Crafting Executive Presentation Prompts
When a user says "I need a presentation for [audience] about [topic]," identify the presentation type and immediately produce a filled-in prompt/structure using the matching template below — don't ask clarifying questions if the type is obvious from context. If ambiguous, pick the closest match and note the assumption.
Every template follows this pattern:
- Audience: who's seeing this and what they care about
- Purpose: what decision or action is needed
- Structure: specific slide-by-slide format
- Tone: how it should sound
- Content: the raw material to work from
Progress:
- Identify presentation type (summary, budget, QBR, board, strategic recommendation, status update, investor pitch, bad news)
- Gather audience, decision/action needed, and raw content from user
- Apply the matching structure template
- Generate slide-by-slide content, not just an outline
- Lead with the headline/ask/recommendation — never bury it
- Offer one iteration pass (tighter, more specific numbers, sharper recommendation)
1. Executive Summary — for condensing complex info into one slide
- Headline (1 sentence) → Bottom line (2-3 sentences) → Key points (max 4 bullets) → Recommendation
- Tone: confident, direct, no filler
2. Budget Request — for approval decisions
- The Ask (amount + payback, first slide) → The Problem (cost of inaction) → The ROI → The Breakdown (include 10-15% contingency) → Timeline → The Decision (what's needed, by when)
- Make cost of NOT approving as vivid as cost of approving
3. QBR (Quarterly Business Review)
- Headline Metrics (3-5 numbers vs. target) → Performance Narrative → Wins (top 3, specific) → Challenges (honest, with lessons learned) → Next Quarter Focus (top 3, tied to strategy)
- Headlines must tell a story: "Revenue Up 12% Despite Market Headwinds," not "Q3 Revenue"
4. Board Presentation
- Board Action Requested (first slide) → Executive Summary → Strategic Alignment → Business Case (max 2 slides) → Risk Assessment (likelihood/impact/mitigation) → Recommendation
- Max 10 slides excluding appendix. Tone: formal, governance-aware
5. Strategic Recommendation — using SCR framework
- Situation → Complication → Options Analysis (3 options + comparison matrix) → Recommendation (lead with it) → Trade-offs Acknowledged → Implementation Path
6. Project Status Update
- Headline Status (🟢🟡🔴 + one line) → Key Metrics Table (timeline/budget/scope/quality: target vs. actual) → What Changed → Risks and Issues → Executive Action (or "no action required") → Next Period
- Fit on one slide if possible
7. Investor Pitch — 10-12 slides
- Title → Problem (quantified) → Solution → Traction → Market (bottom-up sizing) → Business Model → Competition → Go-to-Market → Team → Financials → Ask
- Lead with traction if it exists; never top-down market sizing
8. Bad News / Difficult Message
- The News (state directly, first slide, don't bury) → Context (factual, not defensive) → Lessons Learned → Recovery Plan (specific, realistic) → Ask
- No excuses, no blame, acknowledge trade-offs honestly
Example 1: Input: "I need to ask our CFO for £150k to fund a new CRM migration, payback in 18 months." Output: Full Budget Request prompt filled in — Ask stated as headline ("£150k investment, 18-month payback"), Problem section quantifying cost of staying on legacy system, ROI comparison table, cost breakdown with 15% contingency, milestone timeline, and explicit decision requested with deadline. Tone: financially rigorous, specific numbers throughout.
Example 2: Input: "Need to tell leadership we missed our Q3 launch date." Output: Bad News structure — headline slide states the miss directly ("Q3 Launch Delayed to Q1 — Here's Why and What's Next"), factual context on contributing factors, specific lessons learned, concrete recovery plan with realistic new dates, and clear ask (resources/support needed to execute recovery). No hedging language.
- Always specify audience by role (CFO vs. CEO vs. board member), not generic "leadership" — this changes tone and emphasis substantially
- Ask for or infer raw content (data, bullets, notes) before generating — templates need material to structure, not just a topic
- Lead every deck type with the headline, ask, or recommendation first — executives don't want to wait for the punchline
- Use traffic-light/visual scanning cues (🟢🟡🔴, bolded headlines with numbers) for status-type content
- Keep prompts themselves tight (100-200 words) — specificity beats length
- Offer a second-pass iteration by default: tighter wording, harder numbers, clearer ask
- Don't produce a vague outline when the user wants ready-to-paste slide content — go all the way to actual copy
- Don't bury the ask/recommendation/bad news in slide 4 or 5 — it belongs on slide 1
- Don't use top-down market sizing for investor pitches — always bottom-up
- Don't let "Challenges" or "Bad News" sections turn defensive or blame-shifting — keep factual and accountable
- Don't skip the audience specification — "leadership" is not the same prompt as "CFO" or "board of directors"
- Don't exceed slide/word guidance (10 slides for board decks, one slide for status updates) without a clear reason