Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Powerpoint

by JasperLee Lee Freelance Writer

The Powerpoint presentation or also known as Power Point presentation is a particular brand of commercial presentation program that operates or runs under certain operating systems. A presentation program is a computer software that shows information as a slide show presentation that is displayed in a computer monitor or projected onto a large screen. Since it was released in the early 1980s, the Power Point presentation has become a major leading brand of presentation program that is used by many individuals, institutions and organisations because of the versatility and wide range of uses for the application.

However, using the Power Point presentation would have some advantages and disadvantages so that any individual, institution or organisation that is planning to use the powerpoint microsoft software for the first time as their primary presentation program should first know the advantages and disadvantages of the program before they would invest money and resources in using the program for making and showing their presentations. In addition, knowing the advantages and disadvantages of using a Power Point presentation would help an individual, institution or organisation in making the right decision if Power Point is the right presentation program for them.

The advantages of using a Powerpoint presentation:

A Power Point presentation could get and enhance the attention and interest of the intended audience because people would traditionally pay attention to presentations or shows that use visuals especially dynamic images, animation and other visuals that could move or be maneuvered by the presenter.

Learning to use a Power Point presentation does not necessarily involve a formal lesson because an individual could easily learn and teach himself in using Power Point because its tools are user-friendly and easy to follow with the various tips and sample templates offered by the program.

Power Point could be used as an effective tool for illustrating images and visuals that are difficult to draw with the use of traditional drawing tools such as pencils and pens compared to the graphics applications that could be used in Power Point.

The disadvantages of using a Power Point presentation:

A Power Point presentation that uses too many animations, graphics, background images and other dynamic visuals could distract the audience from the actual message and other information being conveyed to them.

Power Point is not suitable in using for some types of presentations such as commencement speeches, poetry recitations, and technical reports that require detailed processes or procedures.

A Powerpoint requires a set of system requirements. A presentation for a medium to large size audience would need an interrupted source of electricity during the presentation, a computer system that is free from technical problems and software breakdowns, a projector, speaker system, and other system requirements for carrying a successful presentation.