ppt-maker

name	ppt-maker
description	Build branded PowerPoint decks (.pptx) for pitches, internal updates, sales decks, customer QBRs, board updates, conference talks using the Pyramid Principle and SCQA framework (Barbara Minto, The Minto Pyramid Principle). Every deck starts with the answer - conclusion on slide 2, evidence after. Slide titles are conclusions, not topics. Use when the user asks for a deck, presentation, slides, pitch deck, sales deck, board deck, QBR, "make slides for X", or "build a presentation". Uses templates/ for brand assets. Generates structured slide content with speaker notes. For the narrative content of the deck, see thought-leadership-writer or campaign-brief. For a case study slide, see case-study-writer.
metadata	{"grounded_in":["Pyramid Principle - Minto"],"reads":["knowledge/brand/voice.md","knowledge/brand/visual.md","knowledge/markets/positioning.md","knowledge/services/","templates/"],"writes":["output/ppt/"]}

ppt-maker

Builds .pptx decks using the brand template, with structured slide content and speaker notes. Applies the Pyramid Principle (Barbara Minto) - the top of the pyramid is the one answer, below it are the supporting arguments, below each argument is the evidence. State the conclusion first, then prove it.

Framework: Pyramid Principle and SCQA

The Pyramid Principle

Ideas form a pyramid. The deck title is the one overarching recommendation or answer. Below it are 3-5 supporting arguments (the sections). Below each argument is the data and evidence that proves it.

Top-down rule: state the conclusion first, then prove it. Never build to a reveal. Never make the audience wait for the answer.

SCQA Structure

Complete this before building any slide:

SITUATION: what the audience already knows and accepts as true. Sets the context. COMPLICATION: what changed, what went wrong, what tension exists. Creates the "so what?" QUESTION: the question the complication raises in the audience's mind. ANSWER: the deck answers this question. State it on slide 2 or 3 - before any evidence.

The SCQA opening creates immediate relevance. The audience understands WHY they're in this meeting before seeing the first data slide.

Action Titles (Slide-Level Pyramid Principle)

• Slide title = the conclusion of that slide (not the topic)
• BAD: "Q3 Results"
• GOOD: "Q3 pipeline missed by 22% due to top-of-funnel drop"
• Maximum 3 supporting points per slide. If you need more than 3, you have two slides.
• The audience should be able to read only the slide titles and understand the full argument.

Pyramid Check

Deck title -> section titles -> slide titles must form a coherent argument. Test: read only the titles in order. Does the argument hold? If not, the structure is wrong.

When to use

• "Build a pitch deck for X"
• "Make a sales deck for "
• "Draft slides for the board update"
• "Create a customer QBR deck"
• "Turn this article into a 10-slide presentation"

Deck types this skill handles

Type	Slide count	Structure
Pitch deck (investor)	10-12	Sequoia format: problem, solution, market, model, traction, team, ask
Sales deck	8-12	Hook, problem, agitate, solution, proof, pricing, next step
Board deck	12-20	KPIs, wins, misses, asks, plan
QBR (customer)	6-10	Recap, results, learnings, plan, asks
Conference talk	15-30	Hook, framework, evidence, application, takeaway
Internal update	5-10	Goal, progress, blockers, next steps

Inputs needed

• Deck type (from table above) or "custom"
• Audience and goal: who is this for, what action should they take after?
• Source material: notes, document, article, data points, or "build from scratch"
• Length: number of slides (default per type)
• Brand template: confirm templates/<brand>.pptx exists. If not, ask the user to drop one in.

Process

1. Load context. Read knowledge/brand/voice.md (for slide copy) and knowledge/brand/visual.md (for color, type, image style references). Read knowledge/markets/positioning.md for any positioning slides. Confirm a .pptx template exists in templates/.

2. Complete the SCQA pre-work. Before touching slides:

   SITUATION: [what the audience already knows]
   COMPLICATION: [what changed or what the tension is]
   QUESTION: [what the complication makes the audience ask]
   ANSWER: [the one-sentence answer the deck delivers]
   

   The ANSWER becomes the deck title. The deck is the proof for that answer.

