An IT manager, who requested anonymity, agreed with Dawson, adding that designing presentations becomes easier once a few have been created.

"They are dry, laborious things; once you have made one, you can copy-paste your life away and then throw it back into the recycling bin," they said.

The survey was commissioned by business intelligence vendor Business Objects SA which plans to use the results to push software to make presentations more interesting.

The company's vice president of product marketing, Donald MacCormick said presentations are only effective if they are succinct and entertaining.

"Presentations can either lull an audience to sleep or energize them to act," he said, claiming "[our product] can serve as a life raft for people who create countless presentations."