Symptoms of PowerPoint toxicity include lethargy, stupor, confusion, amnesia, apathy, and impaired memory formation. As with many things, prevention is the best treatment for PowerPoint Toxicity. The following tips may seem like aesthetic changes, which some of them are, but the result of the changes is that you will communicate more effectively.
Stand in the light but embrace the darkness
While teaching keep the lights on, the students are there to learn from you, not from a PowerPoint. The PowerPoint is simply a means to organize and display content. When you keep the lights on not only do you make it easier for those who are hand writing notes to do so but you also make sure the audience can see you. That means you have to do something. Escape from the podium and point at things on the projected image, be passionate, be seen. Alternatively, you can use darkness to your advantage by building in a blank black slide in your presentation or using the “B” key in PowerPoint. This black screen brings the focus back to you, or a discussion being had, or allows for a moment of reflection and consideration.
Use a slide to trigger a reaction
If students are required to utilize whiteboards to answer questions, like the NAEMSE staff do during the IC1 class, use a specific slide background color or graphic in conjunction with the question to signal to the students that this is a white board question. You could use a different slide design in conjunction with software like PollAnywhere, that allows you to check for understanding quickly by having students text their answers to a specific number and results will be displayed on the screen in real time within your PowerPoint.
Choose your own patient encounter adventure
Say you have three case studies that each equally achieve your learning objective. Rather than just pick one yourself, why not put all three in your presentation and let the audience pick which one you discuss? The most simple method would be to create your slides for each case study and then make one slide which serves as the menu to access the case studies. On the menu slide you will have one button (shapes with actions applied) per case study. When clicked, have the button hyperlink to the first slide of the case study you want. If you want to get fancy, you could create a decision tree using buttons that allow students to select different interventions or questions to ask and upon selecting that question they are taken to another slide with the result of the intervention, the answer to the question, an EKG, etc. This can quickly take you down a rabbit hole but if used carefully can make for an engaging presentation.
As educators it is critical that we be aware of the symptoms of PowerPoint toxicity and take efforts to treat it. Often the effects are due to chronic exposure and it may take numerous treatments to reverse the long term effects.