What This Agent Does
The Deck Agent transforms your ideas into polished, ABC-branded PowerPoint presentations. Whether you’re building a strategy deck, pitch presentation, or project review, simply prompt your requirements and the agent generates a complete storyline with slides. The agent learns from sample PPTs, follows ABC’s branding guidelines, and creates executive-ready presentations that would typically take hours of design work.
Time Savings: Create a 10-slide strategic deck in 5-10 minutes instead of 2-3 hours.
Key Capabilities:
✅ Strategy/pitch/project review deck generation from simple prompts
✅ Storyline creation that flows logically and persuasively
✅ ABC branding compliance (templates, colors, fonts automatically applied)
✅ Training on sample PPTs for style consistency across your organization
✅ Input from source files (Word docs, Excel data, PDFs) and natural language
✅ Workspace-level branding configuration for different departments
✅ Executive-ready output in minutes with iterative refinement
Getting Started
Step 1: Access the Agent
- Login to Cortx portal with ABC credentials
- Navigate to “Core Agents” → “Deck Creation Agent”
- Agent greets you: “What presentation would you like to create today?”
Step 2: Describe Your Presentation
Simple Starting Prompt:
Create a 10-slide business review presentation for Q4 2025 performance. Include: Executive Summary, Revenue Analysis, Key Wins, Challenges, Q1 2026 Priorities, and Budget Overview.
What Happens Next:
- Agent processes your request (10-20 seconds)
Generates complete presentation with ABC branding
Creates logical storyline and flow
Designs slides with professional layouts
Shows preview in interface
You can immediately download or continue refining
ABC-Specific Use Cases
Use Case 1: Quarterly Business Review (Strategy Deck)
Your Scenario: Present Q4 results to leadership by end of week
Prompt Template:
Create a quarterly business review presentation for Retail Banking Q4 2025.
Slides needed:
– Executive summary with key metrics
– Revenue vs. target analysis
– Top 3 accomplishments this quarter
– Challenges and mitigations
– Q1 2026 strategic priorities
– Budget allocation overview
– Team highlights and recognition
– Risk assessment
– Recommendations for leadership
– Q&A slide
Tone: Professional, data-driven
Audience: SVP and VP-level leadership
Length: 10-12 slides
Agent Output:
- Complete deck with logical flow
Professional layouts suitable for leadership
Placeholder charts you can populate with your data
ABC branded consistently
Consistent spacing and formatting
Speaker notes with talking points
Your Next Step: Add your specific data and metrics (5-10 minutes review)
Total Time: 15 minutes vs. 2-3 hours from scratch
Use Case 2: Project Proposal/Pitch Deck
Your Scenario: Pitching a new tech initiative requiring budget approval
Prompt Template:
Create a project proposal presentation for “Customer Data Platform Initiative.”
Include:
– Problem statement (current data fragmentation issues)
– Proposed solution overview
– Technical architecture (high-level)
– Benefits and ROI analysis
– Implementation timeline (6-month plan)
– Resource requirements
– Budget breakdown ($1.2M investment)
– Risk mitigation plan
– Success metrics and KPIs
– Approval request
Target: 12-15 slides
Audience: Finance & Tech leadership, CFO approval needed Tone: Business case focused, ROI-driven
Pro Tip: Upload your BRD or project plan document along with this prompt. The agent will extract key details automatically and incorporate them into slides.
Agent Output:
- Persuasive narrative arc (problem → solution → value → ask)
Business case clearly articulated
Financial analysis slide with ROI
Timeline visualization
Risk mitigation strategies
Clear call-to-action
Use Case 3: Client/Customer Presentation
Your Scenario: Pitch ABC’s wealth management services to prospective high-net-worth client
Prompt Template:
Create a client presentation for prospective wealth management customer.
Client context:
– High-net-worth individual ($5M+ assets)
– Age 50-60, planning for retirement
– Concerned about market volatility
– Values personalized service and proven track record
Slides:
– Welcome and agenda
– ABC Wealth Management overview
– Our investment philosophy
– Portfolio management approach
– Risk management strategies
– Performance track record (vs. benchmarks)
– Client success story (anonymized case study)
– Our team and their credentials
– Service model and client experience
– Fee structure (transparent)
– Next steps
Tone: Consultative, trustworthy, client-focused
Length: 12-15 slides
Emphasis: Build confidence and trust
Agent Output:
- Client-centric narrative (about their needs, not just our services)
Trust-building elements (credentials, track record, testimonials)
Professional, sophisticated design
Clear value proposition
Soft call-to-action
Use Case 4: Board/Investor Presentation
Your Scenario: Quarterly board meeting presentation
Prompt Template:
Create a board presentation for Q4 2025.
