Why You Should Stop Making Slide Decks
The practical case for documents over slides when you need to get things done.
Recently, I sent a detailed document to a team lead—covering next steps, timelines, and technical specifications—expecting us to dive into reviewing and editing it. Instead, he shot back: "You should prepare a presentation."
"What?" I responded. "We've already covered the basics. Now it's time for details and a plan."
That moment crystallized how slide decks have hijacked our conversations, forcing form over substance. Corporate culture remains trapped in endless bullets and canned transitions. What started as a tool to simplify communication has sneakily replaced real dialogue.
Slides don't persuade—they lecture. Real persuasion comes from shared documents, questions, and back-and-forth discussions. Show the work, don't hide it behind flashy visuals.
I'm not anti-slides. High-stakes pitches need punchy visuals. But it’s time to break the habit, I'm obsessed with efficiency: fewer presentations, more substance. Clear communication wins every time.
The Problem with Slides
I've seen this pattern repeatedly: slides excel at brevity and impact but falter on nuance. Complex data gets squashed into bullet points or vanishes entirely. When you stuff every fact into a deck, you create a cluttered mess—neither a presentation nor a proper document.
The preparation time alone is criminal. Designing visuals, condensing text, and rehearsing decks demand hours that could go into deeper analysis. Then you deliver them as staged performances that stifle debate and discourage real-time problem-solving. Worst of all, slides have low standalone value. Without narration or context, a deck post-meeting becomes a nearly unreadable artifact. I've lost count of how many times I've received slide decks that made perfect sense in the meeting but read like cryptic haikus later.
Documents work better. Memos, reports, or whitepapers let you build an argument with data, citations, and full explanations. A well-crafted document stands on its own. Readers don't need you on hand to translate bullet points. Documents are also easily reusable—you create a template once, then focus on content. Every presentation demands new visual elements, custom layouts, and slide transitions. Documents? Standard formatting, consistent structure, minimal design overhead.
Documents also solve the remote work scheduling nightmare. Presentations force everyone into the same hour, demanding perfect calendar alignment across time zones. Documents enable async collaboration—people read, comment, and contribute when they're most focused. No more "Can everyone do 3 PM Thursday?" negotiations. The work happens when it should happen, not when schedules align.
Once a concept is introduced, stakeholders crave details. Documents fulfill that need with clarity. They can be annotated, versioned, and revisited. They become a living single source of truth. Most importantly, documents give you depth without constraint. No slide templates, no character limits—just unfiltered ideas in their full context.
I've settled on a simple framework: use a concise deck for high-level introductions or strategic buy-in, keeping visuals bold and key messages front and centre. This is where slides shine—when you need to sell the vision. Then immediately follow up with a detailed document covering specs, timelines, and FAQs. This lets stakeholders review at their own pace and contribute meaningfully. The first phase gets buy-in, and the second phase gets work done.
Everything else gets a document. Technical discussions, collaborative work, detailed planning—all documents. I ask myself before creating any deck: "Is this the best format for my message?" Usually, the answer is no. I've also started replacing presentations with workshops, Q&A sessions, or shared documents, and the conversation is always better.
The Pushback You'll Get
"But presentations are more engaging!" Bad presentations are boring. Good documents are engaging because they respect the reader's intelligence and time.
"People won't read long documents!" Then your document is poorly written. People read novels, technical manuals, and investigation reports when the content delivers value. Make it worth their time.
"Executives prefer slides!" Some do because they're used to being spoon-fed condensed points. But executives also appreciate depth and nuance when you deliver it clearly. I've seen more C-level minds changed by well-researched memos than flashy decks.
The Bottom Line
Overusing slide decks is a cultural habit that survives on autopilot. I've seen the difference firsthand: teams that shift from flashy presentations to substantive documents move faster and make better decisions. It's a simple change with outsized impact.
The next time someone asks for a presentation, ask back: "What are we trying to achieve here?" Nine times out of ten, the answer points to a document, not a deck. Choose substance over style—your ideas deserve better than bullet points.