By forbidding the use of PowerPoint, Jeff Bezos violates Bailey’s six principles of effective writing. Jeff Bezos argues in his message to shareholders that quality writing requires time. He said that it might take a week or two to create a memo. This is consistent with Bailey’s principles, as they do not specify the time required for good writing. If the response is complex, it will take multiple revisions to get the point through. By taking their time, a person will have time to consider what they want to say and how to communicate it simply and directly. However, the prohibition against using PowerPoint is Jeff Bezos’s violation of Bailey’s principles. Principles claim that people are increasingly gathering knowledge about their environment through pictures, audio, and video production services like YouTube, broadcasts, podcasts, and the internet in general. In these regards, it is possible that the best option would be to provide both a short presentation and a memo so all the methods are utilized and Bailey’s principles are not violated.
Because he thinks narrative structure has higher efficiency than a slide-formatted presentation, Bezos would prefer a six-page document read for 30 minutes before a discussion to a PowerPoint presentation. Memos are aimed toward deep and efficient discussions, whereas presentations often do not. The purpose of a meeting is for everyone there to gain as much knowledge as they can, to debate it honestly and openly, and to come to choices based on the conversation. He believes that six-page memos are more comprehensive in these terms. The reason for it seems to be that he thinks the structure of presentations is inferior to the opportunity for the conference’s participants to fully understand the topic.