Powerpoint Presentation : Why This Kolaveri

Let me just say it: I. Hate. Making. PPTs.

Hate is a strong word, but not strong enough for the hours I’ve wasted trying to make Arial 14pt look like a strategy.

My decks are either:

• Stuffed with enough text to qualify as a mini-novel

• So minimal they make people ask, “Is the WiFi not working?”

And the worst part? When the slides suck, I talk way too much to cover up the gaps. Ever seen someone try to explain a pie chart they don't trust? Yeah, that’s me.

Let’s Break Down the Breakdown:

• Fonts: Either microscopic or Comic Sans (don’t ask).

• Colors: I once matched blue text on a blue background. Picasso wept.

• Animations: My bullet points used to fly, bounce, and fade like a 2005 PowerPoint demo.

• Overtalking: Because when the slide doesn’t land, I have to… and then some.

And Then Came the Light: Word Document

I read that Jeff Bezos banned PowerPoints at Amazon. Yes, banned. As in “Don’t you dare bring me a deck.”

Instead, Amazon adopted a Narrative Doc Culture. You walk into a meeting, everyone sits in silence reading a well-structured doc for 20 minutes, and then the discussion begins. No fluff, no ‘next slide please,’ no smoke and mirrors.

Why? Because Bezos believed: “Full sentences are harder to write. They have verbs. The paragraphs have topic sentences. There is no way to write a six-page, narratively structured memo and not have clear thinking.”

That hit me hard. Because with decks, One could hide behind design. With docs, they had to think.

What I’ve Learned Since Switching to Docs:

• I explain less, because my points are clearer.

• I stress less, because I don’t waste hours adjusting shapes.

• I think deeper, because writing forces clarity.

• I still talk a lot (occupational hazard), but now it’s to build on ideas, not rescue them from a badly animated pie chart.

So Long, Slide Decks

If PPTs are your thing, good for you. But if you, like me, dread building them and find yourself explaining more than you present—maybe it’s time to try the Bezos Way.

• Trade the bullet points for sentences.

• Trade transitions for structure.

• Trade eye rolls for clarity.

• You might just fall in love with thinking again.

TL;DR: PowerPoint is a vibe, but not always the right one. Docs > Decks. Every damn day.