aaronvanston/presentation-notes

Presentation Notes

Generate speaker notes designed for natural, conversational delivery — not scripts to read verbatim.

Philosophy

• Riff from headlines — the slide is the prompt, not the script
• Add context verbally — explain the "why" that isn't on screen
• Tell stories — concrete examples land better than abstractions
• Acknowledge the room — react to the audience, don't just broadcast
• Land the key point — each slide has ONE thing to remember

Note Format

Speaker notes should be scannable prompts, not paragraphs.

Per-slide structure:

## Slide: [Headline]

**Key point:** [The ONE thing they must remember]

**Open with:** [First sentence or hook]

**Talk track:**
- [Bullet prompt 1]
- [Bullet prompt 2]
- [Bullet prompt 3]

**Transition:** [Bridge to next slide]

Example:

## Slide: Speed is a feature

**Key point:** Being fast isn't just nice — it's a competitive advantage.

**Open with:** "This slide captures something we keep rediscovering..."

**Talk track:**
- Every time we ship faster, customers notice and tell us
- Our competitors take months for changes we do in days
- Speed compounds — fast shipping builds momentum and morale

**Transition:** "So how do we protect that speed as we scale? That's what this next section is about..."

Notes by Slide Type

Statement slides — Focus on the story behind the statement: what led to this conclusion, what's the implication, why does it matter?

Question slides — Pause and let it land. Don't rush to answer your own question. Acknowledge the tension, then bridge to your answer.

Data slides — Contextualize the numbers: what story does the data tell? What surprised you? What would be concerning if different?

Section dividers — Keep it brief: quick framing of what's coming and how it connects to what came before.

Recap slides — Don't re-present. Touch each point quickly, add one synthesis insight, set up the "so what."

Delivery Cues

When relevant, include delivery notes:

**Delivery:**
- [PAUSE] after the question, let it land
- Scan the room before transitioning
- Good moment for: "Questions so far?"

Context Adjustments

Internal (team/company): More informal, reference shared history, challenge directly, be candid about what's hard.

External (investors/customers): Build credibility first, prove before concluding, leave room for questions.

Recorded/async: Tighter, less tangential, stronger signposting and transitions.