powerpoint presentation analysis about jihad rap

Evaluating Intelligence Presentations

“Soldiers of Allah: A Jihadist LA Rap Group.”

The presentation entitled “Soldiers of Allah: A Jihadist Rap Group” draws the audience’s attention to a potential threat. Although it is a brief, six-slide presentation, “Soldiers of Allah” does have the potential of alerting readers to the presence of this jihadist group and to the group members’ distinguishing markers like tattoos. There is no need for a speaker if the goal of the presentation is simply to raise awareness about the Soldiers of Allah, and to provide local law enforcement with tips on how to recognize its members. The presentation is, however, lacking in sophistication and credibility. Most notable is the absence of sources, which promote “integrity” in communications (Schwartz, n.d., p. 3). A few key modifications would allow the “Soldiers of Allah” presentation to stand alone as counterterrorism communications.

The Problem with Anonymity

The title page of “Soldiers of Allah” includes important components like a striking visual image. However, to stand-alone as a piece of communication without a live speaker, the PowerPoint needs an author. An anonymous communication like this lacks credibility because the reader does not know anything about the credentials of the person writing it.

Slide 1: The Overview

As an executive summary, this slide does a decent job of offering a bulleted list of key points. Slide One therefore serves as an executive summary of the presentation and needs no embellishments by a speaker. However, there are a few problems with this slide that would improve the overall credibility and sophistication of the document. One is that the bulleted list is unnecessarily long. The National Conference of State Legislatures (2017) advises creators of PowerPoint presentations to “simplify and limit the number of words on each screen,” even when a live speaker is not present or necessary (p. 1).

The second issue with the introductory slide is that it fails to achieve the goal of actually summarizing the author’s key points. Later in the presentation, the author fails to embellish or go into any detail about the points being made in the executive summary. A third problem is that while the quote from the Soldiers of Allah is useful, the author should include either a direct reference to the primary source or an actual embedded audio or video file.

Slide 2: Song Lyrics

A speaker is not needed to alert the reader of the lyrical content of Soldiers of Allah songs. However, the author could strengthen the impact of the presentation by including embedded audio or video files instead of simply stating, “the following is played for our impressionable young on the internet.”

Slide 3: Song Lyrics and Imagery

This slide includes two components that preclude the need for a live speaker. One is the image of a man’s back. The tattoo on his back is letters that include the initials “SOA,” presumably Soldiers of Allah. However, the author offers no proof that SOA stands for Soldiers of Allah, and also does not explain the rest of the lettering or why it is not in Arabic. On the other side of the slide are more song lyrics. The slide content is self-explanatory but the author needs to substantiate claims with evidence.

Slides 5-6: Imagery

Slides 5 and 6 contain no text at all. Each of these slides contains only tattoo imagery. Slide 5 depicts an open book flanked by scimitars, the characteristic curved sword developed by the Ottomans. However, the author needs to supplement this slide with written speaker notes describing the meaning of the tattoo. If the author presumes the open book is a depiction of the Quran, then the author also needs to substantiate that claim. The image on Slide 6 is of the initials SOA, which could theoretically refer to anything. Without a speaker, the author needs to verify claims about the tattoo and its implications for counterterrorism efforts.

Audience Evaluation

Presenters will encounter four main types of audiences: the hostile, the critical, the uninformed, and the sympathetic (“Four Audiences,” n.d.). If I were delivering my own oral presentation before an audience that required a language interpreter, I would first do research on that audience to predict whether it will be hostile critical, uninformed, or sympathetic. For example, if my audience was a group of French counterterrorism experts interested in learning about jihad rap, then I would assume the audience to be sympathetic. A foreign audience does not necessarily imply an unsympathetic audience; there are a number of foreign counterterrorism allies. Therefore, foreignness is a far less reliable marker of possible hostility than attitudes towards jihad.

When presenting to an international audience, the speaker does need to consider the primary differences between cultures in their overall communication styles and expectations. Motivational orientation, individualism versus collectivism, and power difference are factors that do need to be taken into consideration when presenting. The audience may, for example, be hostile if I presume that they share my values and assumptions. To correct for this error, I would want to establish trust immediately by establishing my credentials as a speaker and providing ample background information on my subject. Substantiating research with credible scholarly resources might also help reduce hostilities, engender trust, and appeal to logic and reason (“Four Audiences, n.d.). A foreign audience might have questions that I had not considered, about the ultimate goals of the presentation, and how the organization I represent serves as a primary stakeholder. Changing the presentation to appeal to a potentially critical or hostile audience will improve the overall effectiveness of the communication, achieving goals like trust-building and soliciting attention and cooperation from potential strategic allies.