Real Leaders Don’t Do PowerPoint (Book Review)
Leaders have a responsibility to communicate effectively and in a compelling manner. Whether to inspire action or reassure in times of crisis, it is their ability to give meaning and purpose to events that sets them apart from their peers. In his provocatively titled book, Real Leaders Don’t Do PowerPoint, Christopher Witt challenges leaders to transcend the conventional public speaking crutch: the PowerPoint presentation. Witt doesn’t disparage the PowerPoint as a tool to communicate information, but highlights that, too often, an attractive slide deck becomes a means of masking inadequate thought given to the strategy, message, or information that it is supposed to articulate.
This book is designed to be a practical guide to speaking better. Witt lays out his method in four parts, organized according to the Greek orator Demosthenes’ four elements to a great speech: (1) a great person, (2) a noteworthy event, (3) a compelling message, and (4) a masterful delivery. Each part begins by illustrating how each element is important to a successful speech with examples drawn from history and from Witt’s thirty-plus year career as a public speaking consultant and coach. Following the initial discussion of the core tenets of each element, Witt elaborates on several specific tactics one might employ to ensure each element is fully incorporated.
Several of Witt’s best points are made at the end of the book and would have been better made much earlier in his discussion. It isn’t until the final few sections that he clearly makes his argument for limiting one’s use of the PowerPoint presentation: it distracts your audience, it’s time consuming to make aesthetically pleasing, that the time spent on it is better spent on clarifying your message, and that it fails to adequately convey meaning. His definition of “frame”—an overarching system of assumptions, values, and standards that gives meaning and purpose to particular elements and events—would have been extremely effective in the introductory discussion of why speaking well is so important for leaders.
Broadly speaking, the first three components of a great speech are the most important. Your authenticity, the reason you are compelled to speak, and what you have to say determine the value of your words. This is not to say that the way you deliver your message is unimportant. After all, a message without a delivery cannot be received, but a delivery without a message is disingenuous. But while it is possible to elevate the value of what you say by giving it more thought and developing the frame for why it matters, it’s far easier to elevate your ability to deliver a message you already have.
It follows that how you might go about learning from this book depends on who you are and requires some self-reflection on your role in your organization and on your shortcomings. Do you speak often, but find that your words aren’t valued the way you think they should be? Are your ideas often passed on in favor of others’ ideas? Are you leading by example, but having difficulty with communicating your message or ideas when you’re called to speak? Consider turning to Real Leaders Don’t Do PowerPoint to draw on Witt’s knowledge of the tools and tactics of public speaking so you can better communicate your ideas.
Written by Andrew VanDeVelde, Contributing Consultant
