slide:ology

CHAPTER 11

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Interacting with Slides

218 slide:ology

There’s not much on this planet more gratifying than

being in a healthy and comfortable relationship. My

husband and I often use the metaphor of a steamboat to

describe our interaction: I’m the one above the surface,

sputtering, churning, and making noise to create propul-

sion; he’s the quiet rudder under the surface providing

guidance and wisdom to make sure that we don’t run

aground. I would describe our relationship as interde-

pendent. We rely on and respect what the other brings

to the partnership, and that’s what makes it successful.

But how would you characterize the relationship you have

with your visual aids? What metaphor would you use to

describe it? Actor and stage? Or drug and drug user?

When you present, are you codependent, interdepen-

dent, or even independent of your slides?

The term codependent was coined in the mid ’80s and

initially used by Alcoholics Anonymous to describe the

unhealthy psychological condition that occurs in a rela-

tionship when one partner suffers from an addiction.

The Power of Constraints

A codependent person ends up providing too much

care—and often too much latitude—to someone who is

unhealthy. You are in a codependent relationship with

your slides if you are desperately addicted to t