Will Switzerland Ban Power-Point?

What’s the Latest Development?

There is a new political force is Swiss politics, or at least a new political party. Called the Anti-Power Point Party, or APPP for short, the new party hopes to “decrease the number of boring presentations worldwide.” The group’s founder, Matthias Poehm, has some relevant experience: “Over 14 years of public speaking training I have noticed that the use of Flip-chart beats PowerPoint in 95 of 100 cases. This is not wishful thinking on my part but proven experience.” Poehm emphasizes that PowerPoint users often feel their words were futile and that power point meetings keep employees away from their desk. 

What’s the Big Idea?

Are PowerPoint presentation meetings really a drain on the economy? “‘The Party calculated that hourly wages of the attendants alone result in suffering an annual economic damage of 350 billion Euros [$500 billion] worldwide,’ reads the APPP statement. Poehm may know of what he speaks—having worked as a public-speaking trainer for more than a decade, he has doubtless watched thousands of shell-shocked workers’ faces turn gray with ennui. … The Swiss are very keen on their referendums, and if Poehm can muster 100,000 signatures, he can get one called. Voters would then have the ability to ban the use of PowerPoint throught the country.”