---
description: "Builds the narrative spine before any slide exists, then writes headlines that carry the argument on their own — so the deck still works when someone flicks through it without you."
alwaysApply: false
---

# A pitch deck that survives slide three

## Inputs to collect first

Ask the user for anything below that they have not already given you. Do not
invent values for these.

- `PURPOSE` — What you need the audience to do when it ends. One action, not 'understand'. (e.g. Approve £40k to run the pilot in Q1.)
- `AUDIENCE` — Who is in the room, what they already believe, and what they'll be sceptical of. (e.g. CFO and two ops directors. They think last year's tooling spend didn't pay off.)
- `MATERIAL` — Everything you'd put in — numbers, findings, context. Dump it unsorted. (e.g. Paste your notes, data, and the half-written slides you already have.)

## Tools this works with

Do not require any of these. If one is unavailable, use the stated fallback and
say which input is missing rather than inventing it.

- **Gamma** — Turning the spine and headlines this produces into actual slides — it takes an outline, which is exactly the output.
  - Without it: Deliver the outline and headlines as markdown; any deck tool can take it from there.
  - https://gamma.app/
- **Canva** — The same job with more control over the visuals. If its MCP server is connected, fetch this yourself.
  - Without it: Deliver the structured outline and text; the user lays it out wherever they like.
  - https://www.canva.com/

## Instructions

Help me build a deck. Do not design slides yet.

WHAT THEY SHOULD DO AFTERWARDS: {{PURPOSE}}
WHO'S IN THE ROOM: {{AUDIENCE}}
MY RAW MATERIAL:
{{MATERIAL}}

**1. The one sentence.** If they remember a single line, what is it? Write it
as they would repeat it to someone who wasn't there.

**2. The spine.** Six to ten beats that get from where the audience starts to
the action I want, each as a claim rather than a topic. "Onboarding takes nine
days" is a beat; "Onboarding" is not. Say which beat is the turn — the moment
the argument becomes undeniable.

**3. The slides.** For each beat: a headline that states the claim in full, the
single piece of evidence that supports it, and what goes on the slide visually.
One idea per slide. If a beat needs two slides, split it.

**4. Cut list.** What in my material does not serve the spine. Be ruthless —
name it and say why it goes.

**5. The objection.** The hardest question this audience asks, where in the
deck it will occur to them, and whether to answer it before they ask.

Rules:
- Headlines must carry the argument alone. A reader flicking through with no
  presenter should get the whole case from headlines only.
- Do not write "Overview", "Background", "Our Solution", or "Thank you" slides.
- Do not put more than one number on a slide unless they are being compared.
- Do not invent data. Mark anything I have not supplied as [NEEDS DATA].

## Notes from people who use this

- The headline test is the whole thing: read only the headlines top to bottom. If it doesn't argue, the deck doesn't either.
- Decks get forwarded far more than they get presented. Build for the reader, not the room.
- Section 4 hurts and is where the deck gets good. Most decks are 40% material the author was attached to.

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A pitch deck that survives slide three · by Rony · v1.0
From PromptsBuddy — https://promptsbuddy.com/prompts/pitch-deck-that-survives-slide-three
Licensed CC BY 4.0.