3. Pyramid check. Draft the deck structure as a pyramid:

   DECK TITLE (= the Answer from SCQA)
   ├── Section 1: [supporting argument 1]
   │   ├── Slide: [conclusion that proves argument 1]
   │   └── Slide: [conclusion that proves argument 1]
   ├── Section 2: [supporting argument 2]
   │   └── Slide: [conclusion that proves argument 2]
   └── Section 3: [supporting argument 3]
       └── Slide: [conclusion that proves argument 3]
   

   Read the titles top to bottom. Does the argument hold without the body content? If not, restructure.

4. Outline first. Show the user the slide-by-slide outline as a numbered list, with action titles:

   1. Title slide: [deck title = the SCQA Answer]
   2. The answer: [SCQA Answer restated as the key recommendation - slide 2, before evidence]
   3. [Section 1 header: argument 1]
   4. [Slide title = conclusion of slide 4]
   ...
   

   Wait for the user to confirm or edit before building the file.

5. Build the deck. For each slide, generate:

   • Slide title (action title - the conclusion, 5-9 words, sentence case)
   • Body content (3 supporting points max OR one big number OR one pull quote OR one diagram description)
   • Speaker notes (2-4 sentences, what the presenter says out loud)
   • Visual recommendation (the visual type: "screenshot of dashboard", "chart: bar, MRR by month", "icon grid: 4 logos")

6. Use python-pptx to write the file. Pseudocode the script if you do not have execution access; otherwise run it. The script should:

   • Open templates/<brand>.pptx as the base
   • Add slides using existing layouts (Title, Title+Content, Section Header, etc.)

Building the file

Use python-pptx inline:

from pptx import Presentation
from pathlib import Path

template = Path("templates") / "brand.pptx"
prs = Presentation(str(template))
# Use existing layouts, do not create new ones
title_layout = prs.slide_layouts[0]
content_layout = prs.slide_layouts[1]
# ... add slides
prs.save("output/ppt/DD-MM-YYYY-deck-name.pptx")

Rules

• Never put a slide together without first completing the SCQA and showing the user the outline.
• Never use the default PowerPoint theme. If no template is in templates/, stop and ask the user to drop one in.
• Speaker notes are not optional. A deck without notes is half-done.
• Slide titles are conclusions, not topics. If a title does not contain a verb or a clear claim, it is a topic label - rewrite it.
• Every number on every slide must come from the user or a named source file. No exceptions, no deck type. This previously covered pitch decks only, which left the two most dangerous cases open: a customer QBR and a board deck. An invented adoption percentage on slide 6 of a QBR is discovered live, in the room, by the customer whose data it claims to describe.
• If a number is missing, put [NEEDS INPUT: <what>] on the slide itself, not a plausible placeholder. A placeholder that looks like data will ship.
• Before building, list every figure that will appear and where each came from. Show that list to the user and get confirmation. This takes a minute and it is the difference between a deck that survives the room and one that does not.
• Never derive a number by inference ("roughly 30% based on typical adoption"). Either it was measured or it is [NEEDS INPUT]. Do not pull from old knowledge/kpis.md without confirming they are current.
• "What does the audience need to DO?" must be answerable from the deck title alone. If it is not, the deck title is wrong.

Verify the file, do not just claim it

python-pptx fails quietly. Layout indices differ per template, branded templates often lack a body placeholder in the layout the script picks, and overflowing text is dropped without an error. "Deck built" is a claim about the script running, not about the deck being usable.

After writing the file, re-open it and assert:

1. Slide count matches the approved outline
2. Every slide has a non-empty title, and every intended body placeholder actually received text
3. No text string was silently truncated: compare the character count written against the source
4. The template's own theme is present, not the default Office theme
5. Report the file path and size

If you cannot execute code, say so plainly and label the output "script generated, NOT verified, open it before sending". Never report a deck as built on the basis of a script you did not run.

What this skill cannot verify

• Whether text overflows its placeholder visually. That needs a human to open the file
• Whether the brand template's fonts are installed on the recipient's machine
• Whether any figure on a slide is current, since it can only use what it was given

Related skills

• /campaign-brief and /kpi-review produce the content and numbers a deck presents
• /case-study-writer for a customer-story slide with real structure
• /thought-leadership-writer for the narrative spine of a conference talk
• /copy-review to tighten slide copy before it is built