Use the same slide plan for both builds. Start a fresh AI conversation each time and attach the slide plan again so one version’s design instructions do not influence the next. If your slide plan contains layout labels, remove those cues for the baseline comparison.
You want packaged instructions and assets for a recurring job. Optional extension.
A tested skill.
Why you might not need much design direction
The main AI tools increasingly come with built-in skills and presentation tools that help with design behind the scenes. In Claude, asking for a PowerPoint automatically brings in its PowerPoint skill when skills and file creation are enabled. You don’t have to name the skill or supply your own design system. How Claude uses skills
ChatGPT and Copilot also offer presentation-creation capabilities that can take care of layout and styling as part of building your deck. The names and availability differ by tool and account, so not every product calls this a “skill.” Presentations in ChatGPT · Presentations with Copilot
That means a clear audience, purpose and source may be enough to get a useful first design. Try that version before specifying every colour, font and layout. Keep the decisions that matter to your work, then add more direction where the result needs it. You still need to check the content, readability and editability.
For your own material, decide who the deck is for, what they should take away, and whether they will hear you speak or read it alone. For a talk, give the available time. Review the content and sequence before comparing designs.
Other starting points: a source, marked breaks, or an idea
Your starting point
A way to begin
I have a source. AI can split it.
“Read this report. Pick the key points for my audience and suggest the slide breaks.”
I know where the breaks go.
“Keep the breaks I marked. Tighten the visible wording and put my examples in the notes.”
I’m starting with an idea and want help developing it.
“Interview me about what I want to say, then draft titles and bullets from my answers.”
I want full control over content from slide to slide, and I will develop it from scratch.
Write each slide’s title, exact wording and speaker notes. Give AI the finished plan and ask it to keep your wording and slide breaks.
Try it with the Four Ds source
Use the same starting material to compare three ways of developing slide content. These files are examples you can download, edit and give to AI.
1. Let AI choose the slide breaks. Start with the original Four Ds document (Word). It explains Delegation, Description, Discernment and Diligence without specifying slides. Give AI your audience and purpose, then ask it to split the material into a proposed slide plan. Review that plan before building the deck.
2. Mark the breaks yourself. Open the Four Ds document with suggested slide breaks (Word). It retains the original text and adds visible instructions for a title slide, an introduction, one slide for each D, and a closing slide. Ask AI to follow those breaks, draft concise slide text and move supporting detail into speaker notes. The annotations are instructions, not text to display on the slides.
3. Specify what every slide should do. Open the Four Ds plain slide outline (PowerPoint). Each of its seven white slides contains a title, content bullets and a suggested slide type from Approach 3. Edit the content directly in PowerPoint, then give AI the deck and your chosen design prompt or template. Ask it to preserve the slide order and approved wording while applying the design. The slide-type labels are instructions to remove from the finished presentation. Speaker notes retain supporting guidance and the source credit.
For a quick plan, review the titles and main points. For finer control, ask for a Markdown document with one heading per slide, exact visible wording, speaker notes and any layout cues you want to specify. If you already have that document, use it as your plan.
Working with a long source? This one-page guide covers what to keep, what to move into notes, and what to check before you build. Turn a source into a slide plan (PDF)
Approach 1: No design direction
When to use it: You want a baseline or are happy to let AI choose the visual design.
What to attach: Your reviewed plan; use the second prompt if you have content but no plan yet.
Copy a prompt: with a slide plan
Open prompt · I have a slide plan
Build an editable 16:9 PowerPoint for [audience] from the slide plan I'm supplying here. Keep the slide order, breaks and visible wording, and put my speaker notes in the notes pane. Treat any layout labels in the plan as instructions, not slide text.
Choose the visual design and layouts yourself. Make it cohesive: a small palette with clear colour roles, one or two fonts, a consistent type scale, and the same treatment for slides of the same kind. Give each slide one clear idea, and use visual structures (cards, aligned rows, steps, diagrams) rather than bullet lists where they suit the content.
Keep text, shapes and diagrams editable. If material is missing or the wording won't fit readably, flag it and suggest a change before altering the plan. Check every slide for clipping, overlap, contrast and readability. Then return the PPTX with a short summary of the design choices you made (colours with hex codes, fonts, type sizes, slide types) and anything you couldn't verify.
Copy a prompt: without a slide plan
Open prompt · I need a slide plan
Build an editable 16:9 PowerPoint for [audience] from the content I'm supplying here. The presentation should take about [length] and help the audience [goal].
