{"id":88723,"date":"2023-01-08T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-08T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=88723"},"modified":"2023-01-17T17:43:36","modified_gmt":"2023-01-17T21:43:36","slug":"jeff-bezos-powerpoint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/jeff-bezos-powerpoint\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Bezos, PowerPoint, & the Beauty of Narrative in Presentations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why did Jeff Bezos ban PowerPoint presentations at Amazon? Was that a good idea?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeff Bezos famously booted PowerPoint out of the presentation room at Amazon. In The Bezos Blueprint<\/em>, Carmine Gallo explains why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to learn about Jeff Bezos, PowerPoint, and the beauty of stories in communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Jeff Bezos & PowerPoint<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To reap the benefits of narrative communication<\/a> during presentations and meetings, Gallo suggests that you avoid using PowerPoint\u2014presentations of slides filled with bullet points, fragmented sentences, and isolated pieces of data. For Jeff Bezos, PowerPoint got in the way of effective communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gallo explains that Bezos insisted that anyone presenting information at an Amazon meeting do so with short memos structured like narratives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gallo explains that the typical slide is too detailed, too complex, and too hard to read, which allows presenters to get away with weak connections, poor organization, and insufficient explanations of the key ideas<\/strong>. It also causes listeners to disengage and not pay proper attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, turning your ideas into a story (instead of a slideshow) forces you to think about what\u2019s important, why, and how best to convey the implications of your ideas. It also helps listeners to pay better attention and more effectively absorb your messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Although Bezos might oppose slides, Gallo himself points out that they can have their uses. In Talk Like TED<\/em><\/a>, he suggests PowerPoint slides as a way to strengthen your presentation by engaging your audience\u2019s senses<\/a> [in this case, sight]. If you do opt for a slideshow, experts recommend<\/a> that you keep your slides simple and concise, incorporate images and visual aids, and keep the focus on yourself and the story you\u2019re telling. By keeping the focus on yourself and your message, you\u2019ll avoid the pitfalls Gallo warns about\u2014you\u2019ll be sure to make strong connections and explanations, and you\u2019ll better engage your audience<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exercise: Turn Your Message Into a Story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Of all the tools Gallo offers for improving your communication, storytelling is particularly useful because it combines other principles such as simplicity, getting to the point<\/a>, and making information relatable. In this exercise, you\u2019ll practice organizing your message into a compelling narrative using the three-act structure (setup, challenges, and resolution).<\/p>\n\n\n\n