Gamma Presentations Skill

2. Audience as Hero, Presenter as Mentor

• The audience is the hero facing a challenge
• The presenter (or content) is the mentor providing tools to overcome it
• Position solutions as enabling the audience's success, not showcasing the presenter

3. The Presentation Sparkline™

Alternate between "what is" and "what could be" throughout:

What is → What could be → What is → What could be → NEW BLISS

This contrast keeps audiences engaged (unlike flat reports or pure pitches).

4. S.T.A.R. Moments™

Include "Something They'll Always Remember":

• Dramatic demonstrations
• Unexpected comparisons (like Steve Jobs sliding MacBook Air into envelope)
• Emotional stories that crystallize the message

5. Data Storytelling

Transform data into meaning:

• Humanize: Make numbers relatable to individuals
• Compare: Use unexpected units of measurement
• Surprise: Lead with insight, not just charts

6. Visual Hierarchy

• One idea per slide (rule of one)
• Clear title that states the insight (not just topic)
• 5-7 bullets maximum per slide
• Use whitespace strategically

7. The New Bliss

End with a clear vision of the attainable future:

• What does success look like for the audience?
• How will their world be better?
• Concrete, achievable, inspiring

Alex Consulting Workflow

When a user provides plain text or rough content, Alex follows this consulting process:

Phase 1: Discovery

Alex analyzes the content and asks clarifying questions:

• Who is the audience? (executives, developers, investors, etc.)
• What is the goal? (inform, persuade, inspire, teach)
• What is the single most important takeaway?
• Are there emotional stories or data points to highlight?

Phase 2: Concept Presentation

Alex presents a narrative storyboard:

📊 PRESENTATION CONCEPT

Title: [Compelling title framed as benefit to audience]
Subtitle: [Supporting context]

NARRATIVE ARC:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ HOOK: [Opening that establishes stakes]        │
│ PROBLEM: [What is - current pain/challenge]    │
│ VISION: [What could be - better future]        │
│ SOLUTION: [How to get there - your offering]   │
│ PROOF: [Evidence, data, stories]               │
│ CALL TO ACTION: [Clear next step]              │
│ NEW BLISS: [Vision of success achieved]        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

PROPOSED SLIDE STRUCTURE (10 slides):
1. Title slide with hook subtitle
2. The challenge your audience faces
3. Why this matters now
4. Section: The Vision [section divider]
5. What success looks like
6. The path forward
7. Proof point 1: [data/story]
8. Section: Taking Action [section divider]  
9. Key recommendations
10. Call to action + New Bliss

S.T.A.R. MOMENT: [Proposed memorable element]

Phase 3: User Feedback

User refines the concept:

• "Add more data on slide 7"
• "Make the call to action stronger"
• "I want to emphasize X instead of Y"

Phase 4: Structured Markdown Creation

Alex generates the full structured markdown for approval:

# [Title]

## [Subtitle]

> [Speaker notes for opening]

---

# [Slide 2 Title]

- Bullet with **bold** for emphasis
- Another key point
- Third supporting point

> [Speaker notes with talking points]

---

## [Section Name] [section]

---

Phase 5: User Approval

User reviews the markdown:

• Make inline edits if needed
• Request changes to specific slides
• Approve for generation

Phase 6: Generation

Alex converts approved markdown to PPTX with:

• Alex brand colors and typography
• Proper slide layouts per the Duarte principles
• Speaker notes preserved
• Illustrations as specified

Illustrations and Visual Elements

Alex supports multiple types of illustrations in presentations.

Illustration Syntax

Use markdown image syntax with type prefixes:

Company Logos

Local Logo Collection (PNG, JPG, SVG)

Place your company logos in a logos/ folder (configurable via alex.logos.folder setting):

workspace/
├── logos/
│   ├── acme.png        # PNG logos supported
│   ├── partner-a.jpg   # JPG logos supported  
│   ├── microsoft.svg   # SVG logos supported
│   └── google.webp     # WebP logos supported
└── presentation.md

Reference by name (Alex auto-detects format):

# Our Partners

![logo:acme]
![logo:partner-a]
![logo:microsoft]

- Partner A brings expertise in...

Ticker-Based Logo API

Fetch company logos by stock ticker symbol (requires API key in settings):

# Tech Giants Comparison

![ticker:AAPL]
![ticker:MSFT]  
![ticker:GOOGL]

| Company | Market Cap | Revenue |
|---------|-----------|---------|
| Apple | $3.0T | $394B |
| Microsoft | $2.8T | $211B |
| Google | $1.9T | $307B |

Setup:

1. Get a free API key from Brandfetch (no attribution required) or Logo.dev (500K/mo free)
2. Add to VS Code settings: alex.logos.brandfetchClientId or alex.logos.logoDevToken

Available Icons

Business & Charts: chart-bar, chart-line, chart-pie, trending-up, trending-down, target, trophy, briefcase, building, wallet

People & Teams: users, user, user-check, handshake

Technology: cpu, database, server, cloud, globe, code, terminal, wifi, brain, sparkles

Communication: mail, message-circle, phone, share, video, presentation

Actions & Status: check, check-circle, x, x-circle, plus, minus, alert-triangle, info, help-circle

