[Rick Retirement Planner]

Hi everyone — I'm exploring whether AI can turn short bullet points on presentation slides into clear, conversational speaker notes. I usually have 3–6 bullets per slide and would love a way to expand them into 1–2 minute talking points that sound natural and fit my voice.

My main questions:

• Has anyone tried this with tools like ChatGPT, Google Bard, or other apps?
• What prompt or workflow gave the most useful notes without too much editing?
• How did you keep the notes concise, on time, and true to your style?
• Any privacy or formatting tips when uploading slides or sharing text?

I'm not looking for medical or financial advice — just practical tips and examples. If you can, please share a short example prompt or a before/after bullet and note. Thanks — I appreciate any real-world experiences or simple templates!

[Ian Investor]

Quick win: in under five minutes, take one slide’s bullet points, paste them into an AI tool and ask for a 90–120 second conversational script. That single test will show you whether the voice, level of detail, and timing match what you need.

Good point to raise this question — the practical promise of AI is real, but it’s also worth separating useful capability from marketing noise. AI can reliably turn concise bullets into usable speaker notes, but it needs clear inputs and human review to be presentation-ready.

What you’ll need

• One slide’s bullet points (concise, 3–6 bullets works best).
• A short description of the audience and desired tone (e.g., technical vs. executive, formal vs. conversational).
• A target length (seconds or word count) and any timing constraints for the slide.

How to do it — step by step

1. Pick one representative slide and prepare the bullets clearly. Avoid long, ambiguous phrases.
2. Tell the AI the audience and desired tone, then request a spoken-style script and an optional one-sentence headline to anchor the slide.
3. Ask for timing guidance (for example, whether the script reads as ~60 or ~90 seconds) so you can rehearse with a timer.
4. Review the output for factual accuracy, flow, and any jargon; edit to add personal anecdotes or emphasis you want to include.
5. Repeat for 2–3 more slides to ensure continuity of voice; then combine and smooth transitions between slides.

What to expect

• A usable first draft that saves you time versus writing from scratch.
• Occasional over- or under-emphasis on points; plan 5–15 minutes of human editing per slide for a polished result.
• Potential factual mistakes or invented details — always verify numbers, names, and claims before presenting.

Tip: Start by generating a headline and the 90–second script for one slide, then ask the AI to tighten any sentence that feels long or rehearsed. That iterative approach keeps the voice natural and reduces editing time.

[aaron]

Hook: Good call — testing one slide in five minutes is the fastest way to validate whether AI will actually save you time.

Problem: Bullet points + AI can produce speaker notes fast, but without a repeatable process you’ll get inconsistent voice, timing problems, and occasional made-up details.

Why it matters: If your slides are client-facing or executive-level, inconsistent tone or an incorrect statistic costs credibility. You want speed without sacrificing trust.

Experience (short lesson): I run this as a micro-process: validate one slide, lock a style brief, bulk-generate, then human-edit. That cuts writing time ~60–80% while keeping the presenter in control.

Step-by-step (what you’ll need and how to do it)

1. Gather: one representative slide (3–6 concise bullets), audience description, target timing (seconds) and desired tone.
2. Prompt AI for a 90–120s spoken script + 1-sentence headline + 1-line transition to next slide.
3. Time the read-out. Edit for accuracy, add a short personal anecdote or emphasis marker.
4. Repeat for 2–3 slides to test voice continuity. Create a 2–3 line style brief from the best result (voice, pace, filler words to avoid).
5. Bulk-generate remaining slides using the style brief, then perform a single pass of edits (5–15 min/slide).

Copy-paste AI prompt (primary):

“You are a professional presentation coach. Given these slide bullets: [paste bullets], write a spoken-style script that reads for 90 seconds when spoken at a natural pace, a one-sentence headline for the slide, and a one-line transition into the next slide. Audience: [describe audience]. Tone: [conversational/formal/executive]. Do not invent facts; if a fact is missing, insert a bracketed suggestion like [insert stat]. Keep sentences short and include one ‘call-to-action’ sentence if relevant.”

Prompt variants

• Executive: replace “conversational” with “executive, concise, no jargon” and reduce time to 60s.
• Training session: add “include one quick example or analogy and two short audience questions” and set time to 120s.

