There's always an expectation that, as time rolls along, technology will keep bringing us solutions that make our lives easier. Sure enough, that's exactly what does happen. Yet the predictions of just what these labour-saving inventions will be is invariably wide of the mark: we don't have robots cleaning our houses and cooking our meals; we don't have jetpacks; families aren't living on the moon or travelling through deep space; vacuum cleaners didn't end up being powered by their own nuclear reactors. Instead, we have telephones to fit in your pocket, books being stored on small plastic tablets, goods bought and sold with nothing but cards, and computers that can sit on your lap and communicate with others all over the world. Somehow, mobiles, e-books, credit cards, laptops and the World Wide Web all failed to be foreseen by most futurists.

Perhaps mistakes were made because it's hard to see beyond our own terms of reference. So, as exciting and futuristic as living on the moon may seem, it's still just a reflection of a normal earthbound home life. Nuclear vacuum cleaners are still vacuum cleaners. That robot chef would have still cooked the same old meals. On the other hand, using computers to communicate across the world was barely comprehensible even in the optimism of the post-war years; the very nature of just what a computer is has changed so much, from a vast, room-filling array of metal cabinets with flashing lights, spinning tape reels and punchcards, to that little box that does everything - and presents it in pictures and clear words.

Certainly, the very idea of using a computer to aid that oldest of arts, public speaking, would have been unfeasible for a long, long time. Yet the tables have been turned, and an awful lot of presentations today are reliant on software such as PowerPoint or Keynote. And not without reason: these programs both provide highly versatile and effective solutions for any presentation, with a huge range of different themes, styles and effects to fit every need. They give the speaker a chance to dazzle the audience with animations, videos and images, and to create a presentation that packs an impressive punch.

However, it is nonetheless worth asking whether it's possible to have too much of a good thing. There's no question that PowerPoint and Keynote are very useful tools, but far too many public speakers - particularly those who have little experience or are lacking confidence - end up putting more faith in the software than they do in their own skills. Under the circumstances, given the easy availability of software, it's an entirely understandable reaction.

Understandable, but not right. No-one goes to a presentation looking for a nice slideshow or a spot of animation. They're coming to see the speaker, and what they have to say; moving attention away from the speaker and on to the computer substantially dilutes the message. After all, the computer only does what it's told: it can't respond to the audience, it can't explain a point, it has neither wit nor invention.

If a presentation is to succeed, it must be more than just a prepared speech, the presenter must interact with those before him or her, using their own emotions and interests and optimism as well as working with the feelings and opinions of the audience. He or she must be aware of how the audience are responding - are they concentrating, leaning in, staying focused? Are they looking around, yawning, appearing bored or distracted? The individual behind the presentation can detect these and adjust their approach - perhaps by involving the audience, slowing down or speeding up, explaining complicated issues, lightening dialogue or making it more serious.

Is a computer capable of any such reaction? Of course not - well, not yet, although let's not make that same mistake of trying to predict the future. Right now, however, the computer just follows its programming, and this leads us on to another glaring problem that overreliance on technology will bring.

For all the versatility and range of options that PowerPoint and Keynote have, if I head down to my local computer store and purchase a copy, it'll be exactly the same as the one at your nearest retailer, exactly the same as the software that millions of people around the world are using. Presentations constructed using standard software do tend to have a standard look and feel to them, something that can never be said of a unique individual, standing up and speaking for themselves; I know that I've seen rather too many identikit computer-led presentations for my liking, and there's a good chance that you have too.

This similarity, this repetition has its roots in an aspect of the software which has always been seen as a positive - ease of use, with an inexperienced or time-constrained user guided through the process, and guided down the same routes, time and again. In terms of being able to use the software, this is indeed a welcome benefit, but when it comes to making the presentation, it can create a sense of sameness that will only discourage and bore an audience. The standard PowerPoint or Keynote presentation needs something special added to it; that something special is a human being.

None of this should be taken as an instruction to leave the computer behind. Rather, there needs to be balance: use the software, project images and videos and animations to enliven your presentation, but keep it at that - enlivening, not dominating. You must remain in control, it must be your work, all about you interacting with the audience, while the computer adds a little polish and sparkle. The computer is your assistant, not the other way around. After all, had that robotic home help ever come to pass, we might be happy for it to butter the toast or boil an egg - but for those occasions when we want something special, we'd still turn to a human chef every time.