I have little love for PowerPoint. This may be the result of having spent far too much of my life playing with slide transitions and custom animations, but really at the core of it, I have a problem with bad communication. Unfortunately, PowerPoint often creates more communication problems than it solves. In short, very little information can fit on a given slide and still be readable, and then, to make matters worse, people read their truncated outlines aloud rather than actually engaging their audience. Visual Communication guru Edward Tufte has a lovely little essay about the ills and evils of PowerPoint and also does an exploration of the mis-use of PowerPoint by NASA as a Technical Data delivery tool in regards to the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

Now most people aren't using PowerPoint in life and death situations, but I do question faith communities excitement to make sure they have PowerPoint in the worship areas. As a communication tool, PowerPoint is not a silver bullet, nor does moving text make for a more memorable sermon; it can just as often be a distraction.

That said, I recenly came across some sites Presentation Zen and Signals vs. Noise that have some great ideas for how to use PowerPoint well (hint: use really big text). In particular Lawrence Lessig's presentation on Free Culture is a brilliant use of the technology and also eloquently highlights the major social problems are current copyright laws are creating.