Sections:
– CEO opening remarks (key highlights)
– Financial performance (revenue, profit, margins vs. forecast)
– Strategic initiatives update (3 major initiatives)
– Market position and competitive landscape
– Risk dashboard (top 5 enterprise risks)
– Regulatory and compliance update
– Technology investments and digital transformation progress
– Talent and organization updates
– 2026 outlook and guidance
– Executive session topics
Audience: Board of Directors
Tone: Strategic, transparent, forward-looking
Length: 20-25 slides
Include: Appendix with detailed financial tables
Agent Output:
- Board-appropriate level of detail (strategic, not operational)
Clear executive summary
Data-heavy slides with clean visualization
Forward-looking perspective
Appendix for deep-dive questions
Use Case 5: Training/Workshop Materials
Your Scenario: Marketing team workshop on new campaign strategy
Prompt Template:
Create a workshop presentation for ABC Marketing team on Q1 2026 Campaign Strategy.
Slides:
– Workshop objectives and agenda
– Campaign goals and success metrics
– Target audience personas (3 segments)
– Key messages and themes for each persona
– Channel strategy (digital, print, events breakdown)
– Creative direction and brand guidelines
– Content calendar and timeline
– Budget allocation by channel
– Team roles and responsibilities
– Interactive discussion prompts (3-4 slides with open questions)
– Next steps and action items
Style: Engaging, visual, workshop-friendly (not presentation-mode) Include speaker notes with timing suggestions for each section
Length: 15-18 slides
Special Feature: Agent adds speaker notes with discussion prompts and timing guidance for facilitators.
Input Methods: Multiple Ways to Work
1. Text Prompts (Most Common)
Type your requirements directly into the chat. Be specific about:
Slide count
Content areas
Audience level
Tone/style
Special requirements (charts, tables, images)
Example:
Create a 6-slide deck for ABC All-Hands Meeting announcing new employee benefits.
Slides:
– Welcome (CEO message)
– Benefits Overview
– Health Insurance Changes (enhanced coverage)
– 401k Match Increase (5% to 7%)
– New Wellness Program
– Q&A Slide
Tone: Warm, appreciative, clear
Audience: All ABC employees (1,200 people)
2. Voice Input (Fastest for Busy Executives)
- Click the microphone icon in the text box
- Speak naturally:
“I need a presentation for next week’s board meeting. Should cover our digital transformation progress, challenges we faced, wins in customer satisfaction, and the roadmap for next quarter. Maybe 8 to 10 slides, pretty formal tone.” - Agent transcribes and processes
- Review the generated deck
Best For:
Quick briefs when away from keyboard
Brainstorming session capture
Executives who prefer verbal communication
Capturing thoughts on the go
3. Document Upload (Most Detailed)
Upload existing materials and let the agent extract content:
Supported Formats:
PowerPoint (.pptx) – “Improve this deck with better formatting”
Word (.docx) – “Turn this report into a presentation”
- Excel (.xlsx) – “Create slides with charts from this data”
- PDF – “Summarize this proposal into 5 slides”
Example Workflow:
1. Upload your 20-page Word document (project report)
2. Prompt:
“Create an executive summary presentation from this report. 8 slides maximum.
Focus on recommendations and financial impact.
Audience: C-suite executives who won’t read the full report.”
3. Agent reads the doc, extracts key points, creates slides
Pro Tip: You can combine methods – upload a doc AND add voice instructions:
[Upload: Project_Analysis_Report.docx]
[Voice]: “Turn this into a 10-slide deck but skip all the methodology sections. Focus on findings and recommendations only. Make it suitable for board presentation.”
4. Learn from Sample PPTs (Style Consistency)
Powerful Feature: Agent can learn your organization’s presentation style
How It Works:
You: “I’m uploading three recent strategy decks we’ve used for board meetings. Learn our style – how we structure storylines, design slides, use data, and create flow. Use this style for future presentations.”
