Military Intellectual Blasts Endless PowerPoint Briefs

[edgar]

I love PPT, because I have done lesson plans and briefings with OHP, which sucked. As a Cpl, I used to love meetings. Imagine getting paid to sit on your arse with a coffee.  8)
As a Tp Cmd, I hated those "O Groups", that wasted my Tuesday nights. I had too many things to do.

 

[PPCLI Guy]

In a related topic, I completely despise "General Instructions" and 40 page Op Os that no one ever reads.  I have banned their use in my organisation - all that is permitted is a one page matrix order, followed by actual coordination.  The Op O for Athena R4 / Archer R0 was 4 pages, with annexes, and we issued a one pager for the move from Kabul to Kandahar.  The Synch Matrix was 40 feet long though...

 

[Journeyman]

...formatted for readability and utility, not staff duties.

I just sensed a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of RCR cried out ...  ;D

 

[daftandbarmy]

In defense of PPT, I have seen it used well in online learning forums, conference calls and other situations where all involved in a meeting can't be face to face. It helps guide discussion and provide a visual framework for problem solving and idea generation that would not otherwise be available as mentioned above.

It's also probably a good idea to develop in our leaders and trainers the capacity to employ facilitative approaches more appropriate to adult learning styles (andragogy), of which PPT is only one small part. For example, our military is first class at engaging learners through the use of experiential - hands on - learning techniques and other more sophisticated strategies to draw out knowledge and add to it through self-reflection. "OK, you will throw this grenade kind of like a baseball... try it with this rock first... have another try"... etc etc. I doubt that anyone has ever sat through a PPT presentation on how to throw a grenade, and they did just fine regardless. Many modern businesses and government organizations would kill to have this type of ingrained experiential learning culture.

Ironically, we tend to abandon these very effective adult learning approaches when we get into the 'Briefing room' mode. Some tend to ape what they think a modern business boardroom meeting looks and feels like, where the boss has all the answers and is the only one in the room who matters (this approach is changing too, big time, in the corporate world). Here we tend to slip in pedagogical styles, or rather, learning approaches more appropriate for children. The extensive use of PPT is probably more suited to this type of learning approach, where the trainer must assume that the audience knows very little about the topic.

I guess our challenge is to try to introduce techniques that work well on our training programs into the briefing room.

 

[Centurian1985]

I instruct a few courses. When the first AMFR was approved, it had over 377 slides to show. This was seven years ago. With the updates that have been approved, I have managed my power point to 80 slides for the 30 chapters that we must cover.

In my opinion, the presenter owns the presentation. Show the slide or not, you will have to know the information.

Excellent! Exactly, what I was refering to!

377 slides?!! That is lunacy...

 

[Centurian1985]

I had a US three-star teach me at RMC on Mil Int - his analogy was relevant here - the Int guys would give presentations on the weapons, doctrine, politics, card-game tactics etc of the enemy - but they never got around to telling the commander exactly who and how many were just waiting over the next hill....

Part of the problem also is that for a single presentation, up to twenty different units/departments/branches may be slated to speak, with each presenter having 3 to 10 slides. You get the idea... 

 

[daftandbarmy]

And another broadside from the "I Hate PowerPoint' camp:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html

PowerPoint Is Evil

Power Corrupts.
PowerPoint Corrupts Absolutely.

By Edward Tufte


Imagine a widely used and expensive prescription drug that promised to make us beautiful but didn't. Instead the drug had frequent, serious side effects: It induced stupidity, turned everyone into bores, wasted time, and degraded the quality and credibility of communication. These side effects would rightly lead to a worldwide product recall.

Yet slideware -computer programs for presentations -is everywhere: in corporate America, in government bureaucracies, even in our schools. Several hundred million copies of Microsoft PowerPoint are churning out trillions of slides each year. Slideware may help speakers outline their talks, but convenience for the speaker can be punishing to both content and audience. The standard PowerPoint presentation elevates format over content, betraying an attitude of commercialism that turns everything into a sales pitch.

 

[Journeyman]

It induced stupidity, turned everyone into bores, wasted time, and degraded the quality and credibility of communication.

So now you undersand why this site has Mods?

 

[TangoTwoBravo]

Powerpoint doesn't bore people.

People bore people.

 

[muffin]

Working here in the "education world" we are doing everythign we can to aviod death by power point. I was amused to learn that CFSTG and CFTDC (the TDO's) have an R&D cell dedicated to exploring new technologies for teaching online, electronically, hybrid and otherwise.

I have seen some of thier Distributed and Inclass courseware and the new stuff they are developping is quite snazzy!

If you do any distance ed you may want to check out the DLI (Distributred Learning Instructor's) course through CFSTG - it is an online course about 3 weeks I think 1/2 days - otherwise I think it is just a handy course to have taken if you instruct at all.

PPT has always been good for things like breifing notes etc - but not for all the content. I find if your entire presentation is on the slides people are spending too much time staring at the slides and not enough time listening to what you are trying to say.

 

[Navy_Blue]

I was getting to my last rope today on my equipment phase.  I'm on month 3 of a 6 month equipment phase.  Death by power point is an understatement.  I think a big problem with our friend power point is that we treat it like an over head projector of which you don't need to flip slides.  Most people don't have the knowledge, computer skills, or time necessary to make a power point lecture interesting and to the point (ultimately keeping you awake to absorb the skills).

My academics were as well organized as can be expected from ram rodding info in a short period of time.  We had very well trained university quality Instructors and it was run for the most part by civi's and done well.  Now on the military run equipment phase there are many not easily solved issues. 

ie. Prep time for instructors, resourses for instructors,  money $$$, and maybe the most important the will/motivation of the training system to change the way it works.

