Interviews by Cliff Atkinson
What do the world's leading thinkers have to say about PowerPoint and other presentation media? Take a look below for a diverse set of viewpoints from leaders in the fields of media, marketing, design, usability, educational psychology, intellectual property, rhetoric, political science, venture capital, journalism, business communications and organizational consulting.

Shocked by Complexity : Q&A with Don Dansereau, Ph.D.
Have you ever been so confused by the complexity of a map, chart or diagram, that you didn't know where to begin to make sense of it? If so, you may be a victim of visual or map "shock", according to Donald F. Dansereau, Ph.D., of Texas Christian University. Don is Professor of Psychology and Senior Research Scientist in the Institute of Behavioral Research at TCU, and teaches graduate statistics and cognitive psychology.

The Science of Face-to-Face Communication: Q&A with Virginie van Wassenhove, Ph.D.
The next time you open PowerPoint, you may play a part in deciding the outcome of a major culture clash. According to Dale Cyphert, Ph.D., of the University of Northern Iowa, the Western model of formal speaking has long been at odds with other ways of communicating. And now that we're moving from oratory to MTV, we just may be witnessing something entirely new.

The Narrative Will Never Die: Q&A with Mario Garcia
Trained as a journalist, Mario Garcia has devoted more than 30 years to redesigning publications, and has personally collaborated with over 450 news organizations, including The Wall Street Journal and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Mario founded the Graphics & Design program at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, and teaches writing, editing and design as basic principles for effective communication of ideas. What does the field of journalism have to offer the field of PowerPoint presentations? According to Mario, at least the idea that a story is a story.

A Clash of Rhetorical Cultures: Q&A with Dale Cyphert, Ph.D.
The next time you open PowerPoint, you may play a part in deciding the outcome of a major culture clash. According to Dale Cyphert, Ph.D., of the University of Northern Iowa, the Western model of formal speaking has long been at odds with other ways of communicating. And now that we're moving from oratory to MTV, we just may be witnessing something entirely new.

A Haiku Kind of Guy : Q&A with Guy Kawasaki
Where entrepreneurship, evangelism and presentations come together, you'll find none other than a guy named Guy. A legendary figure in Silicon Valley, Guy Kawasaki is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm and a columnist for Forbes.com. Previously, he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc. where he was one of the individuals responsible for the success of the Macintosh computer. Guy is the author of eight books including his newest The Art of the Start, and as a professional presenter, has some sage advice for those studying the art of presentation.

Understanding PowerPoint: Q&A with Scott McCloud
Few people can paint as clear a picture of visual communications as Scott McCloud, whose classic book Understanding Comics maps out a systematic understanding of media theory in a comic-book form. His thinking has influenced many fields beyond his own profession of comics -- the book and its sequel Reinventing Comics are included on the must-read lists of people who teach information and web design, media studies, writing, sociology and philosophy. What vision does Scott see as the function and future of PowerPoint as a form of media?

The Bottom Line of Experience Design: Q&A with Nathan Shedroff
The word design means many things, but to people who design for a living, their profession normally breaks down into specific categories like graphic design, industrial design, and information design. Nathan Shedroff is one of the pioneers in experience design, an approach that encompasses multiple senses, usually in a physical environment. As author of the book Experience Design and president of the Board of Directors for the AIGA Center for Brand Experience, Nathan has important insights for those who design experiences with PowerPoint.

A Story That Hunts: Q&A with John Seely Brown, Ph.D. former chief scientist, Xerox
As former chief scientist of Xerox Corporation, and director of Xerox Palo Alto Research Center for 12 years, John Seely Brown, Ph.D., is one of the world's most innovative thinkers at the interesting intersection where technology and people meet. Now a visiting scholar at the Annenberg Center at USC, his personal research interests include digital culture and rich media, ubiquitous computing, web service architectures and organizational and individual learning. The co-author of The Social Life of Information and the author of countless articles and papers, John brings an impressive background to bear on the critique of a social technology called PowerPoint.

The Science of Making Your PowerPoint Memorable: Q&A with Nelson Cowan, Ph.D., researcher and memory expert, University of Missouri
How can you make your PowerPoint presentation more memorable? Align it with the way the mind forms memories, according to Nelson Cowan, Ph.D., who works in the working-memory laboratory of the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri. An expert in the field of short-term memory, Nelson is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, associate editor of the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, and author of Attention and Memory: An Integrated Framework. Although Nelson's research deals with basic aspects of human information processing rather than with bulleted lists in PowerPoint, he suggests relevant points that should be considered in any presentation.

PowerPoint and Organizational Storytelling: Q&A with Steve Denning, author
As program director of knowledge management at the World Bank from 1996 to 2000, Steve Denning learned a few things about organizational knowledge sharing. In his acclaimed book, The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations, he describes how storytelling can serve as a powerful tool for organizational change and knowledge management. As a leading authority in the role of storytelling in organizations, Steve says that PowerPoint can sometimes stand in the way of telling a story, and other times it can advance it.

