Use ChatGPT for presentations in stages: first ask for the story and outline, then slide by slide text, then speaker notes, then likely audience questions. For visuals, ask ChatGPT to create images in a wide 16:9 shape so they fit your slides. Check every fact and number before you present.
The mistake most people make is asking for 'a presentation about X' in one go. You get a generic deck with ten bullets per slide. Break it into the stages a good presenter goes through, and ChatGPT becomes a sharp planning partner. Here are the prompts for each stage.
Stage 1: the story
Find the one message
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I'm presenting {topic} to {audience} for {length of talk}. What they care about most is {their priority}. Suggest three possible core messages in one sentence each, and tell me which is strongest and why.
Outline
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Using this core message: {message}, build a presentation outline with a strong opening, three main points with one example each, and a clear ending with one action I want the audience to take.
Stage 2: slide text
Slide by slide
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Turn this outline into slides. For each slide give a short headline that makes a point (not a topic label), no more than three short bullets, and a suggestion for a visual.
Cut the words
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This slide has too much text. Rewrite it as one headline sentence and one supporting visual idea. Move the rest into speaker notes.
A headline that makes a point ('Slow replies lose us repeat customers') beats a topic label ('Invoices') every time.
Stage 3: speaker notes
Notes I can speak
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Write speaker notes for each slide in a natural spoken style, as if I'm talking to colleagues. Short sentences, one story or example per main point, and a smooth line that links to the next slide.
Timing check
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Here are my speaker notes. Estimate how long each slide would take to say out loud at a relaxed pace and tell me where to cut to fit {length}.
Stage 4: questions and nerves
Tough questions
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Act as a sceptical member of {audience}. Ask me the eight hardest questions about this presentation, one at a time, and after each of my answers tell me how to make it clearer.
Opening lines
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Give me five different opening lines for this talk: a question, a surprising fact I'd need to verify, a short story, a bold statement and a 'picture this'. Keep each under two sentences.
Once your notes are written, add them to your slides so they're in front of you on the day; here's how to add speaker notes in Google Slides.
Stage 4b: make it fit the room
Adapt for a new audience
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Here's my presentation for {audience A}. Adapt it for {audience B}: change the examples, the vocabulary and the call to action, and tell me which slides to drop.
Make it shorter
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Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
I now have half the time. Keep the core message and the strongest example, and tell me exactly which slides to cut and what to say instead.
Presenters often forget that the same deck needs a different opening for a board than for a team meeting. These two prompts handle that in a minute.
Stage 5: images for your slides
OpenAI's help page says ChatGPT can generate images in any aspect ratio, either with the aspect ratio picker or by putting the ratio in your prompt, and it can add text to images or make the background transparent. For slides, ask for 16:9.
Title slide background
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Create a clean, minimal background image for a presentation title slide about {topic}, soft gradient in {brand colours}, plenty of empty space on the left for text, 16:9.
Concept illustration
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Create a simple flat illustration showing {idea}, white background, two or three colours only, no text, 16:9, suitable for a business slide.
Icon set
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Create a set of four matching simple line icons for {topics}, same style and thickness, transparent background.
ChatGPT's Images section also has templates for things like posters; if you want a starting point for a visual, browse Images then Templates.
Chart idea from my data
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Here's my data: {paste figures}. Suggest the single clearest chart type to show {the point} and write a one line headline for that slide. Don't change any numbers.
Build the chart itself in your spreadsheet or slide tool from your real figures. Asking ChatGPT only for the chart type and headline keeps your numbers safe from accidental changes.
What ChatGPT is good and bad at here
| Good at | Check carefully |
|---|---|
| Structure and story | Any statistic or quote it suggests |
| Shorter, clearer slide text | Names, dates and product details |
| Speaker notes in a spoken voice | Charts: build them from your real data |
| Practice questions | Spelling of any text inside images |
OpenAI's terms say output may not always be accurate and you must evaluate it before using or sharing it, so treat every figure as unconfirmed until you've checked it.
Turning it into slides
Once your text and notes are ready, paste them into your usual slide tool. If you'd rather a tool builds the deck, compare options in free AI presentation makers and the best AI presentation maker.
My advice
Spend most of your ChatGPT time on stage one. A presentation with one clear message and three good examples will land even with plain slides, and a beautiful deck with no point won't. Then use the tough questions prompt the night before; it's the closest thing to a rehearsal with a real audience.
Frequently asked questions
Can ChatGPT make a full presentation?
It can draft the outline, slide text, speaker notes and images, but you'll still assemble the slides in your presentation tool and check every fact.
What size should I ask for slide images?
Ask for 16:9. OpenAI says ChatGPT can create images in any aspect ratio using the picker or by stating the ratio in your prompt.
How do I stop ChatGPT filling slides with bullets?
Ask for a point-making headline and no more than three short bullets per slide, and move the rest into speaker notes.
Can I trust the statistics ChatGPT suggests?
No. OpenAI says output may not always be accurate, so verify every number from an original source before presenting.
