“Let’s put together a deck.”

Heard that before?

That’s the go-to solution for Big 4 consulting firms.

Any decision, big or small, that’s the answer.

A PowerPoint deck.

The irony is that the decks are intended to make these consulting firms look like they have all the answers. Yet, they actually do the opposite.

Copious words and bullet points? Flow charts and meaningless jargon? Excessive company branding?

C’mon.

Might as well add a slide at the end of the deck showing what they charged to put it together. And, don’t forget to include all participants’ billable hour they’ll charge for the meeting that unveils the fancy deck.

How about a 10-minute phone call instead?