1. Are you sure you need PowerPoint? "People fall back on PowerPoint because it's easy and familiar," O'Brien notes. "The trouble is, it doesn't stand out. The audience has seen the same format 1,000 times, so they turn into zombies." Alternatives like Prezi, Easel.y, or SlideRocket "are designed to be easy to use, and they can make more of a visual impact.

1. 你确定要用幻灯片吗？奥布莱恩说：“人们往往会求助于PowerPoint，因为它简单且很常见。可问题在于，幻灯片不会让你脱颖而出。同一种格式，观众们可能看过不下一千次，所以他们对幻灯片已经麻木了。”Prezi、Easel.y或者SlideRocket等替代工具不仅易于使用，而且可以提供更多的视觉效果。

"But maybe you don't need slides at all. Sometimes they're just a crutch," he adds. O'Brien likes to quote Steve Jobs, who said, "People who know what they're talking about don't need PowerPoint." He also cites research showing that 41% of U.S. employees would rather do their taxes or go to the dentist than sit through a slideshow -- and 62% have either fallen asleep or left the room to escape a boring batch of slides.

他补充说：“或许，你根本就不需要使用幻灯片。有时候，幻灯片只是作为一种精神依靠。”奥布莱恩喜欢引用史蒂夫•乔布斯的话。乔布斯曾说过：“知道自己在说什么的人根本不需要PowerPoint。”此外，他引用的调查数据显示，41%的美国员工宁愿去缴税或看牙医，也不愿意等着幻灯片放完——62%的美国员工为了逃避冗长无聊的幻灯片，曾经打过瞌睡，甚至干脆离开会议室。