35. Obama Makes a PowerPoint Point

The State of the Union and Presentations

Ever since George Washington’s first State of the Union address in 1790, U.S. presidents have delivered their constitutionally mandated annual speeches without visual aids. President Obama’s second State of the Union was no exception, but that particular speech offers a lesson in presentation graphics.

Just as all his modern predecessors have done, Mr. Obama spoke with the aid of only a TelePrompTer, but he did offer a dissenting opinion on the annual obligation.

In 2011, the ritual began, as they always do, with a grand ceremonial entrance into the House of Representatives chamber. Mr. Obama made his way through the packed chamber with all the pomp and circumstance of a coronation, shaking hands and/or hugging the members of congress and government who lined the crowded aisle.

As he approached the podium, he stopped to greet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who smiled at him and said, “Good speech.”

The President smiled back and replied, “I don’t need to deliver it now; everybody saw it.”¹

Mr. Obama was referring to the fact that text of his speech had been leaked in advance. His remark was a sardonic commentary on an aspect of State of the Union speeches that has an analog with presentations: dual functionality.

This is the “Presentation-as-Document Syndrome,” the pervasive business practice in which PowerPoint slides serve as both a visual aid and a send-ahead in what is known as a “pre-read.” This practice serves neither purpose; it actually diminishes both. Moreover, the practice defeats the purpose of the actual presentation itself because providing material in advance telegraphs the presenter’s content.

Use your PowerPoint only to illustrate your presentation. Resist requests to send your slides ahead. If your prospective audience insists—and audiences are like the proverbial 800-pound gorilla, they do whatever they want to do—offer to send them an executive summary, and do it as a document created in Microsoft Word.

Word and PowerPoint sit side-by-side in Microsoft Office but, like East and West, never the twain shall meet.

Dual functionality is only effective when you serve as the message and the messenger and do them both at the same time, in real time.

The President of the United States must deliver the message in person, and so must you.