Presentation Speaker Cues Skill

• Display key statistics, lists, or frameworks that would be hard to remember
• Follow the same visual theme as the rest of the deck
• Are non-distracting (they look like natural content slides)
• Help the speaker by putting hard-to-memorize content on screen

Step-by-Step Process

Phase 1: Analyze

1. Read the pptx skill's SKILL.md first (for deck manipulation guidance)
2. Read both the deck (via markitdown) and the full script
3. Map each slide number to its script section
4. Identify the slide delimiter format used in the script ([SLIDE vs **SLIDE etc.)
5. Catalog per slide:
   • Key talking points from the script
   • Statistics, names, dates, or specific facts that are hard to memorize
   • Lists or sequences (candidates for mnemonics)
   • Transitions to the next topic
   • Stage directions (gestures, pauses, polls)

Phase 2: Design Speaker Notes

For each slide, write concise speaker notes following these principles:

Format:

• Use short bullet points, not full sentences
• Lead with a trigger keyword or phrase in CAPS or bold
• Include the first few words of key sentences (the speaker's brain fills in the rest)
• Add transition cue as the last bullet: "NEXT: [topic of next slide]"

Memory Aids:

• For lists of N items, create a mnemonic acronym or phrase
  • Example: Six Pillars = "I R M F C D" -> "I Remember My First Conference Day"
• For statistics, pair the number with a vivid association
  • Example: "40% = nearly half" or "+10.6% = a full letter grade"
• For before/after comparisons, use a one-word contrast: "Generic vs. Targeted"
• For sequences, number them explicitly: "Step 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4"

What NOT to put in notes:

• The full script text (defeats the purpose)
• Overly detailed explanations
• Anything longer than ~8 bullet points per slide

Phase 3: Identify Cue Slide Opportunities

Add a new slide when:

• The script contains a list of 4+ items that the speaker must recite from memory AND those items are NOT already visible on the current slide
• There is a complex framework, decision tree, or multi-step process described verbally
• There are specific statistics or research citations the speaker needs to quote accurately
• A visual summary would naturally fit the presentation flow without feeling forced

Do NOT add a cue slide when:

• The information is already on the existing slide
• It would break the narrative flow
• It would feel like filler or repetition

New slides should:

• Use the same visual theme, colors, and fonts as surrounding slides
• Look like intentional content slides (not cheat sheets)
• Display the hard-to-remember content in a clean, visual format

Phase 4: Build the Deck

Use the pptx editing workflow:

1. Unpack the deck: python scripts/office/unpack.py input.pptx unpacked/
2. Determine presentation order (critical — see warning below)
3. Add speaker notes to each slide's XML (in <p:notes> / notes slide files)
4. If adding new slides, use python scripts/add_slide.py to duplicate a thematically similar slide, then edit its content
5. Update <p:sldIdLst> ordering if slides were added
6. Clean: python scripts/clean.py unpacked/
7. Pack: python scripts/office/pack.py unpacked/ output.pptx --original input.pptx

CRITICAL — Slide File Numbers vs. Presentation Order: Slide file names (slide1.xml, slide2.xml, ...) do NOT necessarily match the order slides appear in the presentation. For example, slide38.xml might be displayed at position 12. The actual display order is defined by the <p:sldIdLst> in ppt/presentation.xml, where each <p:sldId> entry has an r:id that maps to a slide file via ppt/_rels/presentation.xml.rels.

You MUST build a presentation-order-to-file mapping before assigning notes:

1. Read ppt/presentation.xml to get the ordered list of r:id values from <p:sldIdLst>
2. Read ppt/_rels/presentation.xml.rels to map each r:id to a slide filename
3. This gives you: position 1 → slideX.xml, position 2 → slideY.xml, etc.
4. Assign notes based on POSITION (what the audience sees), writing them to whichever file is at that position

If you skip this step and assume file numbers match display order, notes will be misaligned for any deck where slides were inserted, reordered, or deleted during authoring.

Speaker Notes XML Pattern: Notes are stored in ppt/notesSlides/notesSlideN.xml. If a notes slide doesn't exist for a given slide, you need to create one by duplicating an existing notes slide and updating the relationship in the slide's .rels file.

When creating a new rels file for a slide that previously had none, check whether the slide XML already references rIds for images (e.g., <a:blip r:embed="rId2"/>). If so, use a higher rId number for the notes relationship to avoid conflicting with those existing references. For example, if the slide uses rId1 through rId6 for images, assign the notes relationship to rId7.

Phase 5: Update the Script (if new slides were added)

For each new slide inserted:

1. Identify the slide delimiter format (detect from existing script):
   • ## [SLIDE N — Title] format
   • ## **SLIDE N — Title** format
   • Other variants
2. Insert a new section at the correct position
3. Move the relevant portion of the surrounding script text into the new section
4. Renumber all subsequent slide references if needed (or use letter suffixes like "11b" to avoid renumbering)
5. Preserve all stage directions, timing notes, and formatting

Phase 6: Create the Change Report

Write a markdown report containing:

1. Summary of Changes — how many notes added, how many slides added
2. Per-Slide Notes Summary — for each slide, what the notes contain
3. New Slides Added — for each new slide, what it shows and why
4. Mnemonics Guide — every mnemonic used, fully explained, so the speaker can practice
5. General Memory Tips for this specific talk:
   • Suggested practice routine
   • Key anchor phrases to memorize (the rest flows naturally)
   • Story arc summary (beginning → middle → end in 3 sentences)
   • "If you forget everything else, remember these 5 things"

Phase 7: Verify

• Run markitdown on the output deck to confirm notes are present
• Verify notes-to-slide alignment: For each slide in the markitdown output, check that the slide title/content matches the notes content. Specifically spot-check slides in the middle and end of the deck, since those are most likely to be misaligned if file-order vs. presentation-order was handled incorrectly.
• Confirm slide count matches expectations
• Confirm script slide sections match deck slide count
• Review notes for conciseness (trim any that exceed 8 bullets)
• If any notes are misaligned, go back to Phase 4 and rebuild the position-to-file mapping