Fighting "PowerPoint Phluff" with Edward R. Tufte

Depending on your point of view, the presentation software PowerPoint is either the greatest tool for presenting information to a group of people since the invention of the chalkboard, or it's the work of Satan. For most people bad PowerPoint presentations are akin to pornography—you can't exactly define what is that makes them bad, but you know them when you see them. Edward R. Tufte has written some of the most thought-provoking words about what's wrong with PowerPoint, and how to improve presentations made using it. In his slim volume The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint Tufte illustrates the limitations of PowerPoint, lambastes some of the common misuses of the software and tells the reader how to use the software intelligently and effectively. If you think you will be called upon to make a presentation, a few minutes spent with this book may stand you in better stead than wading through a 400 page guide to PowerPoint.

To learn more about Edward R. Tufte and his theories on visual representation/presentation of information go to Professor Tufte's web site at www.edwardtufte.com.