Terrible Meeting Is Terrible

"hillrat" (hillrat) 07/23/2020 at 11:26 • Filed to: None

0

23

The exec that runs this meeting seems to confuse nitpicking over slides with managing and it’s excruciating to attend one of their meetings. Also likes to have everyone sit there while they read through slides and pass judgement on whether it’s adequate.

#MeetingZombie

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > hillrat 07/23/2020 at 11:34

2

I am a teacher and there are those who use PowerPoint for their teaching and I think that those people should be disemployed and their pensions canceled unless they change their practice.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > hillrat 07/23/2020 at 11:34

2

 Death by PowerPoint.

$kaycog > hillrat 07/23/2020 at 11:41

2

It’s terrible to have a terrible meeting that is terrible.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 07/23/2020 at 11:45

9

Power Point can be a useful tool, but far too many people have no idea how to effectively use it.

If you’re just reading off a slide, you’re doing it horribly wrong.

Discerning > hillrat 07/23/2020 at 11:50

1

I knew an exec like that. They also had the terrible and annoying habit of repeatedly mumbling "mmm, mhm" throughout someone talking. Incredibly distracting as the speaker and listener. Eventually became like nails on a chalk board to me.

hillrat > Discerning 07/23/2020 at 11:54

3

Wife and I were discussing this and we concluded that 99% of the world doesn’t get any training whatsoever on public speaking.

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 07/23/2020 at 11:59

0

Its the worst, faculty meetings that are death by power point are terrible.  The Zoom/Meet/Teams/Whatever version is somehow even worse.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Discerning 07/23/2020 at 12:06

3

I have a strange knack for picking up on ticks like that, and it drives me bananas.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 07/23/2020 at 12:07

0

Hate that.

Like, I can freaking read too ya morons!

If all you’re doing is reading a slide word for word, just put it up on the screen and let me do it myself.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > hillrat 07/23/2020 at 12:10

1

What’s worse is, I’ve tried to use PowerPoint the “ right way” - short concise slides with maybe 3 bullet points, only a few words per bullet point, graphics, and then I talk to the slide and elaborate on it.

And I get criticized that my slides are worthless and what am I even doing there? At that point I’m like well why the hell am I even presenting, how about I just make a PDF report and e-mail it to everyone?

You can’t win with these people!

Tristan > hillrat 07/23/2020 at 12:34

0

Try the military. The rule of thumb with power points is to include the minimum amount of information necessary to convey the message. The military rule of power point is to include every word in the English language twice on every slide.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 07/23/2020 at 12:39

0

I used Powerpoint as a teaching aid. There are firm rules that go along with every presentation. Never read the slides. Only use slides for images/screenshots and bullet points. Only display tables, charts, and graphs if you are going to spend the time to explain them since most people won’t be able to read and/or understand the axis labels and what they mean. 

fintail > Snuze: Needs another Swede 07/23/2020 at 12:46

0

I dealt with a shrill suit who whined about my slides not having enough data - they actually wanted me to type paragraphs of information for a powerpoint deck rather than including an appendix or other data repository for later reference. Another one of that beloved set who has ascended via kissing the right ass, and doesn’t understand the idea behind these tools. They also preside over a department with the highest turnover rate I’ve seen in a professional office environment, what a surprise.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > fintail 07/23/2020 at 13:04

1

They also preside over a department with the highest turnover rate

Yeah, I wonder if there’s a correlation there?

I’m fortunate that, at the moment, I don’t have to give too many presentations and most of the people I work with “get it”.  

fintail > Snuze: Needs another Swede 07/23/2020 at 13:08

0

Nah, the problem is always employees.

I suspect many self-titled leadership types “get it” for the most part, they just like screwing with people, or finding invisible faults in things makes them feel productive, and justifies their sometimes surplus overhead positions.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 07/23/2020 at 13:59

0

Agreed.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/23/2020 at 13:59

0

All of that.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > $kaycog 07/23/2020 at 13:59

1

Terrible.

PyramidHat > hillrat 07/23/2020 at 14:00

0

1000's of years ago, or maybe 30, I used to work as a low level admin support at IBM. The site GM once sat there and picked apart someones slides*   in the middle of a meeting with a bunch of middle management. He was a rat-faced dickhead.

...that same year, the CEO (then, John Akers) came out to the site and the GM had all of the mature landscaping ripped out and replaced...to the tune of $100K. CEO walked through and asked “why’d you replace all the landscaping?” Little shit head.

*Mind, this was pre-power point.  I can’t recall the name of the program, but it involved printing out transparencies on a plotter.  High tech for 1990.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > hillrat 07/23/2020 at 14:00

0

Or private speaking. Or speaking at all. Especially now, when it’s all social media.

PyramidHat > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 07/23/2020 at 14:02

1

I used to use PPT as notes for a subject I already knew. This set me apart because I know people that would just read the slides verbatim...

When I was going to Hooked on Phoenix, someone - and this was her last class before getting a degree - wrote a paragraph on her slide and proceeded to read it in front of the class.  Fucking hell.  I mean, I know the school is shit, but can we try to do better?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > PyramidHat 07/23/2020 at 14:27

1

I think there’s a real use for PPT if, let’s say, you’re giving a talk. Or even a lecture. Brief, several-word bullets that keep the talk going in the direction you want it to. Then again, that sounds a lot like lecture notes and does the audience really need to see those?

hillrat > Tristan 07/24/2020 at 08:52

0

I’m a contractor for the Army and this drives me nuts. My slides are very minimal and based on adult learner pedagogy that tells you to only include a single thought/idea on a slide and then speak to the audience. Nah, they can’t allow that because when you give a good presentation with good intel they want to immediately pass it up the ladder and they can’t do that with my slides. It doesn’t matter that every fucking word I said is in the notes, if it’s not on the slide then it doesn’t exist so every damn thing goes on to the slide.

This making my blood pressure go up just thinking about it.