| name | presentation-factory-speaker-notes |
| description | Generates or refines speaker notes for every slide in 10_Content.md. Each slide gets 3-5 sentences the presenter can use as a teleprompter — not the body copy read aloud, but the framing the body copy doesn't include. Runs after content drafting and before composition.
|
| type | skill |
| plugin | presentation-factory |
| tags | ["type/skill","plugin/presentation-factory","scope/specialty","topic/speaker-notes"] |
| status | active |
When to invoke
Called from the Draft stage orchestrator after the slide content is drafted. Speaker notes are part of 10_Content.md from initial draft, but this skill exists to:
- Generate notes if they were skipped during initial drafting
- Refine notes that are too thin / too verbose / too repetitive of the slide body
Also re-runs at compose time to ensure every slide has a notes block (since the PPTX export needs them).
Required context
Foundations: ../../references/presentation-factory-foundations.md. Brand patterns: ../../references/slalom-brand-patterns.md.
What good speaker notes look like
Speaker notes are NOT:
- The slide title read aloud
- The body copy read aloud
- A bullet list of "what to say"
- A monologue (>200 words) the presenter has to memorize
Speaker notes ARE:
- 3-5 sentences a presenter can glance at and recover the thread
- The framing — why this slide is here, what the audience should leave knowing
- A transition to the next slide (often the last sentence)
- Specific evidence the presenter can cite when asked
Structure per slide
**Speaker notes**:
[1-2 sentences: what this slide is doing in the deck's arc — why now?]
[1-2 sentences: the specific point — backed by a number, name, or evidence if relevant]
[1 sentence: transition to next slide — "Which raises the question we're going to spend the next ten minutes on…"]
Total length target: 60-120 words. Under 50 is thin; over 150 is a monologue.
Style
- First person plural ("we"): same as the slide voice
- Plainspoken: no consultant filler ("elevate," "leverage," "unlock," "seamless")
- Specific: name the company, the number, the date. Anchor every claim.
- Conversational: would feel natural said aloud at a normal pace
Generation pattern
For each slide in 10_Content.md:
- Read the slide's title, body, and any other content slots
- Identify the slide's purpose from the arc position (opener, context-setter, evidence, ask, etc.)
- Draft notes following the 3-part structure above
- Apply
consulting:consulting-humanize to strip any AI tells
- Apply
brand:brand-voice-tone to ensure register matches brand voice
Per-template guidance
| Template | Notes emphasis |
|---|
| 01-title | The mission/objective for this conversation. Why we're here. One sentence on what success looks like for the next 30/60 min. |
| 02-section-divider | What this section is going to do. Transition from the last section. |
| 03-agenda | Time check. Acknowledge what we'll cover and what we won't. |
| 04-thank-you | Restate the ask. Offer a clear next step. |
| 06-one-col-text | The body is dense — notes guide the presenter to which parts to lean on vs. which to skip if pressed for time. |
| 12-pull-quote | Context for the quote. Who said it, when, why it lands. The quote itself doesn't need re-reading. |
| 13-big-stat | The stat is the slide. Notes explain what it means and what it doesn't mean. |
| 17-framework-2x2 | Walk the four quadrants briefly. Land on where the recommendation falls and why. |
| 22-case-study | Tell the story. What changed. What the team did. What the stats represent. |
| 23-pricing | Frame the investment as a function of the outcome. Anticipate the pushback. |
| 24-roadmap | Where you are. Where you're going. The risks at each phase. |
Output
Inline into 10_Content.md — each slide block ends with a **Speaker notes**: block.
Anti-patterns
- Don't restate the title in the notes
- Don't use bullet lists in notes — sentences only (presenters glance, they don't read)
- Don't write notes longer than 150 words — if it needs that much, the slide is doing too little
- Don't include "say:" or "remember to:" — write declarative notes the presenter just absorbs
- Don't use jargon the audience won't recognize without the slide visible
