This edition is part of our "Presentation Prompts" series designed to help you master various aspects of presentation creation through specific ChatGPT prompts. Each installment focuses on a particular area of presentation design or content creation, providing you with prompt templates that you can immediately apply to your work.
An effective presentation outline serves as the scaffolding upon which the entire structure is built. It guides the presenter through the journey of crafting a coherent and compelling story that leads the audience from one point to the next in a natural progression.
The difficulty in creating outlines often boils down to not knowing how to navigate the initial chaos of information overload. We might have a few key details, data points, and idea fragments swirling around in our heads, but we're not quite sure how to corral them into a cohesive outline. This feeling of uncertainty or indecision about where to start can be paralyzing.
Enter ChatGPT. In this edition, we’re going to walk through a detailed prompt designed to help you organize thoughts and content into a structured presentation outline.
To get started, you really just need a clear understanding of the topic, the main goal, and the audience. Knowing what the presentation is about and who it’s for is essential because these elements guide the direction of your prompts. For instance, if you’re working on a deck for a keynote at a tech conference, the approach and the level of detail you'll include will differ significantly from what you might prepare for a local community workshop.
Start by mapping out what you know
Before we jump into ChatGPT, we want to write out any details or ideas we already have. It's often helpful to start in a simple text editor like Notepad or Word, where you can freely jot down ideas without the distraction of design and formatting tools.
At a minimum, this would include the main topic, the main goal of the presentation, and a few key details about the audience. Knowing your topic gives you the substance of your presentation, the broad goal helps define what you want to achieve with it, and understanding the audience ensures that the content is tailored to their interests, knowledge level, and expectations.
The goal of a presentation is the broad, overall aim that the presentation sets out to achieve. It's the big picture or the end result that you're aiming for with the audience. This could be to inform, persuade, inspire, or entertain. Imagine you're tasked with developing a presentation for employees about adopting new software tools that are designed to improve productivity. The goal might be to ensure that the employees are not only informed about the new software tools but are also motivated to integrate these tools into their daily work routine.
In this scenario, the goal focuses on both informing (providing knowledge about the software) and motivating (encouraging active use of the software). This dual focus helps ensure that the implementation of the new tools is successful, as the employees will understand the benefits and feel compelled to adopt them.
Understanding the audience is also key to crafting an impactful presentation. Are they experts or novices in the subject matter? What are their expectations from the presentation? This insight shapes not only the depth of your content but also how you engage them throughout the session. Consider these key factors:
-
Who are they?
Consider their demographics such as age, profession, education level, and cultural background. This helps tailor the language, examples, and references you use. -
What is their knowledge level on the topic?
Are they novices, knowledgeable, or experts? This will dictate how much background information you need to provide and how deeply you can dive into technical details. -
What are their interests or needs related to the topic?
Understanding what your audience cares about or needs from your presentation helps make your content relevant and engaging for them. -
What is their attitude towards the topic?
Are they likely enthusiastic, indifferent, or resistant? This can affect how you approach sensitive topics and how you motivate them to align with your goals. -
Why are they attending the presentation?
Knowing their motivations can help you emphasize the aspects of your presentation that are most beneficial or appealing to them. -
What are they hoping to take away?
Are they looking for practical advice, specific skills, strategic insights, or just a general overview? This helps you focus your content on delivering value that meets their expectations.
Once you've outlined the topic, goal, and audience, it's time to jot down any additional information you have. This could include data, case studies, or personal anecdotes. Don't worry about organizing your thoughts perfectly at this stage. The goal is to capture all pertinent information—ChatGPT will later help you structure these into a polished presentation outline.
Using ChatGPT to Craft Your Outline
Now that we have some basic content and understanding of the audience, we can move into shaping this into a structured presentation outline using ChatGPT. We’ll apply this step-by-step to a hypothetical presentation titled 'Entrepreneurship: The Art of Self-Motivating.'
| Please assist me as an Instructional Designer, Content Strategist with Storytelling Expertise, and a Subject Matter Expert in Entrepreneurship and Self-Motivation. |
Next, we’re going to clarify what the presentation is about and what the primary goal is:
| I'm developing an outline for a presentation that explores the concept of motivation and its importance for entrepreneurs. The goal is to provide attendees with practical insights and strategies for cultivating self-motivation and resilience as entrepreneurs. |
Now we have to give ChatGPT some additional context—key details so that it knows how long to make the outline and how to tailor the content to the location, format, and audience.
|
The target audience is individuals who operate as solo entrepreneurs, managing all aspects of their business on their own. My desired style/tone is motivational, empowering, and practical The presentation should include the following: |
|
I’d like you to generate a detailed outline for the presentation, including main topics, subtopics, and key points to be covered under each section. Additional requirements: |
Here’s the entire prompt template:
|
Please assist me as a [Assign role, e.g., Instructional Designer/Presentation Strategist/Nutritionist and Sustainable Eating Expert]. The goal is to [Specify purpose, e.g., educate/inform/inspire/persuade/motivate/entertain][Describe outcome, e.g.,“about the nutritional, environmental, and ethical benefits of plant-based eating, encouraging them to consider or transition to a plant-based lifestyle”]. This presentation will be [Specify length], [Specify format, e.g., in-person/virtual] at a [Specify type, e.g., conference/meeting/workshop], targeting [Describe audience, e.g., individuals interested in healthy living, sustainability, and dietary changes]. My desired style/tone is: [Informative yet engaging, with a touch of inspiration to encourage positive change]. I’d like you to generate a detailed outline for the presentation content, including main topics, subtopics, and key points to be covered under each section. Additional requirements: |
Remember anything in brackets—for example, "[Specify length]" and "[Give content details]"—is a placeholder. You fill these in based on the specifics of what you’re working on. Experiment with the prompt, tweak it to fit your style, and watch how it transforms your presentation writing skills.
Writing an outline can take up a lot of time and is often the most stressful part of the process. AI helps you get to the part of the process where you’re really adding value much quicker—whether that's crafting a narrative, designing the visuals, or preparing for delivery. You're still in control of the final product, but with a lot less friction to get there.
