Death by PowerPoint

While some might think of this phrase as the catch cry for overly long, complex, wordy and boring presentations, others may well know that our slide real estate is capable of a much more profound impact than we could ever have imagined. 

Consider this. After the Space Shuttle Columbia crash in January 2003 in which seven astronauts were killed, NASA made a startling statement in their inquiry report.  

“The Board views the endemic use of PowerPoint briefing slides instead of technical papers as an illustration of the problematic methods of technical communication at NASA.” 

 Columbia suffered a catastrophic explosion on re-entry to the earth's atmosphere because when it launched, a tile within the protective heatshield had broken off and struck another part of the wing. This information was known to NASA soon after the launch. When reviewing the integrity of the heat shield and the risks of bringing the shuttle back to earth, The Debris Assessment Team presented their findings in a formal briefing to the Mission Evaluation Room. This analysis relied on PowerPoint slides from Boeing.

During the crash investigation, information presentation expert Dr Edward Tufte of Yale University studied how the slides used by the Debris Assessment Team in their briefing to the Mission Evaluation Room had misrepresented key information. 

One slide contained critical information, test data and findings relating to the Shuttle's ability to withstand this type of incident. If properly communicated, this one slide could have changed the course of history.  

Dr Tufte identified four key issues in the Accident Investigation Report, all lurking in that one innocent slide: 

The heading not only missed the critical point of the slide, it was seen as misleading. If someone only read the heading, they could believe there was little cause for concern. And because of the sheer amount of information presented on the one slide, many would only read the heading.  

·       The language and layout meant that as the information flowed up within NASA, key explanations and essential information were filtered out as the emphasis failed to land on critical information.

·       The slide had six levels of information. However, the hierarchy wasn’t logical, and the most critical information did not come first.  

·       The most important information was actually the last point made on a slide that contained over 100 words.  

Had it been made clear that “one estimate of the debris that struck Columbia was 640 times larger than the data used to calibrate the model on which engineers based their damage assessments”, the decisions made from this point onwards might have resulted in a very different outcome for Columbia and the seven astronauts.  

The Columbia disaster was a tragedy that marked the beginning of the end of the Space Shuttle program and the world's only reusable spaceship. And one slide might, just might, have changed that.   

Fortunately for most of us, the consequences of a poor presentation aren’t nearly so grave. But if bad slides can contribute to an aviation disaster, imagine what they are doing to your chances of landing that strategic presentation… 

In coaching teams to build better presentations, I regularly see all of these issues and many more.  

So, here is my challenge to you. Find a recent presentation, one where you were looking to land critical information or sell a strategic idea. Decide which are the three most important slides – yes, just three. If you have more than three slides we really should talk because I already gave you two extras. Lastly, score each slide from 1 – 5: 

1.     How well do the headings convey the critical point of the slide? 

2.     How clear is your story if you just read the title headings? 

3.     How easy is finding the essential point on the slide, after the heading?  

4.     How well does the information on the slide flow logically from the header to the next slide? 

5.     What do you want someone to take away from this slide? How likely would they say the same if they were presenting this slide alone? 

This exercise will help simplify your presentations into a clear, powerful message that’s easier for your audience to understand, and more likely to improve your chances of success.    

If applying this structure to a presentation has the capacity to change the future, that’s one mission we should all be aboard. Avert future sales disasters, drop me an email and let’s give your ideas the clarity they deserve.