Seriously...

PowerPointless


Listen Later

With more than 30 million presentations being given around the world every day, PowerPoint has become the single most ubiquitous tool for presenting ideas. Yet it's the software many of us love to hate - vilified for simplifying the complex and complicating the simple.

30 years on from its commercial launch, Ian Sansom asks, 'What's the real point of PowerPoint?' as he embarks on what surely must be a world first - a PowerPoint presentation for the radio.

How do I move this on to the next slide? There we are. Thanks.

Armed only with an auto-content wizard, some zippy graphics and a hefty set of bullet points, Ian ventures forth to assess the true impact of this revolution in communication. He speaks with the software's pioneers, meets some of its notable detractors and asks how PowerPoint has influenced corporate life and spilled out into some improbable areas of our culture.

As he discovers how science-fiction is helping to inform the next generation of presentation technology, Ian asks if PowerPoint has empowered the individual - or if our boardrooms, lecture halls and even our spiritual affairs are to be forever condemned to the fate that has come to be known as 'Death By PowerPoint.'

What do I do now? Press escape? No, I want to bring it back to the start. F6 I think. Where's the remote thingy..?

Producer: Conor Garrett.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Seriously...By BBC Radio 4

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

258 ratings


More shows like Seriously...

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,389 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

381 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,839 Listeners

Start the Week by BBC Radio 4

Start the Week

162 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,886 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

308 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

501 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,791 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,052 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,141 Listeners

More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

898 Listeners

Lives Less Ordinary by BBC World Service

Lives Less Ordinary

584 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

962 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,921 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,078 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

248 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

827 Listeners

Word of Mouth by BBC Radio 4

Word of Mouth

60 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

747 Listeners

Sliced Bread by BBC Radio 4

Sliced Bread

134 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

736 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,962 Listeners

Sideways by BBC Radio 4

Sideways

74 Listeners

Limelight by BBC Radio 4

Limelight

257 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

26 Listeners