MORE BULLET POINTS BALLYHOO

In response to “Beyond Bullet Points,” a Q&A with author Cliff Atkinson that ran in this newsletter on March 9, 2006 (visit www.vnulearning.com to view the archived issue), reader Dale Werth (dawerth@earthlink.net) says, “There are some very real myths, oversights, and gross distractions still perpetuated in most training circles regarding this tool. These have to do not just with ‘bullet points,’ but with PowerPoint in general.”

His thoughts?
PowerPoint is always a tool, not an end to itself. "This should be the true mantra of every ISD proponent and instructional designer alive. The more obsessed you are with color schemes, fonts, customized templates, bullet lists, dancing pigs, and audios of yourself looking cute in conjunction with the matter being discussed, the less likely will be your practical use of PowerPoint or any other electronic visual learning tool as a means to an ends -- but rather the other way round. Taking your eye off the learner in this way is, in my mind, unforgivable. E-tools have their place, but when they become the altar to which we sacrifice all time, budget and creativity, we are all in serious trouble."

Bullet points, schmullet points. "They, like anything else in PowerPoint, are only overdone when you ignore rule no. 1. Bullet points, like many other aspects of PowerPoint, are not in themselves evil, but become so when presenters or trainers become so dependent/obsessed/addicted to them that they start finding themselves 'bullet-pointing' their personal letters, their family e-mails, and so forth. Indeed, I knew an instructor who pled guilty to this very professional liability. (I offered to take her to PowerPoints Anonymous -- but, well, I digress ... .) Truth is, I spend much of my time teaching/mentoring novice trainers in getting used to (gasp!) turning PowerPoint off during key parts of their presentations so that their audience can actually have a chance to think out loud and share in and actually shape the discourse. Show me a trainer who knows how to do this, and you will not have the feared 'bullet-point coma' syndrome to which Atkinson referred."

More bullet points ballyhoo. "I am a great proponent of fewer lists and more open-ended core learning item sheets (sometimes referred to as golden-nugget pages) that invite the audience to truly fill in new, unanticipated or previously unknown items -- and therefore truly engage learners and expect them to actively seek new knowledge and professional discourse, as well as incorporate their real-world knowledge with what has been pre-assumed to be reality. Using only pre-fabricated lists (i.e., 'Here is the gospel according to ME.') is a sure way to make your audience feel/ act like helpless zombies -- even when they really aren’t."

The real kicker. "I once had a well-intentioned, but obviously misguided, young designer who sought to introduce three minutes of audio/visual film into a PowerPoint for a customized training presentation. She eagerly showed me this part of the presentation, and all the while I sat there in confused incredulity. At the end of her demonstration of this creative insert, I asked her, 'And do you really think your professional audience wants to sit for these three minutes of your feature film when they could have gotten the same point in less than five seconds with a quick side graphic, after which you would have moved on to the next meaty slide?' She looked at me as if I had pricked a bubble from her PowerPoint bubble pipe. (Oh, what a villain I can be!) What’s my point here? Because PowerPoint allows you to do entertaining things, that doesn’t mean you actually should."

"Truth be told, my audience experiences over the years have taught me that all audiences will truly learn when they are realistically and practically engaged at all levels -- not just during the first or the last five minutes of a learning experience, but during the entire session. Whether we’re using PowerPoint, e-learning or any other electronic tools at our disposal, the fact is that we are all overusing them. Active learning, coupled with actual practice and engagement, equals a better chance for true learner ownership and, ultimately, opportunity to practice/ perform/realize outcomes. Once a learner owns the content and fully grasps the positive behavior outcomes that such learning attempts to engender, the world becomes a much better place for us all."
"One of the best PowerPoint commandments I have heard over the years, and which I have seen in print in this newsletter and others regarding such electronic tools, goes something like this: 'Function first. Aesthetics second. Entertainment third.' Clearly and simply communicate your message –- and, I might humbly add, equally make it a true dialogue of learning. Then, make it functionally clean, attractive, and ultimately audience-interactive within the timeframe available. Only then (if at all), consider adding touches of cleverness and entertainment. Edutainment is definitely neither. Go Hollywood at your own risk -- and definitely to your learners’ disadvantage." Werth is a senior consultant with "20 years of experience in training and development, organization building and redefinition, and advanced project/program management." He is based in Springfield, Va.

Source: learning Inside - VNU