What is the best method to use when training using PowerPoint Presentations to keep the audience attention? Should I time each bullet?


Dbrittsme

Is this a lecture or something where people are supposed to actually learn something and use it?

You acknowledge that you cannot keep their attention... have you thought that maybe it's because you're presenting information and making people stare at powerpoint slides instead of getting them actively involved in what they're learning?

It has nothing to do with the timing of the bullets... it has to do with how long you wait to get people involved in what you're presenting.

How long will there continue to be questions about the weapon of mass instruction (PowerPoint)and learning?

Re-read what Laura wrote....if you want people to learn something then get them involved. If you are running a clinic for insomniacs then carry on with PowerPoint....you could be on a winner!

Most published work suggests 10 mins max of lectures or presentation before attention starts to wane.

when PowerPoint is the unavoidable tool - make sure the presentation is an example of good graphic design; that it looks professional. Your content should stand WITHOUT PowerPoint. PowerPoint is a tool and it's bells and whistles should not be used to overpower the message. Flashy backgrounds, fancy transitions and all the bells and whistles in the PowerPoint arsenal can easily be used for evil rather than good. Okay, that sounds flippant - but think about it for a moment. With all the glitz and glamour available through PowerPoint, when people are done with the session do you want them to remember the flashy background or the fancy transition? No, you don't. You want them to remember and use the content you presented. Think for a moment about commercials - if you think the commercial is really cool but can't remember the product it's selling, is it effective as a commercial? No. If I walk out of a training session and say, wow that was really cool, but can't remember a thing about the content, was it effective as training. No.

Having said that - you can use PowerPoint to help facilitate discussion, to help learners create their own job aids, or to set up activities. These are the best way to get adult learners to retain information.

Carefully consider whether PowerPoint is the ideal tool for disseminating your message and content. I fully recognize sometimes, it's the best way - but those times are very few and far between and usually, in my experience, involve geographic dispersement of your audience. Do not allow someone to tell you it's the only way. It takes more work on a trainers end to think beyond PowerPoint but the end results of retention are almost always worth the effort.

I use PowerPoint as a tool all of the time. It's a great way to run automatic slide shows before class that have fun, relevant quotes and cartoons. I also used it to create our own version of jeopardy (the linking capability makes it really easy to have a main game board and then link directly to each clue).

This is not about being anti-PowerPoint tbh, this is about changing the mind-set of a lot of people in our field who still fall back on presentation/lecture/demonstration as the sole means of "teaching" people.