Strategies of Visual Argumentation in Slideshow Presentations: The Role of the Visuals in an Al Gore Presentation on Climate Change Jens E. Kjeldsen Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013 Abstract The use of digital presentation tools such as PowerPoint is ubiquitous; however we still do not know much about the persuasiveness of these programs. Examining the use of visual analogy and visual chronology, in particular, this article explores the use of visual argumentation in a Keynote presentation by Al Gore. It illustrates how images function as an integrated part of Gores reasoning. Keywords Al Gore Á Analogy Á Climate Á Visual rhetoric Á Slide presentation Á Visual argumentation 1 Introduction 1 The use of digital presentation tools (DPT) such as PowerPoint (Microsoft) and Keynote (Apple) is ubiquitous in academic, business and organisational life; however, we still do not know much about the persuasiveness and argumentative uses of such computer programs (or simply, software). Researchers and audiences have lamented the use of PowerPoint for leading to a cognitive style of presentation causing abbreviated argument and fragmented thought (e.g. Tufte 2003). However, although there is no doubt that DPT pose serious challenges to presentations and the delivery of argumentation, such programs also provide new possibilities (cf. Kjeldsen 2006). Text and bullet-points dominate slide presentations, but their greatest potential for supporting and creating argumentation might be the use of J. E. Kjeldsen (&) Department of Information Science and Media Studies, University of Bergen, Fosswinckelsgate 6, Postbox 7802, 5020 Bergen, Norway e-mail: jens.kjeldsen@infomedia.uib.no 1 The author would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers and Daniel O’Keefe for valuable comments. 123 Argumentation DOI 10.1007/s10503-013-9296-9