Should I use PowerPoint in my presentation? That's a question I get all the time. Quite often the follow up to that is, I don't like it everyone that I know hates it. So I probably shouldn't use it right? Or I don't need PowerPoint. Therefore, I shouldn't use it right?

A lot of assumptions and all of those things, let me unpack it. First of all, the only reason to use PowerPoint is there's some image that you can show your audience on a screen that will make your idea more understandable to them and more memorable to them. If you have images, you can show your audience that accomplishes those two things, then you should use PowerPoint has nothing to do with whether you need it. A good speaker never needs PowerPoint. The PowerPoint is not for the speaker, the PowerPoint is for the audience. So those are the questions you need to ask.

Do I have a minute That will make my presentation come alive. My ideas more understandable, interesting and memorable to the audience if I do use it, if not, don't use PowerPoint. It is that simple.