My Message is My Brand, Not My Logo: Q&A with Jason Fried, principal, 37signals
When it comes to presenting information on the web, 37signals is a beacon of simplicity and clarity. This sought-after team of design and usability experts unblocks obstacles in the way of effective web experiences, increasing profitability for their clients. What would happen if simplicity and clarity were to illuminate PowerPoint and Keynote presentations? Things would definitely look different, according to Jason Fried, 37signals principal, co-author of Defensive Design for the Web and creator of Basecamp, a web-based project management tool.

Really Bad PowerPoint, Revisited: Q&A with Seth Godin, bestselling author
Seth Godin is the author of five books that have been bestsellers around the world and changed the way people think about marketing, change and work. He was recently chosen as one of "21 Speakers for the Next Century” by Successful Meetings and is consistently rated among the very best speakers by the audiences he addresses. As you can expect, Seth has a few things to say about PowerPoint, especially since his 2001 e-book Really Bad PowerPoint (and How to Avoid It), was an Amazon bestseller.

The Cognitive Load of PowerPoint: Q&A with Richard E. Mayer, Ph.D., researcher, University of California, Santa Barbara
Many people have opinions about PowerPoint, but few can speak on the topic with the authority of Richard E. Mayer, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Named the most prolific researcher in the field of educational psychology, Rich is the author of 18 books and more than 250 articles and chapters. His 12 years of research in multimedia learning and problem solving have important implications for PowerPoint users.

PowerPoint Usability: Q&A with Don Norman, Ph.D., usability expert and author
What does one of the world's leading authorities on usability say about PowerPoint? As cofounder of the Neilsen Norman Group and author of the classic The Design of Everyday Things, Don Norman is a strong advocate of user-centered design and simplicity. Surprisingly, Norman disagrees with PowerPoint's most vocal critic, information design guru Edward Tufte.

Say It (or Don't) with PowerPoint: Q&A with Gene Zelazny, communications expert
As author of the classic, Say It With Charts, and its sequel, Say It With Presentations, Gene Zelazny can easily be called the godfather of visual business communications. Based on his experience as director of visual communications for a major consulting firm since 1961, and as a presenter at all of the major business schools around the world, Gene speaks with authority when it comes to the way organizations and individuals use PowerPoint.

Secrets of a PowerPoint Virtuoso: Q&A with Larry Lessig, intellectual property expert and Stanford Professor of Law
As a Stanford Professor of Law, Lawrence Lessig is not only one of the country's most influential thinkers in intellectual property and constitutional law, but he has also been described as a "PowerPoint virtuoso" by people who have seen his presentations. What would it take to earn the title of 'virtuoso'? How does Larry's approach differ from most, and what can we learn from him?

The Visual Language of PowerPoint: Q&A with Robert Horn, political scientist
Are we at the verge of the creation of a new global verbal-visual language? In 1998 political scientist and Stanford scholar Robert Horn released Visual Language: Global Communication for the 21st Century, a 'must-read' for anyone who communicates with words and images, and an important roadmap for any serious PowerPoint practitioner.

A Clearer XPLANATiON: Q&A with Dave Gray, visual journalist and chairman of xPlane
Many people dream of a day when words and pictures will come together to make complicated ideas easier to understand. Dave Gray has been turning that dream into reality since 1993 when he founded xPlane, the 'visual thinking company'. xPlane has since illustrated the most important strategic ideas of big and small companies, and has advanced the field of informational graphics with its ongoing work at Business 2.0 magazine and other publications. Besides being chairman of xPlane, Dave is an award-winning visual journalist and author of Selling to the VP of NO: Secrets of the Selling Stars, a visual learning book.

Toward a More Collaborative PowerPoint: Q&A with Michael Schrage, writer and consultant, MIT Media Lab Fellow
Michael Schrage writes and consults about the design and diffusion of digital innovation and their effects on business relationships. One innovation called PowerPoint has had a big effect on business, and according to Michael, a core problem with it is the fact that it is a presentation tool in the first place, instead of a collaboration tool. Michael is a contributing editor to WIRED, Marketing Computer and ID magazines, and has written for Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, Red Herring, Institutional Investor, Science, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post. Michael is an MIT Media Lab Fellow and author of No More Teams and Serious Play.

A Crisis of (PowerPoint) Communication: Q&A with Paul Byron Pattak, consultant
Paul Byron Pattak has just about seen it all in 20 years as a consultant to governmental agencies, commissions and corporations including the National Security Council, the White House Military Office, the Department of Defense, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, IBM, Marathon Oil, and Bank One. The problems he sees with PowerPoint go deeper than the surface.

Cliff Atkinson is an acclaimed writer, popular keynote speaker, and a consultant to leading attorneys and Fortune 500 companies. He designed the presentations that helped persuade a jury to award a $253 million verdict to the plaintiff in the nation's first Vioxx trial in 2005, which Fortune magazine called "frighteningly powerful." Cliff’s book Beyond Bullet Points (Microsoft Press, 2005) is an Amazon.com bestseller that expands on a communications approach he has taught at many of the country's top corporations, advertising agencies, law firms, government agencies and business schools.

© 2004-2006 Cliff Atkinson