Walked into our company all-hands meeting last Monday and realized nobody had prepped a single slide ahead of time

The CEO just started talking off the cuff for 45 minutes and it was honestly way more engaging than the usual deck, has anyone else noticed that ditching the slides actually makes people listen better?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylorb946h ago

I've been in that exact spot more times than I can count. In my experience, slides can become a crutch that makes people passive. When there's nothing to look at, they have to actually pay attention to what's being said. The best meetings I've been in were ones where someone just stood up and talked, maybe with a whiteboard nearby for a few key points. You get more natural conversation that way, and people ask real questions instead of staring at bullet points. There's also the added bonus that the meeting tends to be shorter because nobody is trying to fill time flipping through a deck. My advice is to try it a few more times, but have a simple handout ready for people who really need something to hold onto.

diana3146h ago

Actually that's not quite right about handouts helping people who need something to hold onto. I've seen it backfire pretty bad - handouts become a distraction because people read ahead instead of listening to what you're saying right now. They start comparing slide 3 to slide 7 and tune out completely. The real issue is that some people need visual anchors, but printed materials shift their focus from the conversation to the paper in their hands. A better fix might be to put a few key points on a whiteboard as you go, so everyone sees the same thing at the same time. That way you still get the natural flow without losing the people who need visual reinforcement.