Physics Forum At Fermilab Bans Powerpoint

Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "Amanda Solliday reports at Symmetry that six months ago, organizers of a biweekly forum on Large Hadron Collider physics at Fermilab banned PowerPoint presentations in favor of old-fashioned, chalkboard-style talks. 'Without slides, the participants go further off-script, with more interaction and curiosity,' says Andrew Askew. 'We wanted to draw out the importance of the audience.' In one recent meeting, physics professor John Paul Chou of Rutgers University presented to a full room holding a single page of handwritten notes and a marker. The talk became more dialogue than monologue as members of the audience, freed from their usual need to follow a series of information-stuffed slides flying by at top speed, managed to interrupt with questions and comments. Elliot Hughes, a Rutgers University doctoral student and a participant in the forum, says the ban on slides has encouraged the physicists to connect with their audience. 'Frequently, in physics, presenters design slides for people who didn't even listen to the talk in the first place,' says Hughes. 'In my experience, the best talks could not possibly be fully understood without the speaker.'"

Comments

Slides vs White Powder

[Freshly Exhumed]

My wife and I have communicated exclusively with PowerPoint slides for the past 21 years. A chalk board would just make a mess.

Re:Slides vs White Powder

[wonkey_monkey]

Slide in, slide out, wipe down, fade to black.

Re:Hand out the PP slides after the talk.

[Freshly Exhumed]

But... but... explain to me how you can get a chalk board or white board to go "whooooooosh" when you go on to the next set of bullet points! I don't know about you but if it doesn't go "whooooooosh" I've lost everything salient and important about what you've presented. Oh ya one other thing... how do you get neat visual effects like folds and crinkly dissolves to happen with a chalk board or white board?

Re:Hand out the PP slides after the talk.

[Cryacin]

Yeah, physicists who have an interesting set of knowledge that they understand don't need powerpoint. It's designed for consultants, who justify their existence to the board.

"You want me to show you what I do in a day? Here is a powerpoint."
First Slide

"Here you can see a pretty graph"
Next slide

"Here you can see me making a joke"..... ha ha ha ha
Next slide

"Here's me collaborating with the team"
Next slide

"Here I'm drinking coffee."
Next Slide

"I came here to kick ass and drink coffee. And now I've finished my coffee"
Next Slide

"Here you can see me showing a powerpoint presentation of what I do in a day."

Re:Hand out the PP slides after the talk.

[the phantom]

I generally just yell "Whoooooooooosh!" really loudly as I erase. As for different visual effects, I sometimes use the small eraser, while other times I use the big eraser. I've even used a cloth rag every once in a while. If I'm feeling really snazzy, I'll use two erasers at once (one in each hand!)!