This post is not another tribute to Jeff Bezos for banning PowerPoint presentations from Amazon. That being said, there are some interesting things that happen when you remove the most popular way to share ideas in a company. Our students got to experience this during the first creative seminar of their term in Paris. 

As you may know, teamwork is a must in the MMK. The academic team always creates teams carefully, ensuring there are a broad variety of backgrounds and cultures within each team. Not being able to choose who you’ll be working with can sound quite daunting. However, this is also the best way to challenge the students’ ability to adapt and learn from each other. 

To further add to the excitement of the new location, creative team-building activities were on the agenda. Twelve groups of students were tasked with exploring different arrondissements in Paris. They had to find a creative way to share their impressions of their chosen neighbourhood with the rest of the class. Creativity was at the heart of this exercise. So, the only instructions were 5 to 8 minutes per presentation and no PowerPoint allowed! 

What options did they go for? Surprisingly, only half of the groups chose to produce a video. The others went completely analog by making a scrapbook, enacting a theatre scene, creating crosswords, or even taking their classmates on a 30-second journey of mindfulness with a perfume experience. The rest chose social media by creating an Instagram account that summarized their experience. One of them opted for Tik Tok instead and the swapping trend to make it more visual. 

They might go back to PowerPoint eventually. However, they’ll definitely remember the importance of crafting strong storytelling. Plus they have bonded tighter as a group.