[Upload: Board_Deck_Q2.pptx, Board_Deck_Q3.pptx, Board_Deck_Q4.pptx]
Agent: “Analyzing your sample decks…
I’ve learned your style:
– Executive summary always leads with ‘So What?’ headline
– Financial slides use waterfall charts for variance analysis
– Strategic priorities limited to top 3-5 (not exhaustive lists)
– Risk slides use 2×2 matrix (likelihood vs. impact)
– Each section starts with a divider slide (title + image)
– Charts are clean, minimal gridlines, data labels on bars
– Conclusions include clear ‘Ask’ or ‘Decision Required’ statement
This style will be applied to all your future presentations. Should I create your Q1 board deck using this style now?”
Benefits:
- Consistency across all presentations
Matches your organization’s “look and feel”
Reduces review cycles (looks familiar to stakeholders)
Captures institutional knowledge
Use Cases:
Department-specific styles (Marketing decks vs. Finance decks)
Executive-specific preferences (CFO prefers data tables, CEO prefers visuals)
Client-specific templates (different format for external vs. internal)
Workspace-Level Branding
Different Departments, Different Styles:
ABC’s central branding is applied by default, but departments can customize:
Marketing Workspace:
Configuration:
– Vibrant color palette (more creative freedom)
– Image-heavy slides (customer photos, lifestyle images)
– Bold typography for campaigns
– Social media-friendly layouts
Finance Workspace:
Configuration:
– Conservative color palette (navy, gray, white)
– Table and chart heavy (data-driven)
– Precise financial formatting ($1,234,567.89)
– Appendix with detailed backup slides
Technology Workspace:
Configuration:
– Modern, tech-forward design
– Architecture diagrams integrated
– Code snippet formatting (monospace fonts)
– Dark theme options for technical audiences
Executive Workspace:
Configuration:
– Minimal, sophisticated design
– High-level strategic framing
– Maximum 5 bullets per slide
– Always includes “So What?” summary statements
How to Set Up:
Workspace admin configures once, all team members benefit:
“Set up Marketing workspace branding:
– Use ABC’s vibrant color palette (Marketing brand book colors)
– Default to image-heavy layouts
– Include social media slide dimensions option (1080×1080)
– Testimonial quote slide template with customer photo placeholder”
All Marketing team presentations automatically use this style
Iterative Refinement: Making It Perfect
The agent supports conversational editing. You don’t need to start over—just tell it what to change.
Common Refinement Requests
Changing Content:
“Slide 4 is too text-heavy. Condense to bullet points only.”
“Replace the content on slide 7 with:
– New customer acquisition: 15,000 accounts
– Average deposit balance: $8,500
– Cross-sell rate: 2.3 products per customer
– Customer satisfaction: NPS 67″
“Add a new slide after slide 5 covering data security considerations”
Adjusting Visuals:
“Make the title font larger on slide 2”
“Change the chart on slide 6 to a bar chart instead of pie chart”
“Add the ABC logo to the bottom-right corner of every slide”
“Use a darker blue for the primary data series in all charts”
Reordering:
“Move slide 8 to position 3”
“Swap the order of slides 4 and 5”
“Delete slide 9 – it’s redundant with slide 6”
“Create a section break between slides 6 and 7”
Tone/Style Adjustments:
“Make slide 2 more conversational – this is for team meeting, not board”
“Slide 5 sounds too casual. Make it more formal for external audience.”
“Remove all bullet points from the conclusion slide. Make it a powerful single statement with supporting image.”
“Add energy and enthusiasm to the opening slide – this is a celebration of our wins!”
Iteration Example (Real Workflow):
Initial Prompt:
“Create a 5-slide presentation on ABC’s sustainability initiatives for investor relations.”
Agent Creates: 5 slides with overview, programs, metrics, future plans, conclusion
Your Refinements:
You: “Add a slide with specific carbon reduction numbers after slide 3”
Agent: [Creates new slide 4 with emissions data, metrics slide becomes slide 5]
You: “The title of slide 2 is too generic. Change it to ‘Leading the Industry in Green Banking'”
Agent: [Updates title]
You: “Slide 6 (conclusion) needs more impact. Remove bullet points and
make it a single compelling statement about our 2030 net-zero commitment. Use a powerful nature image as background.”
Agent: [Reformats slide with visual impact]
You: “Perfect. Add a final slide with contact information for our sustainability team.”
