I don't use PPTs often, so when I do, the students do pay attention. I use them for graphics and media exclusively. I never write anything on the PPT that I would actually say in class. I use it to elicit discussion. I tend to use simple things that, if need be, I can recreate on the whiteboard/chalkboard. I guess I got to used to equipment/power failures in the past that happened much more frequently than now so I go into classes assuming nothing will work.
For example, the last PPT I showed was of designer Liu Yang's (Beijing born, living in Germany) work on culture. She made some simple, effective and humorous pictograms contrasting German culture with Chinese culture like this one
Germany is blue and China red
Then ask questions.
What do they think it represents? Do they agree? How would they change it? Whatever.
The problem with text, for me anyway, is that students read and copy the text but don't listen.