PowerPoint alternatives

Ban the Deck. Examine the Habit. Jack Dorsey, the U.S. Army, and Jeff Bezos agree on one thing. Eric Harris July 10, 2026 The Room That Learned to Shut Up In 2004, Jeff Bezos famously banned PowerPoint from Amazon’s leadership meetings. In its place, he required a six-page narrative memo. Meetings started in total silence…

Seek first to understand… A good friend reminded me the other day of Covey’s 5th Habit, and I knew it was time to explore this phenomenon in greater depth. After all, any successful mission requires we know how high the odds are stacked against us. So why ARE we addicted to presentation decks? What happens in…

Let’s just come right out with it, shall we? Corporate cultures can cloud our judgment and cause us to develop behaviors we wouldn’t otherwise endorse. Behaviors become habits, and the next thing we know, we’re preparing a PowerPoint to request vacation days. Sheesh. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Okay, maybe a little shame. But…

We can’t help it. We do decks because it’s the convention, and because it feels better than going against the grain. But when’s the last time you really nailed it because of the quality of your slides? And are you sure that’s what deserves the credit? At GatherRound, we see the deck as a last resort.…