First, propose a slide plan: a title and one-line purpose for each slide, its main content and the layout type you'd use. Wait for my approval before building.
Then build it. Use only my content, and don't invent facts, figures or quotes; flag any gaps instead. Keep the visible text brief, and put the fuller explanation in speaker notes in the notes pane.
Choose the visual design and layouts yourself. Make it cohesive: a small palette with clear colour roles, one or two fonts, a consistent type scale, and the same treatment for slides of the same kind. Give each slide one clear idea, and use visual structures (cards, aligned rows, steps, diagrams) rather than bullet lists where they suit the content.
Keep text, shapes and diagrams editable. Check every slide for clipping, overlap, contrast and readability. Then return the PPTX with a short summary of the design choices you made (colours with hex codes, fonts, type sizes, slide types) and anything you couldn't verify.
If your plan includes layout cues, leave them out of this first build.
What to check: confirm the content, order and notes; inspect the design.
What to save: your baseline PPTX and AI’s summary of its design choices. Save the approved slide plan, including the final wording and speaker notes. Use that same plan for your next version.
When to use it: You want a familiar visual style while AI chooses layouts.
What to attach: Your reviewed plan. Replace the example colours and fonts with your own if needed.
Give each colour and font a job.
Open and copy the colours-and-fonts prompt
Build an editable 16:9 PowerPoint for [audience] from the slide plan I'm supplying here. Keep the slide order, breaks and visible wording, and put my speaker notes in the notes pane. Treat any layout labels in the plan as instructions, not slide text.
You choose the layouts. Give each slide one clear idea, and show content as cards, aligned rows, numbered steps or other visual structures rather than bullet lists where it suits. Use the same treatment for slides of the same kind, and keep headings in the same position on every content slide.
Colours, each with one job:
- paper (#FFFAF4): content backgrounds
- pale panel (#F7EEE7): alternate backgrounds and highlight panels
- cabernet (#6E1E32): headings and structure
- dark cabernet (#421524): title, section and closing backgrounds, with paper text
- ink (#2B2928): body text
- gold (#F4B000): small accents only; never for text on paper
- fine rules (#E3D2C7): borders and dividers
Fonts: Aptos Bold for headings and titles, Aptos Regular for body text, and Georgia Italic for quotations. Flag any unavailable font. Use a small set of type sizes consistently, with nothing under 12 pt. Keep generous margins and open space.
Keep text, shapes and diagrams editable. If material is missing or the wording won't fit readably, suggest a change before altering the plan. Check every slide for clipping, overlap, contrast and readability, then return the PPTX and mention anything you couldn't verify.
Help me choose colours and fonts
Finding colours and fonts. If your organization has brand guidelines, start there. Otherwise, try Coolors or Adobe Color for palettes, and check text against its background with the WebAIM Contrast Checker. You can also attach a slide or webpage you like and ask AI to describe its colours, fonts and layout as reusable directions.
If you’re unsure about the look, try this prompt:
I’m choosing colours and fonts for a deck for [audience]. Ask me up to three questions, one at a time. Find out where people will see the slides, what should catch their eye, and whether I have colours, fonts or a logo to use. If I’m unsure, offer two options. Turn my answers into a short colour and font brief.
What to check: compare the same slides with your baseline. Do the colours, fonts and spacing make the content easier to follow?
What to save: the PPTX and your customized prompt.
When to use it: You want specific, repeatable treatments for different slide types.
What to attach: Your reviewed plan, with slide-type labels where you want to specify a layout. The prompt supplies the OKAI GO design; adapt it if needed.
Use the colours and fonts you want, then choose the slide types your deck needs. Here are eight examples.
Slide type
Use it to…
Title
Introduce the topic and what the audience will learn.
Section divider
Signal a change of topic or activity.
Information
Explain one main point with a fact or example.
Two columns
Compare two options on the same criteria.
Cards
Group short, parallel ideas that can be read in any order.
Open and copy the complete eight-slide-type prompt
Build an editable PowerPoint for my organization from my supplied slide plan. Preserve the slide breaks, wording and speaker notes. Put speaker notes in the notes pane. Treat slide-type labels as instructions, not visible slide text.
Overall style
- Widescreen 16:9 with generous margins (about 0.9 in on every side) and a warm, uncluttered workshop feel. One idea per slide.