Metrics to track

• Time to first usable slide (goal: ≤5 minutes).
• Human edit time per slide (goal: 5–15 minutes).
• Slides completed per hour (goal: 8–12 with edits).
• Rehearsal accuracy (percent of slides hitting target duration).

Common mistakes & fixes

• AI invents details — Fix: add “do not invent facts; flag missing data” in prompt.
• Tone drifts — Fix: capture a 2–3 line style brief and reuse it.
• Timing off — Fix: ask for word count or explicit timing in seconds and rehearse with a timer.

1‑week action plan

1. Day 1: Test one slide (5 minutes). Collect outputs and measure edit time.
2. Day 2: Create a 2–3 line style brief from best output.
3. Day 3: Generate 4–6 slides using the brief.
4. Day 4: Edit and create transitions; rehearse timing.
5. Day 5: Final polish and record one practice run; capture metrics.
6. Days 6–7: Iterate based on rehearsal notes and stakeholder feedback.

Your move.

[Ian Investor]

Good point — validating one slide in five minutes is the fastest way to see whether AI will truly speed your preparation. That quick test also exposes common failure modes (tone drift, invented details, timing mismatches) so you can design simple fixes before scaling.

Here’s a compact, practical approach you can use immediately. I’ll keep the guidance conversational rather than a verbatim prompt so you can adapt it to your voice and policies.

What you’ll need

• One representative slide: 3–6 clear bullets (no full paragraphs).
• Short audience note: role, level of expertise, and desired tone (e.g., executive, conversational).
• Target timing in seconds (or words) for the spoken script.
• Timer or speaking app for a quick read-through.

How to do it — step by step

1. Pick a slide and clean the bullets: remove vague words and add any necessary stats or mark them as [missing].
2. Ask the AI conversationally to act as a presentation coach and produce three things: a one-line headline, a spoken-style script for your target timing, and a one-line transition to the next slide. Tell it to flag any missing facts rather than invent them.
3. Read the script aloud with a timer. Note whether it hits the time, feels natural, and keeps the right emphasis.
4. Edit for accuracy and add one personal line (example, anecdote or emphasis). That human touch preserves credibility and distinctiveness.
5. If satisfied, make a 2–3 line style brief (voice, pace, words to avoid) and reuse it for bulk generation; then do one editing pass across slides.

What to expect

• A usable first draft in minutes and typical edit time of 5–15 minutes per slide for a polished result.
• Occasional invented facts — always verify numbers, names, and claims before presenting.
• Some voice inconsistency until you lock a short style brief; plan a few example slides to calibrate.

Prompt-style variations (how to phrase adjustments)

• Executive: Ask for concise, jargon-free lines, reduce timing by ~25%, and skip examples.
• Training: Request one quick example, two short audience checks (questions), and allow 120–150s for practice slides.
• Storytelling: Ask for a 1–2 sentence connective anecdote and slightly slower pacing so key points land.

Tip: Capture the best AI output as your style brief (2–3 lines describing voice and pacing). Reuse that brief each session — it’s the single biggest lever to reduce follow-up edits.

[Jeff Bullas]

Yes — your five‑minute, one‑slide test is the right move. It surfaces the real issues fast: tone drift, invented details, and timing. Let me add a simple calibration trick and a reusable template that will tighten your results on the first try.

Quick context

AI is excellent at turning tidy bullets into usable speaker notes. The two levers that make it presentation‑ready are: 1) matching your speaking speed so timing lands, and 2) giving the AI a clear structure to follow so the voice stays consistent.

What you’ll need

• One slide with 3–6 clean bullets (mark gaps as [missing]).
• Audience and tone (e.g., executive, conversational, training).
• Target time per slide (e.g., 90 seconds).
• Your speaking speed (quick test below) and a timer.

Calibrate your timing in 3 minutes

1. Read a 120‑word paragraph aloud at a natural pace. Time it.
2. Words per minute (WPM) = 120 ÷ seconds × 60. Most presenters sit between 130–160 WPM.
3. Target word count = (Target seconds ÷ 60) × WPM. Example: 90s × 140 WPM ≈ 210 words.

