aaronvanston/presentation-outline

Presentation Outline

Generate presentation structures following a proven flow pattern with bold, minimal slides designed for live presenting.

Core Principles

• Slides are conversation starters, not scripts — each slide prompts discussion
• Bold statements over explanations — headlines that land, not sentences that explain
• Breathing room — fewer slides with more impact beats many dense slides
• Clear sections — the audience should always know where they are
• Section colors — each major section gets its own accent color to reinforce structure

Standard Flow

The base arc adapts to the content. A typical presentation follows 5-7 sections:

1. OPENING (color: teal)
   - Title slide (topic + subtitle)
   - Goals/agenda (3 key takeaways max)

2. CONTEXT / THE PROBLEM (color: red)
   - Current state / where we are today
   - The tension or question to resolve

3-5. CORE SECTIONS (colors: purple, amber, green, blue)
   - Section dividers between major topics
   - 3-5 content slides per section
   - Mix of statement, data, code, framework, and quote slides

6. CLOSING (color: teal)
   - Recap (one-liner per section)
   - Resources
   - Q&A

Sections can expand or contract — a complex topic might have 4 core sections, a focused talk might have 2.

Slide Types

| Type | When to use | Example | |------|-------------|---------| | Statement | Land a key point | "Speed is a feature" | | Big statement | Maximum impact, one idea | "AI has no memory" | | Question | Create tension | "What would we do differently?" | | Section divider | Signal topic shift | "Where we play" | | Goals | Set expectations | "Goals for today" | | Data | Prove with numbers | "3x growth in 6 months" | | Code | Show implementation | Syntax-highlighted code block | | Framework | Show a model or list | Do's and don'ts, comparison | | Quote | Borrow authority | "What got you here won't get you there" | | Recap | Summarize before close | "Recap" | | Resources | Link references | Grouped by section | | Next steps | Drive action | "Where to from here?" |

Output Format

# [Presentation Title]
[One-line purpose]

---

## 1. Opening
**Section color:** teal

### Slide 1: Title
- **Headline:** [Title]
- **Subtitle:** [Context or date]

### Slide 2: Goals for today
- **Headline:** Goals for today
- **Points:**
  - [Takeaway 1] — [Brief explanation]
  - [Takeaway 2] — [Brief explanation]
  - [Takeaway 3] — [Brief explanation]

---

## 2. [Section Name]
**Section color:** [color]

### Slide 3: Section divider
- **Type:** Section divider
- **Headline:** [Section title]

### Slide 4: [Slide purpose]
- **Type:** [Statement/Big statement/Data/Code/etc.]
- **Headline:** [Bold headline]
- **Supporting:** [1-2 sentences or bullets]

---

## X. Closing
**Section color:** teal

### Slide N: Recap
- **Headline:** Recap
- **Points:** [One-liner per section]

### Slide N+1: Resources
- **Type:** Resources
- **References:** [Grouped by section]

### Slide N+2: Q&A

Workflow

1. Ask about context — audience, purpose, setting (live vs. async)
2. Identify key messages — what 3 things must land?
3. Map the arc — Opening → Problem/Context → Core sections → Close
4. Assign section colors — one color per major section
5. Draft outline — use the format above
6. Review density — cut slides that don't earn their place