Agent: [Adds slide 7 with contact details]
You: “Great! Ready to download.”
Total refinement time: 5 minutes
Storyline Creation
Key Differentiator: Agent doesn’t just create slides—it creates narratives.
Common Storyline Structures
Problem-Solution-Impact (Proposal Decks)
Structure:
1. Problem Statement (Current pain points)
2. Why Now? (Urgency, market drivers)
3. Proposed Solution (Overview)
4. How It Works (Details)
5. Benefits (What we gain)
6. ROI Analysis (Financial justification)
7. Implementation Plan (Path forward)
8. Risks & Mitigations (Addressing concerns)
9. Ask/Decision Required (Clear CTA)
Situation-Complication-Resolution (Strategy Decks)
Structure:
1. Current Situation (Where we are)
2. Complication (What’s changing, threats/opportunities)
3. Strategic Response (Our plan)
4. Key Initiatives (3-5 priorities)
5. Resources Required (Investment)
6. Success Metrics (How we’ll measure)
7. Timeline (Roadmap)
8. Next Steps (Actions)
Past-Present-Future (Business Reviews)
Structure:
1. Executive Summary (Key takeaways)
2. Last Quarter Review (What happened)
3. Performance vs. Targets (Results)
4. Key Wins (Celebrate successes)
5. Challenges Faced (Transparency)
6. Lessons Learned (Reflection)
7. This Quarter Priorities (Looking ahead)
8. Updated Forecast (Expectations)
9. Support Needed (Asks)
What-So What-Now What (Analysis Presentations)
Structure:
1. Context (Background, scope)
2. What We Found (Data, insights)
3. So What? (Implications, meaning)
4. Why It Matters (Business impact)
5. Now What? (Recommendations)
6. Action Plan (Next steps)
7. Decision Required (What we need from audience)
Specify Your Preferred Storyline:
“Create a board presentation using the Situation-Complication-Resolution framework. Current situation is strong Q4 performance. Complication is new competitive threat from fintech startups. Resolution is our digital acceleration strategy.”
Agent structures entire deck following this narrative arc.
Download Options
Once you’re satisfied with the presentation:
PowerPoint (.pptx) - Recommended
Fully editable in Microsoft PowerPoint
All ABC formatting preserved
Charts and tables are native PowerPoint objects (you can edit data)
Maintains animations and transitions (if added)
Use For: Further editing, sharing with team, presenting
How to Download:
Agent shows preview of final deck
Click “Download PPT” button
File downloads to your computer (e.g.,ABC_Q4_Business_Review.pptx)
Open in Power Point, make any final edits
Save and distribute
PDF - For Distribution
Locked formatting (recipients can’t edit)
Smaller file size
Universal viewing (no PowerPoint needed)
Use For: Email distribution, final approval reviews, archiving
How to Download:
- Click “Download PDF” button
- File downloads (e.g.,ABC_Q4_Business_Review.pdf)
- Distribute via email or shared drive
Both Formats Maintain:
✅ ABC branding perfectly
✅ All charts and visuals
✅ Slide layouts and formatting
✅ Speaker notes (in PowerPoint version)
ABC Branding: What's Automatically Applied
Every presentation includes:
ABC Color Palette:
Primary colors: [ABC’s corporate blue, gray, white]
Accent colors: For charts and highlights
Background colors: Per brand guidelines
Chart colors: Data series in ABC brand sequence
ABC Typography:
Heading font: [ABC’s corporate font – e.g., “Helvetica Neue Bold”]
Body font: [ABC’s body font – e.g., “Helvetica Neue Regular”]
Proper hierarchy: Title (24pt) > Subtitle (18pt) > Body (14pt)
ABC Logo:
Positioned per brand standards (typically top-left or bottom-right)
Correct version (full color/white depending on background)
Proper clear space maintained
Optional: Different logos for external vs. internal presentations
Slide Layouts:
Title slides with professional imagery
Content slides with consistent margins
Section dividers with brand elements
Closing slides with contact information
Consistent spacing and alignment throughout
Chart Styling:
ABC brand colors for data series
Clean, professional chart designs
Readable fonts in axis labels
Minimal gridlines for clarity
Data labels where helpful
You don’t need to think about formatting—it’s all handled automatically.
