The workflow that saves my team hours on every presentation
Building slide decks is still painful. My teams and I have spent countless hours over the years making executive-level decks, dating back to my first jobs at Bain where slide-building was a core competency. Even with all that experience, turning a great outline into polished slides still takes forever.
After testing dozens of AI slide-building tools, I’ve finally found a workflow that actually works. Genspark’s Slides agent has become my go-to solution - not because it creates perfect decks from scratch, but because it excels at the mechanical work that eats up hours.
The Problem with Traditional Slide Building
The thinking part - developing your narrative, structuring your argument, crafting your value proposition - that’s where humans excel. But translating those ideas into slides? That’s pure mechanical work:
- Creating charts and formatting data
- Aligning text boxes and visual elements
- Choosing consistent color schemes
- Building proper consulting-style frameworks
- Formatting bullet points and hierarchies
This is the work that used to keep consultants up until 2 AM. It’s not strategic; it’s just tedious.
My AI-Powered Workflow
Here’s the process I’ve refined over months of iteration:
1. Write the Strategic Outline (The Human Part)
I start with a comprehensive outline of my pitch or presentation. This is pure strategic thinking - understanding the client’s pain points, structuring the narrative arc, defining the value proposition. No AI can do this for you.
For the demo, I created a hypothetical pitch for voice AI transformation services to a car dealership chain:
- 15 locations, $850M revenue
- Losing ground to tech-enabled competitors
- 18-minute hold times, 65% missed after-hours leads
- $8.5M annual opportunity through voice AI
2. Refine with Claude (The Structure Part)
I’ve built a custom “slide master” prompt for Claude that takes my outline and creates detailed specifications for each slide:
- Clear objectives for what each slide should achieve
- Key messages and supporting data points
- Visual hierarchy and chart specifications
- Exact content placement
This step transforms loose thoughts into structured slide specifications. It’s like having a senior consultant review your outline and create a detailed storyboard.
3. Generate with Genspark (The Design Part)
This is where the magic happens. I paste the Claude-formatted specifications into Genspark Slides, and within 2-3 minutes, it generates professional slides:
- Consulting-quality charts and visuals
- Properly formatted timelines and roadmaps
- Clean, consistent design throughout
- All the mechanical formatting work done automatically
4. Final Polish in PowerPoint (The Personal Touch)
I export to PowerPoint for final touches:
- Add company logos
- Adjust brand colors
- Fine-tune specific wording
- Make client-specific customizations
These edits take minutes, not hours, because the heavy lifting is already done.
The Demo in Action
Key Insights from Using This Workflow
What Works Well
- Time Savings: What used to take 3-4 hours now takes 30 minutes total
- Consistency: Every deck follows professional consulting standards
- Focus on Strategy: Spend time thinking, not formatting
- Iteration Speed: Quick to test different narrative approaches
What to Keep in Mind
- Not a Magic Bullet: You still need to do the strategic thinking
- 80% Solution: Expect to spend 20% of time on customization
- Tool Limitations: Sometimes charts need manual adjustment
- Learning Curve: Takes a few decks to optimize your prompts
Why Genspark Stands Out
I’ve tested many AI slide tools - Tome, Gamma, Beautiful.ai, and others. Genspark’s execution stands out because:
- Flexibility: Works with your outline rather than forcing a template
- Quality: Produces genuinely professional-looking slides
- Speed: 2-3 minutes for a complete deck
- Export Options: Clean PowerPoint files for easy editing
Their suite of “Vibe Worker” tools represents what AI-first B2B solutions should look like. Beyond slides, they offer:
Getting Started with This Workflow
If you want to try this approach:
- Start with a Strong Outline: The better your strategic thinking, the better the output
- Build Your Claude Prompt: Customize it for your presentation style
- Test with Genspark: Start with a simple 5-7 slide deck
- Iterate and Refine: Each deck helps you improve the process
The Bottom Line
This workflow has changed how my team approaches presentations. We’re no longer dreading the slide-building phase - it’s just a quick step between strategy and delivery.
Your ideas deserve better than late-night slide formatting. If you’re building decks regularly, this workflow is worth exploring.