New Zealand compared to US re: PowerPoint

This is fascinating:

from Tracy W (in New Zealand):

In my experience, government departments use Powerpoint because they can then call what they are doing a "presentation" which means they don't have to go through all the procedural rules for documents (eg circulating them two weeks beforehand).

Powerpoint is wonderful if used properly. That means using it as something adjacent to a speech. A set of slides should not be a standalone document - if it is people are going to spend all their time reading the slides and not listening to your speech.

from Barry (who works for the EPA):

There are many documents other than PowerPoint that can ciruclate without going through procedural rules. But in the end, if someone files a Freedom of Information Act request about a particular subject, and wants ALL documentation related to it, PowerPoint presentations must be provided to comply with the request.

from Tracy again:

In NZ slides from presentations may be obtained under the Official Information Act (unless there's an extremely good reason why not). Indeed, officials have been required to write down their recollections of what was said at informal meetings and release that under NZ's Official Information Act.

I should pull the Dummies book. As I recall, he made Tracy's point about PowerPoint, which is that the slides are a distraction from the speaker. His purposes are different, obviously; Public Relations for Dummies explains how to give speeches as a means of drumming up business.

In that case you don't want anything distracting from the speaker.

iirc, he had a cool "If you want more information ask me for this green sheet" technique he recommended everyone use.

Sometime during the speech you tell people that if they want more information they should come up after the speech and ask for "the green sheet" (a green sheet of typing paper with material printed on it)..... at which point you capture their business card & contact info.

Something like that.