IEC Journal

Training Tip 20: Computer Slide Shows: Boon or Bane?

“Slideware may help speakers outline their talks, but convenience for the speaker can be punishing to both content and audience.”

Edward Tufte, The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint

Computer generated slide shows like Microsoft PowerPoint have gotten a bad rap in some circles. For example:

• The quotation above from respected Yale professor Edward Tufte is one of the milder criticisms in his pamphlet-sized anti-slideshow rant.
• Peter Norvig’s Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation is an hilarious demonstration of how slideware would have destroyed Lincoln’s famous speech. Norvig posits the question an imaginary listener would ask: "Doesn't he realize this presentation is a waste of time? Why doesn't he just tell us what matters and get it over with?"
• Former OGE Director Bob Cusick began a speech at one OGE conference with the comment “I don’t have a slide show.” The audience cheered.
• Some U.S. Army Generals have banned the use of PowerPoint from military briefings.
• A Swiss political party has even undertaken to have slide shows banned altogether.

Are the criticisms justified? To some extent, yes. Too many users of slide shows don’t understand what they are doing or don’t put in enough effort, or both. A high percentage of slide shows are painful for audiences.

However, the story is not that simple. Contrary to the views of the anti-slideshow camp, slide shows don’t cause people to be bad presenters. Slide shows are merely a tool used by many speakers, both good and bad.

An excellent speaker without a slide show will be better than a poor speaker without a slide show. However, a good slide show will probably make an excellent speaker even better. And it can sometimes make an average to poor speaker noticeably more effective.

Slide shows make sense for trainers who understand how to use them and are willing to invest the time to produce a decent product. Understanding how to create and use slide shows is a powerful tool in the trainer’s arsenal. We’ll be devoting our next Training Tips columns to exploring the right way to use PowerPoint and similar software, and we hope you enjoy the ride. 

 

Provide your suggestions and examples in the Comments section below. Biographical information about our Training Tips columnist is available.

Training With an iPad?

Love your iPad? Ever thought about using it for training?

A Law Technology News article explains how one law firm used an iPad in a high profile personal injury case. Of course, the same persuasive educational techniques will work just as well with an ethics training audience:

In view of our focus, and the challenges the case presented, we decided to take an entirely different approach — and turn to an Apple iPad for our trial evidence presentation. We would still use a couple of documents blown-up on foam boards, for effect — but we didn't use TrialDirector or bring in an independent IT professional. Everything was managed directly from counsel table with minimal hardware and technology.

A related podcast is available.

Podcasts as Educational Tools

Following up on Jerry Lawson's September 1 Training Tips column, "Mobile Learning," here are two related podcasts explaining how to be a skilled consumer of this new source of information:

• A Podcast Listener's Guide
• Listening to Learn-Legal Podcasts as Educational Tools

 

Training Tip 15: Mobile Learning Options

Fueled by the widespread adoption of smartphones, iPods and similar devices, Mobile Learning, aka MLearning, has become a major educational trend. Such training is frequently delivered in the form of "MP3" files, delivered through a mechanism knownn as "podcasts." While Apple iPods are wonderful devices and seem ubiquitous, it's important to note that nearly any smartphone (iPhone, Droid, etc.) or personal computer can also play podcasts with the help of earphones or speakers. The USA.gov web site has a section explaining podcasts. 

Many organizations are taking advantage of this new training vehicle. For example, the Legal Talk Network distributes podcasts of interest to lawyers, and legal technology guru Dennis Kennedy has an article about the value of listening to podcasts. Previous IEC Journal posts have provided examples of the successful use of MP3 files or podcasts by other respected organizations:

• American Bar Association
• FBI
• Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
• Government Accountability Office
• Project for Government Oversight (POGO) 

The latest POGO example is a lecture by the Office of Special Counsel's (OSC) Adam Miles, who reviews OSC's interaction with federal whistleblowers. This training was originally part of a series POGO provides to educate congressional staffers. Other podcasts from the same series are available.

The Office of Government Ethics has also at least put its toe into the water, having prepared a podcast of "the Senate-confirmed nominations process and video clips that provide scenarios for discussion during training sessions on ethics restrictions on seeking employment."

We see the biggest value of podcasts as a low-cost, low-hassle supplement to the rest of your ethics program, including a way of reaching certain "high value targets" like senior managers, many of whom are into multi-tasking. With so many prestigious organizations using them successfully for other training, this appears to be an area with enormous untapped potential for ethics trainers.

In a future column, we will share nuts and bolts information on creating podcasts to make it easier for those inclined to explore this exciting new training option. In the meantime, we encourage any federal ethics trainers already using it to share with the IEC Journal any products we can distribute to other agencies.

Provide your suggestions and examples in the Comments section below. Biographical information about our Training Tips columnist is available.