After setting up an identity file and somewhat inspired by Nufar Gaspar and a blog post on a language skill from Mike Caulfield, I thought my next step would be setting up a skill around my presentation style. For coaching and development, I create presentations and outlines frequently. I have found that both Gemini (in Presentations) and Claude tend towards high word count and few images.
I have found this not helpful at all – close in terms of some content suggestions – but far in terms of how and what I actually want to present. A stopgap is the “Simple Slides” gem that Eric Curts created. However, even these presentations struggle to look professional, clean, and focused.
I thought a skill would be the best step forward. My initial prompt drew on three sources. Presentation Zen is the best book on presenting design that I’ve read. Patrick Wilson’s tips are helpful in conceiving of the whole presentation (even if geared less towards information conveyance than pitching). Lastly, I found an article/reference for minimalist design that best described my style. Here is the prompt:
Hey Claude – I want to build a new context document for use by Gemini, CoPilot, and Claude. I want it focused on my presentation style and slide design. I want to draw from three primary sources:
(1) Presentation Zen (2) Patrick Winston’s lecture on How to Speak (3) The minimalist design tips in this article: [Minimalist Slide Design: 8 Tips For Cleaner Presentations](https://pitchworx.com/minimalist-slide-design-8-tips-for-cleaner-presentations/)
What is my next step to get this synthesized into a reference doc or skill for AI to use effectively?
Rather than work on setting up the skill directly, I thought that Claude might be able to help move me forward. At the same time, I want this transferable to my work and google – where most of my presentations end up for accessibility and ease purposes.
The chat asked me to clarify whether these should be descriptive or prescriptive. I chose the later because I’d rather AI err on the side of prescriptive. It then generated a document that tweaked a bit. An added plus was that these presentation goals were put in the context of what I already present. The document is now a reference for Gemini and CoPilot. I then had Claude build the skill, upload, and it take it away.
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