What's the Point? Power?

So - here we are.  There are two of us (my co-presenter and I), and nine of them.  We're seated at a reasonably sized conference table.  The room is well lit, and eye contact is easy to accommodate.  The content of our presentation is all verbal - no video or images required.

You'd think if ever there was a time to simply have a conversation, this would be it - but no.  My partner and the principal client contact person both made it clear they wanted a PowerPoint show.  I must admit, I was somewhat deflated.

Now, the software and format are routine for me.  This was not hard to accomplish; but all the time I was putting the file together, I was still wondering how this situation has developed to the extent it has.  Have we lost the ability to have a simple conversation?  Is the show now a part of the justification for the fees we charge.  Have our clients gotten to expect this, perhaps without knowing why?

OK, we did it, and things went well.  We had a good projector, and the lights could stay bright.  We encouraged interjected questions.  We handed out hard copy afterward, so the attendees had formal record of the proceedings.  Looking back, I must admit there were some advantages of such a simple format.

Each of our bullet points were brought in sequentially, as the presentation unfolded.  This technique kept our audience focused on the correct topic, without them jumping ahead to some other place in a handout or agenda.  Of course, if you can command attention, I suppose this could be done without all the hardware.  It's a shame, in a way.

Just another example of new technology changing how we converse.  It's like emailing your co-worker in the adjacent office.  What have we lost?

What do you think?