The Psychology of PowerPoint

Science Fiction blog io9 reported on a presentation by cognitive scientist Stephen M. Kosslyn at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston on 15 February, 2008 about using cognitive science to improve your powerpoint presentations. There are, apparently, four basic rules:

• The Goldilocks Rule
• present just the right amount of data
• never include more information than your audience needs
  

• The Rudolph Rule
• make key information stand out like Rudolph’s nose so that you guide your audience’s attention to it
• “The human brain is a difference detector.”
  

• The Rule of Four
• Generally, the brain can hold only four pieces of information at once so limit yourself to presenting four things at a time.
  

• The Birds of a Feather Rule
• if you want to indicate that certain things belong together, group them by giving them a similar colour, shape, or location in the visual field.
  

The goofy rule names? It’s always easier to remember something unfamiliar if it’s named for something familiar.