This mistake is so widespread in presentation environments these days that it's one of the factors behind a general disdain for PowerPoint overall. The pictures here are prime culprits. Let's say our speaker is talking about an upcoming merger or cooperative project and needs something to show with PowerPoint in the background. He thinks, "Hey, I'll grab a stock photo of people shaking hands. That should visually communicate the idea of 'cooperation,' shouldn't it?"

Adding pictures to a PowerPoint slide show is a good idea. But be sure to do it the right way.  Over the years I've noticed a weird universal law. PowerPoint users seem [...]