This is why the US Army is the most dominant ground combat force in history.

1. Dumb-dumb Bullets Use of PowerPoint as a Decision-Making Tool Summary of major points in an article by T.X. Hammes in Armed Forces Journal, July 2009

2. Agenda Overview of How Servicemembers Think Staff Work Before PowerPoint After PowerPoint Impact of PowerPoint Bullets Information per Slide Achievements Impacts on Decisions Pitfalls Conclusion

3. BLUF PowerPoint can be highly effective if used purely to convey information — as in a classroom or general background brief. It is particularly good if strong pictures or charts accompany the discussion of the material. But it is poorly suited to be an effective decision aid.

4. How Servicemembers Think In Service Schools At Their Units Issues Historical Insights Exposure to complex and interactive nature of decisions they make

5. Before PowerPoint Decision

6. After PowerPoint Decision

7. Before vs. After PowerPoint Before After Staff had time to prepare to discuss the issues Staff is not well-prepared to discuss the issues Toxic effect on staff work and decision making! CONTRAST

8. Impact on Staff Work Before PowerPoint After PowerPoint Intellectually demanding Complex issue -> 2-3 pager Coherent thoughts developed 20 to 60 slides Pictures and builds Bullets and colors Bullets ≠ sentences Premium placed on slide building Hooah!

9. Problem with Bullets “Our personnel clearly understand the lack of clarity and depth inherent in the half-formed thoughts of the bullet format. In an apparent effort to overcome the obvious deficiency of bullets, some briefers put entire paragraphs on each briefing slide. (Of course, they still include the bullet point in front of each paragraph.) Some briefs consist of a series of slides with paragraphs on them. In short, people are attempting to provide the audience with complete, coherent thoughts while adhering to the PowerPoint format. While writing full paragraphs does force the briefer to think through his position more clearly, this effort is doomed to failure.” - T.X. Hammes, “Dumb-dumb Bullets,” Armed Forces Journal, July 2009

11. Attributed to the PowerPoint RangerUp to 90 pieces of information per slide! Rule of thumb is 1 minute per slide 1 minute per slide, divided by up to 20 items per slide = 2 to 3 seconds per item

12. PowerPoint’s Achievements Decreased quality of information Changed culture of decision-making Decision-maker days broken down into one-hour or 30-minute segments More decisions with less preparation Doing more with less!

13. Impact on Decisions Type-A personalities can make more decisions More decisions made at higher levels Reaching down to find more decisions to make at higher levels Wrong person making decisions at wrong level

14. Proper Use Information vs Decision High-impact photos, charts, films, and humor Not for thesis submissions Operational decisions for immediate implementation In a crisis

15. Improper Use Focusing thought process on bullets and complex charts Outlining paragraphs with a series of bullets Omitting details

16. Pitfalls Often disseminated to wider audience than anticipated Reliance on slides for records of decisions made Future historians will hate the era

17. Conclusion The Pentagon has virtually made a cult of the PowerPoint presentation.

18. QUESTIONS?