Should I use slides in my presentations? Almost never

Jerry Weissman, in HBR, says that "slides, as they are conventionally designed today, hinder rather than help presenters. The all-too-common complexity of the slides forces presenters either to skim over them or, in the worst case, read them verbatim. This unholy alliance also fragments the narrative because each slide is discussed individually with no relationship to the next.  When we exclude the slides in the practice, presenters focus on telling their story, connecting the dots and creating a clear progression."

I have found this to be true. Being free from slides gives us more flexibility to move around the room, flow with the story and make eye-contact. I actually think good presenters do "soul-contact"; not just a superficial and fleeting look. 

I also agree with him that it is not necessary to eliminate the slides completely (though I disagree with his explanation that this is due to the "deep entrenchment of PowerPoint in business today"). Instead, he continues saying, "use simply-designed slides that serve only to support your narrative and reinforce the primacy of the presenter."

PS: I also liked the summary of steps that HBR gives us to prepare a good presentation:

• Create a clear narrative. Don't start by creating slides. First get your story down, and design slides or collect data to illustrate that compelling narrative.
• Do a dry run. Read through the slides aloud. Do it seated in front of your computer screen so that you don't have to think about your body language.
• Rehearse without slides. Finally, do a run-through while standing in a vacant conference room without your slides. This will allow you to concentrate on the story, as well as your eye contact, gestures, posture, and voice.