How to make a presentation with AI (from blank page to finished slides)

Brief the AI like a speechwriter

Most bland decks come from a one-line request. Spend two minutes on the brief: who is listening, what you want them to do afterwards, and how long you have.

I need to give a presentation. Help me plan it.
Topic: [topic]
Audience: [who, what they already know, what they care about]
Goal: after the talk, I want them to [decide / approve / learn / buy / change something]
Length: [minutes], so about [1 slide per minute] slides
Setting: [live meeting / video call / sent as a file to read alone]
Before you start, ask me up to 3 questions that would make this presentation more convincing.

Answer its questions. They usually surface the facts that make a talk specific instead of generic.

Get a slide-by-slide outline, not slides

Ask for the structure and the words first. It's much faster to fix an outline than a finished design.

Create a slide-by-slide outline. For each slide give:
- Slide title written as the takeaway (a full sentence, e.g. "Late invoices cost us 9 hours a week", not "Invoices")
- Up to 3 short bullets (under 10 words each)
- A visual idea (chart, photo, diagram, screenshot, or none)
- Speaker notes: what I'll actually say, 40-80 words
Structure: hook, the problem, what we found, the recommendation, next steps.
Use only facts I've given you. Where a number or example is needed, write [ADD DATA] instead of making one up.

The [ADD DATA] instruction matters. Without it, assistants often fill gaps with plausible-sounding statistics that aren't real.

Tighten the story

Read only the slide titles in order. If they don't tell the whole story on their own, fix that before anything else.

Review this outline as a tough audience member.
1. Read just the titles in order: do they tell a clear story? Rewrite any that don't.
2. Which slides could be cut or merged without losing anything?
3. What objection or question will people have, and where should I answer it?
4. Suggest a stronger opening line for the first 15 seconds.

Build the slides

You have four options. Pick the one that matches the tools you already use.

Whichever you choose, keep the takeaway titles from Step 2. They are what makes the deck readable.

Turn this outline into slide text I can paste into [PowerPoint / Google Slides / Canva].
For each slide output: the title on one line, then the bullets. Put the speaker notes separately under "Notes:".
Keep every title under 12 words.

Add visuals that are true

• Charts: build them from your real numbers in your spreadsheet or slide app. You can ask AI which chart type fits ("bar, line or table for monthly sales by region?"), but never let it supply the data. Our AI for Excel and Google Sheets guide shows how to get formulas and summaries from real data.
• Images: AI image tools are good for concept illustrations and backgrounds. See AI image generation for beginners, and don't use generated images of real people or products as if they were photos.
• Less text: if a slide has more than about 30 words, move the rest into the speaker notes.

Rehearse with AI as your audience

Here are my slides and speaker notes: [paste]
1. Estimate how long this takes to say out loud at a normal pace, slide by slide.
2. Ask me the 5 hardest questions this audience is likely to ask, one at a time, and give feedback on each answer I type.
3. Point out any jargon my audience might not know.

Then rehearse out loud at least once with a timer. Reading the notes word for word sounds flat; use them as a safety net.

Quick checklist before you present

• Every number, name and date is from your own source, and every [ADD DATA] is filled in.
• Titles alone tell the story.
• One idea per slide, readable from the back of the room (or on a phone screen for video calls).
• Company or client confidential details weren't pasted into a tool your organization hasn't approved.

To write prompts like these for any task, see the 5-part prompt formula. If you're turning a long report into a deck, start with how to summarize a long PDF with AI.