PowerPoint: Build Decks That Actually Get People to Care

Use This SkillMaster All Skills in Our Bootcamp
Official Anthropic skill on GitHub

PowerPoint

Summary

Board meeting tomorrow. You've got bullet points, data, and zero design instincts. You know what's coming: death by bullet point, slides that read like documents, hours lost moving text boxes.

Instead, describe your audience and message. Claude turns your messy notes into a structured deck that makes your point without making eyes glaze over.

Stop decorating slides. Start building arguments.

Structure your story

Hand over your bullet points. Claude restructures them into a narrative arc—opening hook, supporting evidence, clear ask.

Turn data into insights

Got numbers in a spreadsheet? Claude builds slides that show the trend, make the comparison, and answer "so what?" on every slide.

Get feedback first

Drop in a rough draft. Claude flags slides doing too much, points that need proof, and transitions that don't flow.

Pros

  • Turn messy notes into structured narratives in minutes, not hours
  • Get strategic feedback on flow and messaging before your audience does
  • Transform data into visual stories that executives actually follow
  • Build decks designed for your specific audience and goal
  • Speaker notes, transitions, and timing built in
  • Official Anthropic skill with presentation intelligence

Cons

  • Complex custom animations and transitions need final polish in PowerPoint
  • Brand-specific templates work best when you provide examples or guidelines
  • Highly visual presentations (photography-heavy, minimal text) benefit from your final design eye

How to Use PowerPoint Skill

Skill command:
1

Install the Skill

Install via the plugin marketplace, or download the skill file directly. Skills auto-activate when relevant—no manual invocation needed.

Option 1: Plugin Marketplace
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills
/plugin install document-skills@anthropic-agent-skills
Option 2: Direct Download
curl -o .claude/skills/pptx.md https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anthropics/skills/main/skills/pptx/SKILL.md
2

Describe Your Presentation

Tell Claude about your presentation. Be specific about your audience and goal. Claude will build a compelling, structured deck tailored to your needs.

Example Prompt
Create a board presentation on Q4 results. 15 minutes, skeptical audience. Need to justify increased marketing spend while revenue dipped.
3

Provide Your Content

Share your data, notes, or existing slides. The more context, the better the output. Claude works with what you have.

Example Prompt
/pptx Here are my rough notes and the sales data CSV. Turn this into a 10-slide investor update that ends with a clear ask for Series B.
4

Iterate Until It Lands

Review the structure and messaging. Ask for changes. Claude remembers context and refines until it hits.

Example Prompt
Slide 3 is too dense. Break the competitive analysis into two slides. Make the pricing comparison visual, not a table.
5

Export and Polish

Get your content in a format you can use. Claude can output slide-by-slide content, speaker notes, or full PPTX files.

Example Prompt
Export this as a PPTX file. Add speaker notes for each slide with my talking points.

Example Prompts

Real-world scenarios showing how to use PowerPoint effectively

Scenario: Exploring different angles before committing

Your Prompt

/pptx Before we build the full deck, show me 3 different ways to structure a pitch for our project management tool. Give each approach a name and one-sentence hook so I can pick a direction.

Expected Outcome

Claude presents distinct narrative strategies—maybe "Problem-Solution," "Day in the Life," and "Before/After"—each with a preview. You choose, then Claude builds.

Scenario: Last-minute board deck

Your Prompt

/pptx I have a board meeting in 4 hours. Here are my notes on our pivot strategy. Build a 12-slide deck that addresses why we're changing direction, what we learned, the new opportunity, and why the board should stay confident. Anticipate their skepticism.

Expected Outcome

A structured narrative that acknowledges the pivot, frames it as learning, and builds to a confident forward vision. Slides designed for discussion, not death by bullets.

Scenario: Sales pitch overhaul

Your Prompt

/pptx Our sales deck has a 15% close rate. Here it is. Rip it apart: what's wrong with the flow, where do we lose people, what's missing? Then rebuild it to close.

Expected Outcome

Specific critique of the current deck—weak opening, buried value prop, no social proof—followed by a restructured version that leads with impact.

Scenario: Data-heavy presentation

Your Prompt

/pptx I have 6 months of customer churn data. Create a presentation for the leadership team that explains what's happening, why, and what we should do about it. Make the data tell a story, not just sit in charts.

Expected Outcome

A narrative deck that opens with the business impact, walks through the data with clear visualizations, identifies root causes, and closes with prioritized recommendations.

Scenario: Conference talk from scratch

Your Prompt

/pptx I'm speaking at a marketing conference on "Why Your Brand Voice Is Killing Your Conversions." 25 minutes, practitioner audience. Build a deck that's memorable, not forgettable. Include places for audience interaction.

Expected Outcome

An engaging presentation structure with a provocative opening, real examples, interactive moments, and a clear takeaway. Speaker notes included.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Claude can generate PPTX files with slides, text, basic formatting, and speaker notes. For complex layouts or custom animations, you may want to refine in PowerPoint after.
Those tools help with design. Claude helps with thinking. It structures your argument, identifies weak points, and builds a narrative arc. The result is a deck that persuades, not just a deck that looks nice.
Yes. Drop in your current slides and ask for feedback, restructuring, or a complete overhaul. Claude analyzes what you have and suggests improvements or rebuilds from your content.
Claude can follow brand guidelines and template structures if you describe them or provide examples. For pixel-perfect brand compliance, apply your template in PowerPoint after Claude builds the content.
A solid first draft of a 15-slide deck takes 5-10 minutes of conversation. Iteration adds time, but you're editing a draft, not staring at a blank screen. Most users save 2-3 hours per major presentation.
Claude can recommend chart types, structure data for visualization, and describe what each chart should show. For complex interactive charts, you'll finalize in PowerPoint or Excel.

Master PowerPoint and 70+ More Skills

Join our AI Essentials Bootcamp and learn hands-on in just 5 hours.

Enroll Now