structure-presentation

Structure Presentation

Generate a well-structured presentation outline optimized for technical audiences using proven frameworks.

Arguments

$ARGUMENTS - The presentation topic, title, or subject matter

Workflow

Step 1: Gather Context

If $ARGUMENTS is insufficient, use AskUserQuestion to gather:

Question 1: Presentation Type (header: "Type")

• Technical deep-dive (architecture, implementation details)
• Demo or walkthrough (showing how something works)
• Decision pitch (proposing a solution or technology)
• Knowledge sharing (teaching concepts or patterns)
• Status update (progress, roadmap, results)

Question 2: Audience (header: "Audience")

• Technical peers (developers, engineers)
• Mixed technical/non-technical (stakeholders, cross-functional)
• Leadership (executives, decision-makers)
• External (customers, conference attendees)

Question 3: Duration (header: "Duration")

• Lightning talk (5-10 minutes)
• Standard slot (20-30 minutes)
• Deep dive (45-60 minutes)
• Workshop (90+ minutes)

Question 4: Setting (header: "Setting")

• Internal meeting (team, department)
• All-hands or company-wide
• Conference or meetup
• Customer-facing

Step 2: Apply What-Why-How Framework

Structure the presentation using this proven framework:

WHAT (The Hook - 10% of time)

• Grab attention in the first 30 seconds
• State the problem or opportunity clearly
• Make the audience care immediately
• One sentence summary of what you'll cover

Hook Techniques:

• Provocative question ("What if we could...")
• Surprising statistic or fact
• Relatable pain point
• Bold statement

WHY (The Context - 30% of time)

• Background - Why does this matter?
• Stakes - What happens if we don't act?
• Opportunity - What's possible?
• Relevance - Why should the audience care?

Structure Options:

• Problem → Impact → Opportunity
• Before → After → How we got there
• Pain → Solution → Benefits

HOW (The Solution - 50% of time)

• Approach - How does it work?
• Evidence - Why should they believe you?
• Demo - Show, don't just tell
• Specifics - Concrete details, not abstractions

For Technical Talks:

• Architecture diagram
• Code walkthrough
• Live demo (if applicable)
• Performance data / metrics

CLOSE (Call to Action - 10% of time)

• Summary - Key takeaways (3 max)
• Next steps - What should they do?
• Resources - Where to learn more
• Q&A - Leave time for questions

Step 3: Apply Presentation Best Practices

Slide Design (if applicable):

• One idea per slide
• 5-7 words per bullet (max)
• Visual > Text
• Consistent design language

Timing Guidelines:

Duration	Slides	Content Depth
5-10 min	5-10	One main point + support
20-30 min	15-25	3-4 main points
45-60 min	30-40	Deep dive, multiple sections

Engagement Techniques:

• Ask questions (rhetorical or real)
• Use stories and examples
• Vary pace and energy
• Make eye contact
• Pause for emphasis

Step 4: Generate Outline

Produce a complete presentation structure:

## Presentation Outline

**Title:** [Compelling title]
**Duration:** [X minutes]
**Audience:** [Target audience]

---

### Opening Hook (X min)

**Attention Grabber:**
> "[Opening line/question/statistic]"

**The Promise:**
> "By the end of this talk, you'll understand [key outcome]"

---

### WHY This Matters (X min)

1. **The Problem/Opportunity**
   - [Key point]
   - [Supporting detail]

2. **The Stakes**
   - [What happens without action]
   - [Cost of status quo]

3. **The Vision**
   - [What's possible]
   - [Benefits to audience]

---

### HOW It Works (X min)

1. **[First main section]**
   - Key point
   - Evidence/example
   - [SLIDE: Visual suggestion]

2. **[Second main section]**
   - Key point
   - Evidence/example
   - [SLIDE: Visual suggestion]

3. **[Third main section]**
   - Key point
   - Evidence/example
   - [DEMO: If applicable]

---

### Call to Action (X min)

**Key Takeaways:**
1. [Takeaway 1]
2. [Takeaway 2]
3. [Takeaway 3]

**Next Steps:**
- [Specific action for audience]

**Resources:**
- [Link/reference 1]
- [Link/reference 2]

---

### Q&A (X min)

**Anticipated Questions:**
1. [Likely question] → [Prepared answer]
2. [Likely question] → [Prepared answer]

Step 5: Offer Refinements

After presenting the outline, offer:

1. Depth adjustment - Add/remove sections
2. Audience calibration - More/less technical
3. Slide suggestions - Visual ideas for each section
4. Speaker notes - Talking points for each slide
5. Practice run - Walk through the timing

Example Usage

# With topic
/soft-skills:structure-presentation Migrating from Monolith to Microservices

# Conference talk
/soft-skills:structure-presentation How We Reduced API Latency by 90%

# Decision pitch
/soft-skills:structure-presentation Why We Should Adopt Kubernetes

# Start with questions
/soft-skills:structure-presentation

Output

Present complete presentation outline with:

1. Title and metadata (duration, audience, type)
2. Opening hook - Attention-grabbing opener
3. What-Why-How structure - Full outline
4. Key takeaways - Summary points
5. Slide suggestions - Visual guidance
6. Timing breakdown - Minutes per section

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

• Starting with "Today I'm going to talk about..."
• Agenda slides that bore the audience
• Too many bullet points per slide
• Reading slides verbatim
• No clear takeaways
• Running over time
• Skipping Q&A