💎No PowerPoint, No Problem: How Bezos Runs Board Meetings

Nobody likes meetings. They’re often an incredible waste of time.

But with a couple of tweaks to format and approach you can set them up to actually achieve their purpose.

Clarity on direction, drive effective decision-making and actually productive.

Jeff Bezos’s has some fresh takes, that mean his meetings are designed for clear results. With a few smart rules, Bezos keeps things efficient and makes space for real progress.

Let’s take a look.

Forget PowerPoint (other presentation software is available)

Bezos hates slides for corporate board-level meetings.

Instead, everyone reads a six-page narrative document in silence before they start.

This may sound unusual, but it works.

By the time discussions start, everyone has the same level of context - and the ability to ask more thoughtful questions.

The other thing about visual presentations, is that they’re primarily sales tools.

It’s not the greatest format for deep thinking and not particularly helpful when a breadth of information is necessary to understand.

It requires a lot of work on the viewers behalf to absorb the detail (most of the time).

So where decisions need making…no flashy slides, you want to ensure depth of thought and discussion.

The Two-Pizza Rule

He swears by small groups.

If a team needs more than two pizzas to feed everyone, then the team is too big.

And the same goes for meetings.

Smaller groups allow for real collaboration and make it easier to stay on track.

Buying Prep Time For Attendees

Time is another element Bezos plays with.

Pre-meeting reading time is built into high-level meetings to ensure executives are fully prepared for an effective conversation.

This serves two purposes…

It makes sure everyone has all the necessary context before diving in.

But it also helps avoid the situation where someone claims they’ve read the background document when they haven’t (often due to time constraints).

In reality, everyone involved is busy, so this reading time means they don’t need to carve it out ahead of the meeting to prepare.

It sets the group up for a productive meeting, with clear objectives and fewer detours.

Minimise Hierarchical Bias

You want the best ideas to win, regardless of where they come from.

Most companies and people claim this is their culture, but the reality is often far from it.

In practice, hierarchy, social dynamics, and a bit of posturing often cause the loudest voice to dominate or everyone simply agrees with the most senior person in the room - whether that opinion is correct or not.

Bezos tackles this in two ways.

First, the silent reading of the narrative document encourages everyone to form their own opinions independently.

Second, he’s been known to ask the group to share feedback in reverse order of seniority.

A simple move, but one that makes a lot of sense.

To get the most creative options on the table, you need to reduce the tendency to defer to senior voices and create a space where all levels feel free to contribute openly, without pressure to conform.

Plus the additional context the more junior employees closer to the day-to-day have is more likely to be taken into account.

Bezos’s approach is a reminder of how rare it is to see leaders (or people in general) actually break from convention.

It takes a first-principles, systems thinker to rethink something as basic as meetings - which is why he’s earned his place as one of the greatest operators out there.

So go away and ask yourself…how could we make our own meetings sharper?

• Are our meetings actually effective? Or even necessary?

• Should we make the attendee list smaller?

• Would a quick narrative memo help people jump right in?

• Could we let junior team members share first to encourage a more open dialogue?

Bezos’s rules are all about thoughtful preparation and real conversation over “performance.”

What are your thoughts?

What have you seen work well?

Let me know.

Cheers,
Jack

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Jack Wilson
Founder @ Drafted Media
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