Andrew Cuomo is having a moment. The New York governor is attracting tremendous attention for his COVID-19 briefings, which are typically telecast live by national networks.
Cuomo’s approach contrasts favorably with President Trump’s typical briefing approach. Cuomo has many strengths as a presenter, including his understanding of MS Powerpoint.
The text and links in a recent Fast Company article demonstrate why Cuomo’s presentations have touched a nerve.
“We can’t be stupid” was the blunt message to a key demographic that was not complying with quarantine recommendations from the deck that ran alongside New York a recent Cuomo briefing:
Effective use of PowerPoint will be a key theme of this Presentation Tips series. The potential benefits of slide shows like those created in MS Powerpoint are consistently underrated. We will be using Cuomo as an example in a number of posts, but for the time being will only quote a section of a Business Insider article that explains some of the Cuomo-style slide show benefits:
Cuomo’s PowerPoints read like an iPhone notes app list of everything he woke up worrying about in the middle of the night. It’s the text a dad sends with his assorted list of worries. They convey a sense of authenticity, of someone who is sharing his thought process (often bluntly and in ALL CAPS) in real time. Much like how a comedy PowerPoint gives you a peek into the thought process of a comedian, Cuomo’s PowerPoints seem like his a projection of his id: They’re from a loud, bullet-pointed heart.
Much more on this topic later, but the key point for now is:
Slide Shows can have enormous benefits–for those who know how to use them.