In his blog (http://ow.ly/5YEyG), Martin Couzins, the Acting Editor of TrainingZone, has reported, that Matthias Pöhm, a Swiss who trains people in public speaking, is so enraged by PowerPoint presentations that he has created a political party – The Anti-PowerPoint Party (http://www.anti-powerpoint-party.com/en) – with the sole aim of banning presentation software.

The Anti-PowerPoint Party aims to become the fourth largest political party in Switzerland – arguing that, if it achieves this target, then the world will have to listen to its members’ view. Mr Pöhm has also written a book – called ‘The PowerPoint Fallacy – still presenting or already fascinating?’ (http://www.amazon.co.uk/PowerPoint-Fallacy-Presenting-already-Fascinating/dp/3952368059)

In his opinion, ‘In some countries, students and pupils are punished with a lower mark, if they give a presentation without PowerPoint or other presentation software. Superiors are obliging their co-workers to use this software. Yet the fact is that the average PowerPoint presentation creates boredom. The world is using PowerPoint without knowing that the alternative flip-chart has a triple effect in 95% of the cases.’

Comment: It’s not often that you can wholeheartedly endorse a political party’s entire manifesto – but the Anti-PowerPoint Party seems to have hit the nail right on the head. These days, it seems that no one can learn anything without having to look at a screen. However did the human race cope with learning things before the advent of the screen, projector and presentation software?

Could it be that we learnt things as a result of the teacher’s skills – both in preparation and presentation? Maybe the teacher’s personality also influenced pupils?

Could this be another case of technology de-skilling a skilled job, allowing people with little aptitude and skill to strut their stuff and prove how average (at best) they are?

Hurrah for Matthias Pöhm and the Anti-PowerPoint Party! Some sanity may be emerging in the teaching/ learning world.