Laser pointers are now like guns used to be in the wild west days: everyone can have one, but only few are able to handle it effectively. In time we learnt that it is better for all of us to keep gun usage under some degree of control.

Ok, laser pointers are not a threat to our lives but they can inflict pain. Maybe they should be regulated, too.

I usually do not use a laser pointer, and when I have to point I try using my hands or a physical pointer. During my recent Moose tutorial, I used a laser pointer because my sprained ankle did not allow me to move well enough. At some point one attendee stood up and asked me to stop using it because he got dizzy. I laughed because I remembered how I get dizzy too when following pointers jumping around wildly. I stopped using it.

I certainly need to tame my pointer before getting it out there. Here are some notes I took while observing other wild pointers:

• Point rarely. When you point, you face the screen, and you disconnect with the audience. Furthermore, the more you point the less effective each pointing is.
• Point briefly. When you do point, keep it short. Just guide my eyes briefly and follow with speech.
• Keep the pointer steady. The longer you keep the pointer live, the more you will tend to surround the various zones of interest. This can easily make your audience dizzy. Just point out the center of interest.
• Don’t shake. As you are far away from the slides, the slightest handshake can create a significant pointer-quake. So, either do not shake, or do not point at all.

How is your pointer?