Personally, I am in the middle when it comes to "The great PowerPoint debate," because I can see the argument from both sides. Sometimes, slideware can be simply too much for the audience, making it harder to retain information and understand with all that is going on. However, if the slides are too boring, it might not involve any stimulation, causing us to daze off and become unfocused. I don't think that we should avoid PowerPoint altogether because It does have its benefits, but I think we should be mindful of how stimulating our slides are and if it is too much.
I like how you have a middle stance. I too think that it can be helpful, but it can be equally as harmful to a speech and the message trying to be conveyed. It really is in the hands of the speaker and how the PowerPoint is delivered, formatted, and the content displayed. That determines the receptiveness of the audience.
Wow Cruz, you made a great point when talking about how PowerPoints can sometimes be too much for the audience.
I agree that it can both be helpful and detrimental to an audiences retention and attention of your speech. It is certainly hard to give a firm answer on the topic.