look
• Add special effects
• Prepare your presentation
• Deliver your presentation

Every technical procedure is illustrated with a screen capture. The language is clear and unambiguous. I can picture having my boss poke his head into my cubicle 4:30, telling me to have a career-making slide show ready 9 the next morning, burning the midnight oil with this book and knocking their socks off.

The book addresses the whole presentation experience, not just Powerpoint. It gives tips on public speaking starting with, “greet your audience by smiling,” and gives solid advice on activities such as setting up your speaker’s notes.

There are three appendices and a glossary. Appendix A goes into a little more depth about Microsoft Chart. Appendix B does the same for WordArt. There is advice about customizing Powerpoint in Appendix C.

Effective Executive’s Guide to Powerpoint 2002, By Stephen L. Nelson and Michael Buschmohle, Redmond Technology Press, 2001, $24.95. If you can’t find this book locally, Redmond Technology has a Web site, or you can reach them at 8581 N. 154th Ave. NE, Redmond, WA 98052. It’s available for purchase on Amazon.Com.

I’m not the kind of person who reads manuals, but I found this format engaging. Since it includes advice on making presentations and well as the technology for creating them, you can read cover-to-cover without getting bored. I also find that I learn a program more deeply if I understand the logical and philosophical underpinnings; this puts Powerpoint into a larger context, which makes the information stick. 

There are fatter books available for those who want to explore every nook and cranny of this program. There are thinner books for those seeking a quick reference guide. This is a perfect midway point for the focused, busy person with a deadline hanging over his or her head who needs to assemble a presntation quickly.