Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon

by Colin Bryar

pager. (Note: this example would fit easily onto six pages of 8.5 x 11–inch paper, single-spaced in 11-point type, but reproduction in this book may run longer due to formatting differences.) Dear PowerPoint: It’s Not You, It’s Us Our decision-making process simply has not kept up with the rapid growth in the size and complexity of our business. We therefore advocate that, effective immediately, we stop using PowerPoint at S-Team meetings and start using six-page narratives instead. What’s Wrong with Using PowerPoint? S-Team meetings typically begin with a PowerPoint (PP) presentation that describes some proposal or business analysis for consideration. The style of the deck varies from team to team, but all share the constraints imposed by the PowerPoint format. No matter how complex or nuanced the underlying concepts, they are presented as a series of small blocks of text, short bullet-pointed lists, or graphics. Even the most ardent PP fans acknowledge that too much information actually spoils the deck. Amazon’s bestselling book on PowerPoint describes three categories of slides:

the product vision narrative. Do we do this? Hoew can I include these elements in our product brief.