🕒 Reading Time: 5 Minutes
🎯 Target Audience: Marketing Managers, Strategy Leads, Project Managers, Learning & Development Professionals, Internal Communications Specialists
🔑 Key Takeaway: AI can now edit directly within your PowerPoint deck, preserving branding and formatting. Clear, specific prompts lead to faster, higher-quality results with less manual rework.
Today I asked ChatGPT to turn a business case into a one-slide summary for a strategy deck.
My Prompt: Help me synthesize this business case into a one-page slide for a strategy deck.
ChatGPT: Here's a succinct 1-slide version of the business case you can add to your XYZ deck, framed to align with the theme of the deck.
[Proposed text]
Would you like this formatted into a slide that matches your deck's visual style?Me: Sure!
ChatGPT: Your 1-slide business case has been added to the XYZ deck. You can download the updated file here: [XYZ Deck_Business Case Slide Added.pptx]
I expected the usual downloadable slide that AI produces: weird formatting with text in Aptos font that runs off the slide. I’d usually have to reformat and paste it into my deck manually.
Instead? ChatGPT inserted the slide directly into my uploaded deck, perfectly formatted to match the design and brand guidelines. When I asked for a cleaner layout (turning the text into a table), it updated the slide again in the same file.
Now this is truly working smarter and faster!
Next, I went back to a previous chat where I was working on an SOP. I uploaded our branded PowerPoint template and asked the AI to translate the SOP into a training deck using that template.
It worked. Huzzah!
Finally, I tried reformatting an older presentation that hadn’t been built in our branded template. This one got messier. I’ll admit, I was short on time and started with a quick, casual prompt just to see how far it would get me. Predictably, it took six iterations to get it mostly right (and some images didn’t transfer).
Lesson learned: even though we know better, it’s tempting to test what a minimal prompt can do. But when formatting and branding matter, being specific up-front saves time.
So I asked the AI for help writing a better prompt.
Me: How could I have prompted you better to get the right results without all the back and forth?
ChatGPT: Here's a prompt template to reduce rework and clarify expectations:
Can you fully reformat the attached "ABC" PowerPoint into the XYZ template?
Please follow these requirements:
Replace all ABC branding with XYZ branding
Apply XYZ brand guidelines including:
Fonts (name specific ones), sizes, and color palette
Bullet hierarchy (specify required bullet styles for each level)
Line spacing (specify line height and spacing before/after)
Layout consistency using XYZ template placeholders (title slides, content + photo slides, etc.)
Rebuild any visual elements (charts, timelines, graphics) to match XYZ's style
Ensure all slide content is visible and readable (e.g., no white font on white background)
Output a fully formatted, branded version ready for use
Bonus (if possible):
Include speaker notes where helpful
If you're ever uploading a presentation or document and need it adapted, prompt it with:
What to preserve: layout, order, messaging
What to change: template, branding, structure
How it will be used: internal vs. external, live workshop vs. leave-behind
What format you want back: editable PPTX, PDF, summary slides, etc.
AI's ability to work directly within your existing files (preserving your branding, formatting, and design standards) represents a fundamental shift from basic text generation to true document collaboration. Instead of creating throwaway content you'll need to reformat, AI can now become an extension of your creative process, maintaining quality and consistency while dramatically reducing the time spent on manual formatting tasks.
The key is specificity in your prompts. The more detailed your instructions, the better your results—and the fewer rounds of revision you'll need to get exactly what you want.
Where could this save time in your team’s workflow?
Heather Lambert-Shemo is a marketing and innovation executive helping organizations harness AI for growth, efficiency, and competitive advantage. Through her work with Linkage Labs, she empowers teams to move beyond task automation and use AI to unlock human potential, sharpen decision-making, and lead with clarity.
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