Advanced Features
Charts & Data Visualization
The agent can create:
Bar charts, column charts (comparisons)
Line charts (trends over time)
Pie charts (proportions)
Waterfall charts (variance analysis)
Combo charts (multiple data types)
Tables with formatted data
Timeline visualizations
Comparison matrices
How to Request:
“On slide 6, create a waterfall chart showing: Starting revenue: $10M
– Product A growth: +$2.5M
– Product B growth: +$1.8M
– Product C decline: -$0.8M
– New products: +$1.2M
Ending revenue: $14.7M
Title: Revenue Bridge Q4 2025
Show variance from starting point for each bar.”
From Excel Data:
[Upload your Excel file: Revenue_Data_2025.xlsx]
“Create a slide with a line chart from the ‘Monthly Revenue’ tab, showing trends for all 12 months across our three business units. Title: 2025 Revenue Trends by Business Unit”
Agent extracts data and creates professionally formatted chart.
Multiple Presentations from One Session
The agent maintains context during your session. You can create related decks:
You: “Create an executive summary version of this deck – just 3 slides with the most critical points.”
Agent: [Creates condensed 3-slide version]
You: “Now create a detailed technical appendix with the architecture diagrams and implementation details for the engineering team. 15-20 slides.”
Agent: [Creates technical deep-dive]
You: “Finally, create a 1-slide summary for the weekly newsletter announcement.”
Agent: [Creates single-slide summary]
You can download all versions separately for different audiences.
Content Assistance
Don’t have all the content ready? The agent can help:
Generating Content Ideas:
You: “I need to create a presentation about our mobile banking app improvements, but I’m not sure what slides to include.
Can you suggest a structure?”
Agent: “Here’s a recommended structure for mobile app improvement presentation:
1. Executive Summary (key improvements and impact)
2. Customer Feedback Analysis (what users told us)
3. Top 5 Improvements Implemented
– Improved UI/UX (before/after screenshots)
– Faster load times (performance metrics)
– New features (bill pay, mobile check deposit)
– Enhanced security (biometric login)
– Accessibility improvements
4. User Adoption Metrics (downloads, active users, engagement)
5. Customer Satisfaction Impact (NPS score improvement)
6. Technical Architecture Updates (for IT audience)
7. Lessons Learned (what worked, what didn’t)
8. Roadmap (what’s next – Q1 2026)
9. Budget & ROI (investment and returns)
10. Q&A
Shall I create a deck with this structure?”
Expanding Bullets:
You: “I have these bullet points for slide 3:
– Improved UI/UX
– Faster load times
– New features
Can you expand each into 1-2 sentences for a more detailed slide?”
Agent: “Here’s the expanded content:
• Improved UI/UX: Redesigned interface with modern, intuitive navigation based on extensive user research. Simplified account access and streamlined transaction flows reduce clicks by 40%.
• Faster Load Times: Optimized code and infrastructure improvements reduced average app launch time from 4.2 seconds to 1.8 seconds, dramatically improving user experience.
• New Features: Added mobile check deposit, bill pay scheduling, spending insights dashboard, and peer-to-peer payments –
top 4 requested features from customer surveys.
Would you like me to create the slide with this content?”
Creating Speaker Notes:
You: “Add speaker notes to slides 4-7 with talking points and examples I can reference during presentation.”
Agent: [Adds detailed speaker notes]
Example for Slide 4:
“Speaker Notes:
– Emphasize the 40% reduction in clicks – real customer time savings
– Reference beta testing results: 92% of testers rated new UI as
‘significantly better’
– Personal story: Show the before/after screenshots side-by-side
– If time permits, demo the new navigation live on your phone
– Expected question: ‘Will users need training?’ Answer: No, intuitive design based on iOS/Android standards
– Timing: 2-3 minutes on this slide”
Common ABC Workflows
Finance Team: Monthly Board Deck
Frequency: Monthly
Time Saved: 3-4 hours → 20 minutes
Process:
- `Export data from financial system to Excel
- Upload Excel to Deck Agent
- Use saved template prompt:
“Create monthly board deck with standard financial slides using December 2025 data from uploaded Excel file.” - Agent populates deck with current month’s data
- Review for accuracy, make minor adjustments
- Download and distribute
Pro Tip: Save your monthly template structure so you just update data each time.
