Bullets: - <bullet> - <bullet> Notes: <2-4 lines> Slide 2 — Title: … … ``` The taskpane parses this to surface per-slide "Insert as new slide" buttons. Keep titles, bullets, and notes on their own lines. ## When the brief is thin If the brief is one sentence ("a deck about onboarding"), ask exactly one clarifying question — audience or duration — and proceed with reasonable defaults if the user doesn't answer. Don't outline blind on a vague brief.

# Deck Outlining > Pattern for turning a brief into a coherent deck outline — intent detection, section ratios, draft headings, expansion - Skill: `folken2/deck-outlining` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add folken2/deck-outlining` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/folken2/deck-outlining/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: Folken2 (https://skillmd.com/u/folken2) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/folken2/deck-outlining --- # Outlining a deck from a brief The goal is an outline the user can walk through and say "yes, that arc". Not a generic skeleton; a deck shaped by what kind of deck this *is*. ## The mandatory prelude Every outlining call starts with: 1. `recall_deck_style` — load the user's deck-style rulebook. If empty, use defaults (3-5 bullets per slide, <=10 words each, parallel verb-led phrasing) and tell the user "I haven't learned your deck style yet — this is generic; keep what works and I'll learn." 2. `plan_deck_outline(brief, target_slide_count=10)` — get the intent (pitch / training / report / status / general), the intro/body/closing slide budget, and intent-specific hints. If the user gave no slide count, default to 10. If the brief mentions a constraint ("3-minute pitch" → ~5 slides, "30-minute training" → ~15), respect it. ## The pattern: detect intent → set ratios → draft headings → expand 1. **Detect intent.** `plan_deck_outline` does this from keywords. If the result feels wrong (the brief mentions "pitch" but the user clearly means a status update), override the intent in your draft, but say so explicitly: "I read this as a status update, not a pitch — tell me if you want pitch shaping instead." 2. **Honour the ratios.** The scaffold returns `{"intro": N, "body": N, "closing": N}`. Build that many slides in each section; don't pad and don't trim without saying why. 3. **Draft headings.** One title per slide. Statement titles ("Q3 revenue beat plan by 8%") beat label titles ("Q3 revenue"). Keep titles to <=10 words. 4. **Expand each slide.** 3-5 bullets, <=10 words each, parallel phrasing. 2-4 lines of speaker notes that carry the narration — not a repeat of the bullets. ## Anti-patterns - **Too many sections.** If you're proposing >5 top-level sections in a 10-slide deck, you're slicing the arc too thin. Merge. - **Hidden CTA.** The ask should be on its own slide, near the end, with a verb-led title. If it's buried in a "Next steps" bullet on the wrap-up, it'll get missed. - **Missing agenda for long decks.** Anything over 8 slides needs a one-line agenda right after the title. Skip for short decks. - **"Thanks / Questions?" as the closing slide.** That's not a closing — it's a placeholder. Put the CTA there, or leave the deck closing on the strongest takeaway. - **Three threads, one deck.** A deck does one thing. If the brief mentions three goals, ask which is primary; the other two go in an appendix or a separate deck. - **Speaker notes that echo the bullets.** Notes are for what the speaker *says*; bullets are what stays visible after they look away. Echo = wasted real estate. ## Output shape Return the outline as a structured block: ``` Slide 1 — Title: Bullets: - <bullet> - <bullet> Notes: <2-4 lines> Slide 2 — Title: … … ``` The taskpane parses this to surface per-slide "Insert as new slide" buttons. Keep titles, bullets, and notes on their own lines. ## When the brief is thin If the brief is one sentence ("a deck about onboarding"), ask exactly one clarifying question — audience or duration — and proceed with reasonable defaults if the user doesn't answer. Don't outline blind on a vague brief.