Schrodinger’s slides are both there and not there at the same time. Sadly, this analogy describes many presenters’ approach to their supportive media; It is either there or not there. The decision rests however with the audience. Schrodinger’s slides are either there and we will read them (because of science) or they are not there as the speaker ignores them. In this thought experiment, the audience will stop listening and default to reading Schrodinger’s slides.
Schrodinger famously described a thought experiment to describe quantum superposition in which a cat was either there or not there, alive or dead, depending on the quantum state. Sadly, in many presentations, the same analogy can be applied to the presenter’s supportive media. Some presenters produce a slide deck that they do not expect the audience to pay attention to. They believe that it merely represents a signpost and may be later downloaded as a handout. They improvise, like a modern-day jazz presenter, riffing off phrases and concepts that may or not be displayed on the screen. This causes a significant and distracting cognitive load.
Other presenters exist in a alternate quantum space where their slide deck is the central pivot point from which all existence stems. The slides represent a strict script that will be followed and read out, no matter the distraction. This causes a significant and distracting cognitive load as the audience reads ahead unable to read and listen at the same point. Schrodinger’s slides are distracting however they are employed.
In a presentation, the supportive media should be just that- supportive. If the slides are text-heavy, the audience will read this and expect the message to be concurrent. If the slides presented do not relate directly to the concept being discussed, this failure of dual processing and increasing cognitive load leads to disconnection from the message. Schrodinger’s slides either exist or they don’t. Be the change you want to see.
Brilliant!