the power of templates rhetoric & powerpoint Patricia Sullivan

PPT Generic Templates  Design  Content Represent the Speaker’s Identity

My message is... PPT templates = rhetoric Use them and you accept their rhetoric

Developed to Fight Bad Design Initially 48 Design templates:  Backgrounds  Colors  Typefaces Helped non-designers avoid hideous choices

Design Template Rhetoric Directs writers to...  Use consistently formatted titles  Put content in the same places  Limit content for each slide  Use bullets and levels Avoids “laughable” aesthetics

Content Template Rhetoric More intrusive than design templates Advocates structured writing  Standard structure (Title, Introduction, Topics-- handled one-by-one--Close)  Major points first  Decisions made according to audience interest

Slide that follows shows a content template slide from “generic”

Topic One: Assumptions Details about this topic Supporting information and examples How it relates to your audience

On the Plus Side Asks for “details” to be supported Suggests examples be used Asks for relating to audience Uses a simple design (except for the slide transitions)

On the Minus Side It makes you think of your points as “details” If examples are added, slide may be too long It thinks of audience afterward Can hardly forget the transitions

Next two slides show two more content template slides -- these near the end

Real Life Give an example or real life anecdote Sympathize with the audience’s situation if appropriate

What This Means Add a strong statement that summarizes how you feel or think about this topic Summarize key points you want your audience to remember

Problems with Rhetoric Placed after the conclusion Risk perception of pandering Instead of connecting anecdote to the content, audience may remember only the anecdote

so, why are content templates dangerous? Path of least resistance Treat audience as points to make, not a group to be persuaded Prompts use language that can be misunderstood Inexperienced writers may think they are the answer

...Everyone using this format/content makes similar slides no matter the topic... Most viewers are shocked by the animated type Bottom Line = powerpoint no longer yields personal power