We train people the same way we did in the 80's and 90's from what I can tell.  OHP's out and PPT and DVD lesson plans in.  All the same crap just different media.  We are still shown video from the 1960's which were taken from Real to Real put on VHS and now on DVD!

For our system a MS/PO is posted in.  He receives a lesson plan that has never been complete or accurate (not for lack of trying).  He is give minimum amount of time meterial and training aids (not for lack of requests) to try and make it functional.  Teaches the material once maybe twice, finds all his own faults and then before he can change it, he is posted back to sea.  The cycle starts all over again with a new PO and new courses getting sub standart training.  If the lesson plan is ever sorted out a new QSP decides to change everything.  I've been through a QL3, QL4 and now on QL5 and nothing has changed. 

The biggest thing that should be realized with the training system is that wether you can admit it to your selves or not most people with more than 15 years in are already dinosaurs with regards to teaching and keeping the attention of the new generation.  The kids who go into the recruiting centers now at 17, 18 and even early 20's are the video game generation.  In some cases they have been in contact with a PC since before they could walk.  They live in an environment were they can go on google and find info on anything from 100000 different perspectives.  How could any of these people be expected to learn from our system without frustration.  Ultimately they (the smart motivated ones we want to retain) will seek other employment and release to an incredibly competitive modern work force.  Even one person who gets this frustrated could be poison to a small course of people who could begin to think the same way.

To change any of this the military needs to maintain a pool of skilled and competent personnel to maintain its equipment and trade specific training system.  2 years at this point will not turn the tide you need these people for three or more years and a complete revolution in the way we teach people needs to occur.

If anyone reading this is in a postion to make changes to the system I hope my criticism is helpful and is not seen as disrespectful.

Thanks for letting me vent 

 

[a_majoor]

Agreed, so did someone at marpac, created a cell called collaboration at sea, they use domino based applications, and much more valuable collaboration tool Lotus Sametime, instant messanging with shared whiteboards, works like a charm, so well in fact the Joint command centres have asked the Navy for help setting up thier own sites, maybe PPT wont be so heavily relied on,

Too bad we have fallen so deep into the Microsoft trap: I doubt many people know, have access to or are willing to use these tools. I had a hell of a fight getting a calendar program called iCAL for 31 CBG; the G6 response was: "You can do that with Outlook" (even though you could not do any of the functions of iCAL with Outlook 97, 2000 or 2003........)

 

[Centurian1985]

Most people don't have the knollage, computer skills, or time necessary to make a power point lecture interesting and to the point (ultimately keeping you awake to absorb the skills).

The biggest thing that should be realized with the training system is that wether you can admit it to your selves or not most people with more than 15 years in are already dinosaurs with regards to teaching and keeping the attention of the new generation. 

Most untrue! Well, okay maybe it is true in a lot of cases, but its not true for everybody with more than 15 years in...

 

[Disenchantedsailor]

Too bad we have fallen so deep into the Microsoft trap: I doubt many people know, have access to or are willing to use these tools. I had a hell of a fight getting a calendar program called iCAL for 31 CBG; the G6 response was: "You can do that with Outlook" (even though you could not do any of the functions of iCAL with Outlook 97, 2000 or 2003........)

The C@S guys have been so successfull we sent a guy to NDHQ to setup a dominso system for them so that sametime/IPWaR are no longer Navy specific

 

[Navy_Blue]

"Knollage"  :threat: Dam spell checker!!!  I know I can't spell....

I say most but from what I'm seeing and living right now the DND's training system is in trouble.

 

[Disenchantedsailor]

Ain't this ironic, I hate PPT lectures and have a PPT brief to give in April on safety, this should be good

 

[Thorvald]

If you want to see how to properly deliver a PowerPoint style slide presentation, go download and watch any of Steve Job's Keynotes from Macworld.

His slides are typically only a few words long for punch, a picture or a graph, all in basic black background and white text, he does the rest and just cleans house.  Then go watch a Bill Gates presentation and fall asleep in seconds.

As Red Five stated, "people bore people" but you do have to have a passion for what you are presenting.

 

[vigillis]

My biggest problem is with people who use PPT as PowerParagraph, oh yeah and those who read off of their slides on the board.

I know it has been posted before but I am an idiot when it comes to using Army.ca search engine, so here is a nice link to a revolutionary way to use power point to solve the Iraq problem.  Done by a US Army Capt.  I could handle briefing like this more often.

http://hotair.com/archives/2006/12/11/powerpoint-how-to-win-in-anbar-province-in-18-easy-steps/

 

[xena]

;D ;D ;D

Brilliant!

 

[3rd Herd]

Powerpoint doesn't bore people.

People bore people.

Well said. For the longest time the solution to this was a group with international chapters called 'Toast Masters'. Yes speaking is an art that takes a considerable amount of practice. Practice is one area many over look in the haste to get the assignment completed. In assisting my daughter in her post secondary plans I hosted a dinner in which one of my guests was/is the director of a tri university program in oceangraphics. Aside from the usual requirements such as overall grades he mentioned that he looks for the effectiveness of the prospective student in being able to speak. His rational as explained to myself and I agree one hundred and ten percent is that "you can be the most knowledgeable person in the world on a given topic but if you cannot articulate your knowledge competently it is a waste".

As for the subject at hand for those with access a perfect example of a speaking performance combined with power point was recently given by Col. Craig Hilton on his MA thesis. It was an excellent case of balance and again an excellent example of speaking effectively resulting in a very effective lecture. In the realm of teaching I have had some students create some mind blowing presentations to the point the roles have/were reversed. In that I the teacher became the student. Part of this is due to the fact that their technical expertise is light years ahead of my own. Also they are not yet 'trained in a certain mind set or conforming to the box'.

my .02 cents