Our family cat is named Rascal. He cannot catch a laser. Converting his aggression into entertainment, we shine a laser pointer on the wall. He hunts it with intent, but never succeeds.

Unlike animate mouse toys, Rascal never achieves the satisfaction of catching the laser’s little red dot. He swats at the wall until we are bored or he heads off in frustration Rascal walks away confused and hungry.

Laser pointers are equally maddening for presentation audience. You casually guide the darting red light across a sea of words and data. Like a cat chasing a visual it cannot corral, the audience’s eyes jump in a hurried and sporadic path. The presenter sends the audience away confused and with a mild head pain.

Here are three reasons to ditch the laser pointers from your presentation routine

1. The audience cannot easily see the laser’s little red dot. While the laser is intended to highlight something on the page, they are not that easy to see. The worse the ratio between the screen size and the depth of the room, the greater likelihood that they cannot follow your pointer as it darts about. Test the room beforehand to see if the laser is even visible.

2. The little red dot moves sporadically. The laser pointer is impossible to hold steady with the human hand. The little red dot moves suddenly and randomly like a fly stuck in your car. You want to kill the fly. Your audience experiences similar emotions regarding your presentation. Give them a well written headline or effective visual that is easy to find.

3. Laser pointers are needed to navigate bad slides. Why do you need a laser pointer in the first place? Because your slide is a forest of information. The laser pointer is intended to be the beacon of light that guides your audience through the mass of content. If you create simple, compelling slides with minimal words and relevant visuals, you can throw out the laser pointer!

Do yourself and your audience a favor. Clean up your presentation slides and give the laser pointer to a cat family.