Five Reasons Why Powerpoint Makes My Brain Hurt

The following is a semi-comprehensive list of aspects of PowerPoint presentations that make me want to cry.

1. Obnoxious transitions
Unnecessarily complicated or unprofessional transitions between slides completely destroy an otherwise decent presentation. When the text on a projection screen warps into a vortex and then a black sweeper moves across the screen, it becomes impossible to take a presenter seriously.

2. Spinning GIFs/Flashing images
They are distracting and tacky, especially in an academic atmosphere.

3. Horrible background and text color combinations
When my eyes start watering after staring at a screen in a vain attempt to decipher illegible text...something is wrong. I personally prefer white or light text on a black background because it contrasts well and is easy to read.

4. Clutter
Disorganized slide show presentations obliterate the audience's ability to absorb any of your information, and hurt the credibility of the presenter.

5. Presentor's dependence on note cards/reading directly from the slide show
It pains me to sit through a presentation when the presenter spends the whole time buried nose-deep in note cards or reads their presentation from the screen verbatim rather than actually fleshing out ideas on the presentation while speaking directly to the audience.