Contextual alternative
dl_wraith you are right in that if you need a tool, why not use it? But although the tool might work perfectly well (I can feel this analogy slowly dying a horrible death) as a TOOL it might not actually achieve what you want to achieve.
So, start with the outcome you want: an engaged audience, an answer to a question, a project moved along. If you need to present key facts to support an argument, how best should you 'deliver' them to the audience? Key facts document, wall poster, 'assumptions' flip chart could all work.
Then, what do you need to do with that audience? Make them respond, inform them, tell a story? That's where you choose your tool. Personally, if I have story to tell or a pitch to communicate, I like prezi.com. Whereas ppt is linear - one thing after another - Prezi is good at context, using zoom levels to go down into detail then back out to show the big picture. for anything with a strategic context, this is very useful. It does require learning some new skills, but not much time before you are able to put a presentation together.