Objects & Concepts: lightbulb, book, calendar, clock, file, file-text, folder, star, heart, lock, unlock, shield, zap, rocket

Arrows & Navigation: arrow-right, arrow-left, arrow-up, arrow-down, chevron-right, chevron-left, external-link, refresh

Available Stock Illustrations

Example: Slide with Illustrations

# Why Choose Us

## Key Differentiators

![icon:trophy#1a7f37]

- Industry-leading performance
- Enterprise-grade security
- 24/7 expert support

![stock:security]

> Emphasize the security certification in the demo

Consulting Prompts

Use these prompts to engage Alex as a presentation consultant:

Full Consulting Workflow

"Help me create a presentation about [topic]. 
I want to present to [audience] to [goal].
Here's my rough content: [paste content or file path]"

Concept Review

"Review my presentation concept and suggest improvements:
[paste existing content]"

Storyboard Request

"Create a storyboard for a presentation on [topic].
Audience: [who]
Goal: [what you want them to do/feel/know]
Key message: [single takeaway]"

S.T.A.R. Moment Ideation

"What would be a memorable S.T.A.R. moment for a presentation about [topic]?
I want the audience to remember [key insight]."

When to Use

• User asks to create a presentation or slide deck
• Need to generate a document or report
• Creating social media content (carousels, stories)
• Building simple webpages from content
• Converting notes or outlines into polished presentations

Prerequisites

• Gamma account (Pro, Ultra, Teams, or Business plan for API access)
• API key from gamma.app/settings
• Environment variable: GAMMA_API_KEY

Help & User Manual

How to Ask Alex to Create Gamma Content

Simply tell Alex what you want to create. Alex will write the actual content for you, then generate the presentation.

From a Topic (Alex writes all content)

"Create a 10-slide presentation about machine learning for executives"
"Make a pitch deck for my startup idea: [description]"
"Generate a social media carousel about productivity tips"

What Alex does:

1. Creates a detailed markdown file with real slide content
2. Sends it to Gamma API for professional formatting
3. Returns the link and/or downloads the file
4. Opens it automatically if requested

From Your Own Content File

"Create a presentation from README.md"
"Turn my CHANGELOG.md into a 15-slide deck"
"Make a document from .github/skills/cognitive-architecture/SKILL.md"

From Reference Documents

"Create a presentation about appropriate reliance using all the documents in the article folder"
"Make a pitch deck from my business plan - use investor-deck.md and financials.md"

Alex will:

1. Read and synthesize the referenced files
2. Write presentation content based on that material
3. Generate the formatted presentation

With Specific Options

"Create a presentation from my-notes.md with 12 slides, professional tone, for investors"
"Generate a webpage from PROJECT.md in Portuguese"
"Make an Instagram carousel (4x5) from tips.txt with vibrant AI images"

Command Quick Reference

Available Options

When asking Alex to create Gamma content, you can specify:

Step-by-Step: Create from a Workspace File

1. Tell Alex the file path:

   "Create a presentation from README.md"

2. Alex reads the file and sends content to Gamma API

3. Alex polls for completion (usually 15-60 seconds)

4. Alex returns the link: https://gamma.app/docs/xxxxx

5. Open the link to view, edit, or download your presentation

Customization Examples

Basic:

"Create a presentation from README.md"

With slide count:

"Create a 15-slide presentation from README.md"

With audience:

"Create a presentation from README.md for new developers, friendly tone"

With export:

"Create a presentation from ROADMAP.md and export as PowerPoint"

Full customization:

"Create a 12-slide pitch deck from my-startup.md in 16x9 format, confident tone, for VCs, with modern AI images, export as PDF and PowerPoint"

What Alex Does Behind the Scenes

1. Reads the specified file from your workspace
2. Sends to Gamma API with your options:
   • textMode: "generate" (expands brief content) or "condense" (summarizes long content)
   • format, numCards, textOptions, imageOptions based on your request
3. Polls generation status every 2-3 seconds
4. Returns the Gamma URL when complete
5. Downloads export (PPTX/PDF) if requested
6. Auto-opens the file if --open flag is used
7. Reports credits used and remaining balance

Pro Tips for Great Results

1. Structure Your Content with Slide Markers

Use clear headers in your markdown — they become natural slide breaks:

## Slide 1: Title
Main message here

## Slide 2: The Problem
- Pain point 1
- Pain point 2

## Slide 3: Our Solution
Description of solution

2. Use Illustrations for Professional Decks

Specify --image-style with "illustrations" for consistent, modern look:

--image-model ideogram --image-style "modern clean illustrations, abstract concepts"

3. Match Tone to Audience

4. One Command, Open Result

Always use --open to immediately review your deck:

node .github/muscles/gamma-generator.js -f content.md -e pptx --open

5. Iterate with Cost-Effective Models

Use cheaper models while iterating, premium for final:

# Drafts (2 credits/image)
--image-model flux-quick

# Final version (20 credits/image)
--image-model ideogram

Cost Awareness

Alex will inform you of credit usage after each generation:

Check your balance: gamma.app/settings/billing

Quick Reference

API Base URL