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Creating Presentations

Outcome: You'll create slide decks efficiently using Claude Code.

The ASCII Trick​

The problem: Going straight to PowerPoint means slow iteration. You make slides, realize the structure is wrong, remake them, repeat.

The solution: Design in text first.

The flow:

  1. Describe your presentation topic
  2. Ask Claude to sketch slides in ASCII (text diagrams)
  3. Iterate quickly in chat
  4. Once structure is right, ask Claude to generate PowerPoint

This separates the thinking (structure, content, flow) from the formatting (actual slides). Much faster.

Hands-On: Create a Slide Deck​

Step 1: Get the structure right in ASCII​

Tell Claude:

I need to create a presentation about [topic].

First, sketch out the slides in ASCII—show me the layout of each slide with placeholder text. Let's iterate on the structure before making the actual PowerPoint.

Claude will show you something like:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Slide 1: Title                     │
│  ─────────────────────              │
│  [Your Presentation Title]          │
│  [Subtitle / Your Name]             │
│  [Date]                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Slide 2: The Problem               │
│  ─────────────────────              │
│  • Bullet point about challenge     │
│  • Another pain point               │
│  • Third issue                      │
│                                     │
│  [Optional: simple diagram]         │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Step 2: Iterate on the structure​

This is the fast part. Just say things like:

  • "Move slide 3 before slide 2"
  • "Add more detail to the intro slide"
  • "The problem section needs 2 slides, not 1"
  • "Add a slide for Q&A at the end"
  • "Cut the agenda slide—go straight to the problem"

Each iteration takes seconds in text. In PowerPoint, each would take minutes.

Step 3: Generate the actual PowerPoint​

When happy with the structure:

Great, now create the actual PowerPoint file.

Apply [brand name] brand guidelines if you have them, or use clean professional styling.

Save to: [paste output path]

Claude will generate a .pptx file you can open and refine.

Common Presentation Types​

Status Update​

I need a 5-slide status update for [project].

Here's what happened this week: [paste notes path]

Structure:
- Title slide
- What we accomplished
- What's in progress
- Blockers/risks
- Next week's focus

Sketch in ASCII first.

Proposal/Pitch​

I need a pitch deck for [proposal].

Here's our research: [paste path]
Here's the client's requirements: [paste path]

Structure:
- Hook slide (the problem)
- Our solution
- How it works (3 slides)
- Results/proof points
- Next steps

Start with ASCII sketches.

Training/Educational​

I need a training presentation on [topic].

Structure:
- Overview (what we'll cover)
- Concept 1 with examples
- Concept 2 with examples
- Concept 3 with examples
- Practice exercise
- Key takeaways

Make it visual—more diagrams, fewer bullet points. Sketch first.

Pro Tips​

TipWhy It Matters
Always ASCII first10x faster to iterate on structure in text
One idea per slideSlides should reinforce, not replace, your talking points
Request diagrams"Make this visual" produces better slides
Keep text minimalIf you're reading slides aloud, there's too much text
Iterate in chunks"Show me slides 3-5 again" is faster than reviewing all