- Colour roles:
- paper (#FFFAF4): ordinary backgrounds
- pale panel (#F7EEE7): alternate background and takeaway panels
- cabernet (#6E1E32): headings, labels and card edges
- dark cabernet (#421524): title and closing backgrounds
- ink (#2B2928): body text
- gold (#F4B000): small accents only (labels on dark slides, short rules, number circles, outlines), never body text on paper
- fine rules (#E3D2C7): borders and dividing lines
- Type: Aptos Bold for headings and titles, with slightly tight letter spacing; Aptos Regular for body text; and Georgia Italic for quotations.
- Type scale, used consistently: hero titles 60 pt, slide headings 36 pt, card and step headings 22 pt, body 18–20 pt, labels 12 pt in bold, spaced capitals.
- Headings sit at the same top-left position on every content slide, with about 0.5 in of space before the content. The content fills most of the remaining area rather than clustering under the heading.
- Turn lists into swatches, cards, aligned rows or numbered steps where the content allows.
- Keep all text and shapes editable, with consistent alignment and spacing.
Use these eight slide types:
1. Title: Dark cabernet background with a full-height gold stripe at the left edge. Put a small gold label at the top, a large heavy paper-coloured title left-aligned across two or three lines, a short gold rule below it and the subtitle in pale panel colour at the bottom. On the right, place a large cabernet circle with a thinner gold ring inside it; a gold session number may sit in the ring.
2. Section divider: Cabernet background with a large, slightly darker circle at the right. Anchor the content to the lower left: a gold label, a short heavy paper-coloured heading, then a gold rule beside one short introductory sentence. Keep it sparse.
3. Information: Paper background with a cabernet heading. Show up to three parallel points as equal columns, each with a visual (such as a colour swatch or icon), a small cabernet label and one sentence in ink. Pin one takeaway to the bottom of the slide in a pale panel with a thick gold left edge and bold cabernet text.
4. Two columns: Paper background with a cabernet heading. Put each column's subheading under a short gold bar. Line up the comparison points in ruled rows, with a narrow left column of small cabernet labels naming each criterion (for example "You supply", "AI decides", "You save"). Give both columns equal weight.
5. Cards: Pale panel background with a cabernet heading. Fill the remaining height with two or three equal cards: paper fill, a fine border and a thick cabernet top edge. Put a short gold bar at the top of each card and the bold cabernet heading and brief explanation at the bottom. Use no numbers unless the items are a sequence.
6. Graphic plus text: Paper background with a cabernet heading. Show the image, screenshot or diagram in a framed panel with a soft shadow, taking about two-thirds of the width, and keep its proportions. Use a gold outline only to mark what to look at. In the right third, behind a thick gold left rule, add a small cabernet label, one bold sentence and one supporting sentence.
7. Process: Paper background with a cabernet heading. Centre three to five steps vertically, reading left to right. Each step has a large gold circle with a dark cabernet numeral, a cabernet step heading and a brief ink description. Put solid cabernet arrows between the circles, aligned to their centres.
8. Closing: Same treatment as the title slide (dark cabernet background, gold left stripe, circle and ring). Show a gold label, one large takeaway and a gold rule. At the bottom, list the next actions side by side, each starting with a small gold number circle.
Keep any slide types I have marked and choose the most suitable type for the others. If content cannot fit comfortably at a readable size, flag it and suggest a change before shortening it or adding slides.
This prompt specifies how each slide type should look. AI chooses a type where your plan has not marked one. Change the rules you want to customize; you do not need to use all eight types in every deck.
You can also mark a type directly in your original notes or source. For example, write Slide type: Two columns under the title of the slide comparing two options. Treat that label as a layout instruction and leave it off the finished slide.
What to check: compare a repeated layout across slides. Check that type labels have not appeared as visible text.
What to save: the deck and your edited slide-type prompt.
When to use it: You want editable sample slides to carry the design into future decks.
What to attach: Your plan, any example template, your chosen layouts, and approved logos or other assets.
Start with steps 1–3 if this is your chosen comparison. Then finish steps 4–6 and test the template with a different source.
In Approach 3, you might say “Use two equal columns for a comparison.” Here you can point to an editable comparison slide and say “Use this layout, including its heading styles and embedded logo.” The template carries details you would otherwise have to describe.
1. Pick the layouts you’ll reuse
Choose three or four slide types. In a new conversation, attach your slide plan and an example deck if you have one. If you’re starting without a template, describe the look you want. Keep working in this conversation as you refine the samples and save your template. You can also inspect the OKAI GO editable layout template. Supply approved logo files if your template needs them.