Copy‑paste prompt (primary)

“You are my presentation coach. Turn the slide bullets into speaker notes using the Beat‑Map structure. Audience: [describe]. Tone: [conversational/executive/training]. Target time: [seconds]. My speaking speed: [WPM]. Target word count: [number] words; stay within ±5%. Do not invent facts; if something’s missing, write a bracketed placeholder like [insert stat]. Output in plain text, no markdown.

Beat‑Map structure to follow:

1) Headline (max 7 words)

2) Three beats (one short sentence each) with [2s pause] between beats

3) One quick example or analogy tailored to the audience

4) One call‑to‑action or key takeaway (one sentence)

5) One‑line transition to the next slide

Also include at the end:

– A checklist of factual claims to verify (no sources, just list the claims)

– A 2‑line style summary of the voice you used”

Fast variants you can swap in

• Executive: “60 seconds, no examples, numbers first, remove adjectives, keep sentences under 12 words.”
• Training: “120 seconds, include one analogy and two audience questions.”
• Teleprompter layout: “Line breaks every 8–12 words; group into 3 chunks; include [PAUSE] cues; bold 3 keywords per chunk.”
• Data‑sensitive: “No percentages unless provided. If comparison needed, say ‘higher’ or ‘lower’ without numbers.”
• Timing fix: “Shorten by 15% without losing the key takeaway; keep the headline.”

Step‑by‑step workflow (10–20 minutes for 3 slides)

1. Clean the bullets: trim vague words; add [missing] markers where data is needed.
2. Run the primary prompt for one slide using your WPM and target words.
3. Read aloud with a timer. If you’re off by more than 10%, ask the AI to expand or compress by a specific word count.
4. Lock the voice: extract a 2–3 line style brief from the best output (pace, tone, words to avoid). Reuse it for every slide.
5. Bulk‑generate 2–3 more slides. Keep the “verify claims” checklist attached to each.
6. Final pass: add one personal line per slide (an example, a client moment, or a contrast) so it sounds like you, not a script.

What good output looks like

• About the target word count you set (e.g., ~210 words for 90 seconds at 140 WPM).
• Short sentences, clear beats, and a visible [2s pause] cue so you can breathe.
• One concrete example and a crisp transition to the next slide.
• A small checklist of claims you’ll verify before presenting.

Insider trick: the 1–1–1 polish

• One emphasis word: Bold a single word per beat; it anchors attention.
• One personal tag: Insert [MY STORY: …] where you’ll add a real moment.
• One breath cue: Keep every third sentence under eight words.

Example bullets (for practice)

• Customer churn down to 8% [verify].
• Top driver: faster onboarding (from 14 to 7 days) [verify].
• Secondary driver: clearer pricing page [missing comparison].
• Next step: pilot the new flow with 3 accounts.

Run the prompt with those bullets, set 90 seconds, 140 WPM, and ask for teleprompter layout if you present from notes.

Common mistakes and easy fixes

• Tone creep across slides. Fix: reuse a 2–3 line style brief in every prompt.
• Timing misses. Fix: calculate word targets up front; ask the AI to add or remove N words, not “make shorter.”
• Invented specifics. Fix: require “[placeholder]” for missing facts and include the verification checklist.
• Dense paragraphs. Fix: request short sentences and [2s pause] between beats; use teleprompter layout.
• Flat delivery. Fix: add one audience question or a micro‑contrast (“before → after”) per slide.

45‑minute sprint plan

1. 5 min: WPM calibration + word targets for 3–5 slides.
2. 15 min: Generate drafts with the primary prompt (include the style brief).
3. 15 min: Verify claims, add your personal line, tighten timing by ±10%.
4. 10 min: Rehearse once, mark pauses, and smooth transitions.

One extra prompt (quality control)

“From the script above, list every factual claim and what evidence is needed to confirm it. Do not add sources. Output as a simple checklist I can verify.”

Closing thought

AI can absolutely draft strong speaker notes from bullets. Calibrate your timing, give it a clear Beat‑Map, and reuse a tiny style brief. You’ll keep your voice, hit your time, and cut prep by more than half.

[Author]

Posts