To PPT or not to PPT

Lots of blog talk today about the proper use of PowerPoint and Keynote - the ubiquitous presentation applications.

Seth Godin and Mike Hyatt both provided their own list of DOs and DON'Ts and they make good points -

But here's a thought -

Do you REALLY need presentation software?

Last year, I was faced with leading a retreat in a place where it was going to be impossible to use a projector.

OH MY I thought WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?

There's wasn't much I could do besides go to my notes and make the presentation SANS all the pretty graphics and other crap I'd taken so much time to develop.

And you know what? It was one of the best sessions I'd done in a long time.

I'm a good storyteller, so I used words to grab their attention. In a couple of instances I drew on a board to illustrate a point.

Since then, I've done a few more with nothing but my notes (and charming personality) - and the comments are always positive.

"He knows his stuff and doesn't get lost in PowerPoint slides."

My point is this - presentation software has it's place, but if you are a good storyteller and you know your stuff, take a deep breath and jump off the board without a projector to keep you afloat.