2. Write a short set of design rules
Record the decisions someone could miss by looking at the template. A sample slide shows where a logo sits. It takes a sentence to say which logo to use when the background changes. Try:
Copy prompt · Agree on design rules
Help me create a reusable PowerPoint template for [audience]. I’m supplying my slide plan. My chosen slide types are [types], my colours and fonts are [choices], and my starting point is [attached example or description]. Draft a one-page design note covering slide size, colour roles, heading and body styles, readable font sizes, margins, alignment, when to use each layout, image treatment and any logo rules I supply. If I attach a template, inspect and preserve its design, including positions, spacing and shapes. Flag missing assets or unavailable fonts. Explain how to handle longer content without crowding or shrinking it excessively. Show me the rules for review before building.
3. Build and compare your sample slides
Copy prompt · Build sample slides
Build one editable example of each chosen layout using content from my reviewed plan and our agreed design rules. Preserve the wording and put the corresponding speaker notes in the notes pane. Reuse the supplied template’s layouts and approved assets where available. Keep text, shapes, diagrams, tables and charts editable where used. Flag missing material; ask before changing wording or splitting content that won’t fit. Inspect every slide for alignment, spacing, contrast, clipping and readability. Return the sample PPTX for my review, noting anything you couldn’t verify.
Open the samples. Compare one with the same content in your baseline. Can the audience find the main point? Can you edit the text? If one layout needs a change, revise that sample. Add a written rule only if you want the decision to carry over to future decks.
4. Save the template, design rules and Project instructions
Copy prompt · Save the reusable template
Make a reusable, editable PPTX template from my approved sample slides. Preserve their dimensions, layouts, fonts, colours, spacing and approved reusable assets. Replace topic-specific text, images and notes with clearly labelled placeholders that show the intended content length. Give each sample slide a descriptive layout name in its notes and a short instruction for reuse. Include the agreed colours and fonts in the PowerPoint theme. Check that the slides can be duplicated and edited without losing the design. Return the template and the one-page design rules as separate files, noting any limitations.
For the third file, adapt these Project instructions. Use the names of your actual files:
Copy prompt · Project instructions
Use [template filename] and [design rules filename] for the design; take all subject matter from the new material I supply. Follow a reviewed plan’s order, slide breaks and wording. For a raw source, propose a slide plan and wait for my review. Reuse or duplicate the template’s editable sample slides, preserving their design and approved assets. Replace all topic-specific placeholders and put my notes in the notes pane. Keep text, diagrams, tables and charts editable where used. Ask before changing wording, splitting slides, substituting fonts or inventing a layout. Inspect every slide for clipping, overlap, alignment, contrast and readable text; check that no old sample content remains. Return the editable PPTX and flag anything you couldn’t verify. For revisions, preserve everything outside the part I name.
5. Set up your Project
Paste your adapted instructions into the Project instructions field. Upload the template and short design rules, plus any approved assets the template needs.
6. Test with a different source
Start a fresh chat in the Project. Test the template with different content, such as a comparison with longer labels. Give the audience and purpose, review the plan, then build. Check that the content and notes come from the new source, the layouts and logos carry over, and the text is editable. If something fails, correct the file responsible and try that slide again.
What to check: open and edit the samples, then test a fresh source in step 6.
What to save: the template PPTX, one-page design rules and adapted Project instructions.
When to use it: You want to explore a reusable package of instructions and assets. This is optional; skills are the focus of Lesson 5.
What to attach: Your reviewed plan and an enabled skill. See the notes below.
Optional skill example, setup and prompts
A skill is a set of instructions an AI can use whenever it recognizes a particular job. It can be as small as one text file. It can also include materials the AI needs to do the job, such as logos, example layouts or a script that builds the finished file.
Claude already comes with a PowerPoint skill. With file creation enabled, asking Claude to make a PowerPoint is enough for it to use that skill. That’s one reason even your baseline deck can look polished before you’ve given Claude any design instructions of your own. How Claude uses skills
Make your own. A first skill can be small. Describe one job you want done consistently and ask Claude or ChatGPT to draft the instructions. For example:
Copy prompt · Draft your own skill
Help me create a Claude skill for my recurring project updates. I’ll supply the slide content. Use my colours and fonts, keep the decision I need from the group visible on the final slide, and put background detail in the speaker notes. Ask me for any preferences you still need. Draft the SKILL.md file in plain language and package it for upload to Claude.
Read the instructions it produces before using the skill. If a trial misses something, revise the relevant instruction and try again.
Next lesson: Lesson 5 focuses on using existing skills and creating one of your own.
What to check: try a second source in a fresh conversation and check that the intended rules carry over.
What to save: the skill package and a note about any limitations you found.