Marketing Team: Campaign Pitch Decks
Frequency: Weekly
Time Saved: 2-3 hours → 15 minutes
Process:
- Upload campaign brief (Word doc) and creative samples (images/PDFs)
- Prompt:
“Create a campaign pitch deck for ‘Spring Home Loan Promotion’ targeting first-time homebuyers. Include strategy, creative direction, channel mix, timeline, budget of $250K.” - Agent creates deck with campaign specifics
- Refine creative slide layouts
- Add final creative mockups manually (if needed)
- Download for stake holder review
Tech Team: Architecture Review
Frequency: Per project
Time Saved: 4-5 hours → 30 minutes
Process:
- Upload technical documentation or BRD
- Prompt:
“Create a technical architecture review presentation for Customer Data Platform. Audience is non-technical leadership. Focus on business benefits, not implementation details.” - Agent creates executive-friendly tech deck
- Add architecture diagram (use Diagram Agent, then insert into PPT)
- Review technical accuracy
- Download for approval meeting
HR/Compliance: Policy Communication
Frequency: Quarterly
Time Saved: 2 hours → 10 minutes
Process:
- Upload policy document (PDF/Word)
- Prompt:
“Create an employee-facing presentation explaining the new ‘Data Privacy & Security Policy’. Make it simple, clear, with FAQ slide. 5-6 slides max. Tone: Friendly but serious.” - Agent creates accessible policy deck
- Add relevant images/icons manually (optional)
- Download for All-Hands or team meetings
Prompting Best Practices
DO: Be Specific About Structure
✅ Good:
Create a 10-slide investor presentation covering:
1. Company overview (ABC at a glance)
2. Market opportunity ($50B wealth management market)
3. Product suite (checking, savings, lending, investments)
4. Competitive advantages (tech platform, customer service, brand trust)
5. Financial highlights (revenue $500M, growth 25% YoY, margins 18%)
6. Customer case studies (2 slides – high-net-worth and small business)
7. Management team (photos and bios)
8. Investment ask ($25M Series B)
9. Use of funds (product development 40%, marketing 30%, ops 30%)
10. Contact/Q&A
Formal tone, data-driven, emphasize growth trajectory.
❌ Too Vague:
Make a presentation about our company for investors.
Why: Specificity gives the agent clear direction. Vague prompts lead to generic outputs that need heavy revision.
DO: Specify Your Audience
✅ Good:
Audience: Board of Directors (non-technical executives)
Tone: Formal, strategic, high-level
Focus: Business outcomes and financial impact, not implementation details
Avoid: Technical jargon, acronyms without explanation
❌ Missing Context:
Create a presentation about the new CRM system.
Why: Same content needs different approaches for technical vs. business audiences. Tell the agent who’s in the room.
DO: Provide Data When Possible
✅ Good:
Create a performance review slide showing:
– Q4 Target: $5.2M | Actual: $5.7M (110% achievement – GREEN)
– Customer NPS: Target 45 | Actual 52 (GREEN)
– Project Delivery: 12 of 13 projects on-time (92% – YELLOW)
– Cost Control: Budget $4.8M | Actual $4.9M (102% – YELLOW)
Use traffic light colors: green for over-performance (>100%), yellow for on-target (95-105%), red for under-performance (<95%)
❌ Generic:
Create a slide about Q4 performance.
Why: Agent can create beautiful charts, but you need to provide the numbers. Specificity = better output.
DO: Use Templates & Saved Prompts
✅ Smart Workflow:
First Time: Create detailed prompt, refine deck thoroughly, save prompt for reuse
Next Time: Use saved prompt, only update specific data points
Monthly: Use template, spend 90% less time each month
❌ Inefficient:
Start from scratch every time, reinvent the wheel monthly
Why: Build your personal library of proven prompts. Work smarter, not harder.
DON'T: Overload One Prompt
❌ Too Much:
Create a 20-slide presentation about our entire business strategy for 2026 covering product roadmap with 15 new features, marketing plans for 8 different campaigns, financial projections with detailed P&L and cash flow, organizational changes with new org chart, technology investments in cloud migration and AI, partnership strategy with 12 potential partners, international expansion in 6 countries, brand refresh including new logo, customer experience improvements across 20 touchpoints, and competitive analysis of 10 competitors. Include detailed data, multiple chart types, timelines, org charts, budget breakdowns, risk assessments…
[continues for 500 words]
✅ Better Approach:
Initial: “Create a 20-slide business strategy deck for 2026 with these major sections: Product Roadmap, Marketing Strategy, Financial Plan, Org Changes, Tech Investments, Partnerships, International Expansion, Brand Evolution.”
Then Iterate:
“Expand slide 7 (Product Roadmap) with detailed feature timeline”
“Add financial projection charts to slides 12-13”
“Create detailed org chart for slide 15”
“Add competitive positioning matrix to slide 18”
Why: Start broad, then refine. Easier for agent to process, easier for you to guide toward exactly what you want.
DON'T: Assume Agent Knows Internal Context
❌ Too Insider:
Create deck for the Phoenix initiative rollout in APAC region using the framework from the Jensen memo with SMART goals aligned to our OKRs from the Q3 board offsite.
✅ Provide Context:
Create a deck for rolling out our new mobile banking platform (code-named “Phoenix Project”) in Asia-Pacific markets.
Background: This is a simplified banking app targeting millennials, launching Q2 2026 in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia.
Strategic Framework (from CEO Jensen’s Q4 strategy memo):
– Customer-first: Design around user needs, not internal processes
– Digital-native: Mobile-first, no branch dependency
– Partnership-driven: Integrate with local fintechs
Goals (SMART format):
– Specific: Acquire 50,000 active users per market
– Measurable: Track monthly active users, transaction volume, NPS
– Achievable: Based on competitive benchmarks and marketing investment
– Relevant: Supports ABC’s digital transformation OKR
– Time-bound: By end of Q4 2026 (9 months post-launch)
Why: Agent doesn’t attend your internal meetings. Spell out acronyms, code names, and insider references.
Troubleshooting
Issue: "Agent created 15 slides, I asked for 10"
Solution:
“Please condense this to exactly 10 slides. Combine related content where possible. If necessary, move extra content to appendix slides.”
Or be more specific initially:
“Create EXACTLY 10 slides, no more. If you have extra content, add it to speaker notes or create separate appendix slides.”
Issue: "Slides are too text-heavy"
Solution:
“Make slides 3, 5, and 7 more visual. Reduce text to 3-4 bullets max per slide, 10 words maximum per bullet. Use more white space.
Prefer charts and images over text.”
Or specify upfront:
“Keep all slides minimal – max 4 bullet points per slide,
10 words per bullet. Follow Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 rule:
10 slides, 20 minutes, 30-point font minimum.”
Issue: "Charts don't have the exact data I need"
Solutions:
Option A – Provide precise data:
“On slide 6, create a bar chart with exactly this data:
| Region | Q4 Revenue | Target | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | $2.3M | $2.0M | 115% |
| South | $1.8M | $2.0M | 90% |
| East | $2.7M | $2.5M | 108% |
| West | $2.1M | $2.0M | 105% |
Use green bars for over-achievement (>100%),
red for under-achievement (<100%)”
Option B – Download and edit in PowerPoint:
- Charts are native PowerPoint objects
- Right-click chart → “Edit Data”
- Update values directly in Excel spreadsheet that opens
- Formatting preserved
Issue: "Tone is too formal/informal for my audience"
Solution:
“Make slides 1-5 more conversational. This is for team meeting, not board presentation. Use ‘we’ language, be more casual.”
Or: “Make the entire deck more formal and data-driven.
This is for external investor meeting. Remove casual language, add more metrics, use third-person perspective.”
Issue: "Need to match a specific existing deck's style"
Solution:
- Upload the existing deck (Power Point or PDF)
- Prompt:
“I’ve uploaded our standard quarterly review deck from Q3. Create a new deck for Q4 2025 using the exact same structure, layout style, and visual approach.
Keep the same:
– Slide order and section breaks
– Chart types and color schemes
– Level of detail on each slide
– Header/footer format
Only update: Content and data for Q4.”
Agent matches style precisely.
Issue: "Agent isn't understanding my industry terminology"
Solution: Define terms in your prompt:
“Create a presentation about our NPL reduction strategy.
Context: NPL = Non-Performing Loans (loans where borrowers are
90+ days past due on payments). Industry benchmark is 2.0% NPL ratio.
Our current situation: NPL ratio of 2.3% (above benchmark)
Our goal: Reduce to 1.8% by Q3 2026 (best-in-class)
Our approach: Improved underwriting criteria + early intervention programs”
Agent now understands context and can create informed content.
Issue: "I need to create multiple similar decks for different audiences"
Solution: Create master version, then derive variations:
Step 1: “Create a comprehensive 15-slide product launch deck with all technical and business details.”
Agent creates master deck.
Step 2: “Now create an executive summary version – just 5 slides with the most critical points for C-suite. Focus on business impact and investment required.”
Agent creates executive version.
Step 3: “Create a technical deep-dive version –
expand the architecture and integration slides for IT audience. 15-20 slides with detailed technical specifications.”
Agent creates technical version.
Step 4: “Create a sales enablement version –
10 slides focused on customer benefits and competitive advantages. Remove internal budget and strategy details.”
Agent creates sales version.
Download all four versions for different stakeholder groups.
Integration with Other ABC Agents
With Diagram Agent - Add Visual Diagrams
Workflow:
- Use Diagram Agent to create technical architecture or process flow
- Download diagram as PNG
- Return to Deck Agent:
[Upload diagram image]
“Insert this architecture diagram on slide 6.
Title: ‘Proposed System Architecture’
Add 3-4 bullet points below the diagram explaining:
– Microservices architecture for scalability
– Cloud-native deployment on AWS
– API-first design for integration flexibility
– Security layers at each tier”
Agent creates professionally formatted slide with diagram and explanatory text.
With Document Agent - Turn BRD into Presentation
Workflow:
- Use Document Agent to create detailed BRD
- Download BRD as Word doc
- Upload to Deck Agent:
[Upload: Customer_Portal_BRD.docx]
“Create an executive presentation from this BRD. Focus on business objectives, high-level requirements, timeline, budget, and ROI. 8-10 slides.
Audience: Steering committee (non-technical)
Avoid: Detailed technical specs and implementation details”
Result: Detailed doc becomes executive-friendly presentation.
With Data Analyst Agent - Add Data Visualizations
Workflow:
- Use Data Analyst Agent to analyze your Excel data and create charts
- Expor tcharts as images from dashboard
- Upload to Deck Agent:
[Upload: Revenue_Chart.png, Customer_Growth_Chart.png, Regional_Comparison.png]
“Create a Q4 business review presentation.
Use these data visualization charts for slides 3-5. Add context and insights around each chart:
Slide 3: Revenue trends (use Revenue_Chart.png)
– Explain 15% growth driver
– Highlight Q4 peak
Slide 4: Customer acquisition (use Customer_Growth_Chart.png)
– Note acceleration in November-December
– Attribute to holiday campaign
Slide 5: Regional performance (use Regional_Comparison.png)
– Call out North region outperformance
– Flag South region need for intervention”
With Vendor Evaluation Agent - Present Vendor Analysis
Workflow:
- Complete vendor evaluation in Vendor Evaluation Agent
- Download Excel analysis
- Open Deck Agent:
[Upload: Vendor_Evaluation_Analysis.xlsx]
“Create a vendor selection recommendation presentation for procurement committee.
Use data from the Excel analysis to create slides covering:
– Project overview and evaluation process
– Vendor comparison summary table
– Top 3 vendors – detailed pros/cons slides
– Financial comparison (TCO over 3 years)
– Risk assessment
– Recommended vendor with clear justification
– Next steps and timeline for onboarding
Audience: Procurement committee + CFO
10-12 slides, data-driven, clear recommendation”
Result: Board-ready vendor selection presentation in minutes.
Getting Help
In-Platform:
Help icon (bottom right corner)
In-app AI assistant for questions
Sample presentations library for inspiration
Resources:
Video tutorial: Deck Agent Demo
Full documentation: docs.xnode.ai
Presentation template library
Prompting best practices guide
ABC Support:
IT Helpdesk: Technical issues, access problems
Learning & Development: Training sessions, workshops
Marketing Communications: Brand guideline questions
Common Questions:
“How do I change fonts/colors?” → These are set by workspace-level branding; contact workspace admin to modify
“Can I save my own templates?” → Yes, see Templates & Saved Prompts section
“What if I need 50 slides?” → Create in sections (Part 1, Part 2) or use Document Agent for long-form content, then convert key sections to slides
“Can I present directly from Cortx?” → Currently no; download PPT and present from PowerPoint
End of Deck Agent User Guide