{"id":"8c3afc41-3948-4a68-a170-c8d1ea76b39c","shortId":"2xjacP","kind":"skill","title":"giving-presentations","tagline":"Plan and deliver presentations: brief, narrative, slide outline, Q&A bank, rehearsal plan. See also: written-communication (async writing).","description":"# Giving Presentations\n\n## Scope\n\n**Covers**\n- Turning a goal + audience into a clear **talk objective** and **ask**\n- Building a persuasive narrative using **contrast** (“what is” vs “what could be”)\n- Producing a slide/talk-track plan that is easy to deliver under time pressure\n- De-risking high-stakes talks via **role-play**, **Q&A prep**, and **pre-briefs**\n- Rehearsing for confidence (including **visualization** + record/review)\n- Delivery mechanics for in-person and Zoom (presence, pauses, looking up to think)\n\n**When to use**\n- “Create an outline and talk track for my all-hands update.”\n- “Help me turn this doc into a 10-minute exec presentation with a clear ask.”\n- “I need a deck structure for a keynote / conference talk.”\n- “Prep me for Q&A and objections for a high-stakes review.”\n- “Build a rehearsal plan so I can deliver confidently.”\n\n**When NOT to use**\n- You only need **visual/brand design polish** (use a design system or a designer; this skill focuses on narrative + delivery).\n- You need a long-form written memo, email, or doc (use `written-communication`; then convert to a talk if needed).\n- You need deep stakeholder alignment on strategy from scratch (use `stakeholder-alignment` first; this skill assumes you already have a direction/ask).\n- You need to plan a meeting agenda and facilitation (use `running-effective-meetings`; this skill builds a talk, not a discussion).\n- You need to design a multi-day offsite or retreat (use `running-offsites`; presentations may be one session, not the whole event).\n- You’re presenting on regulated/high-risk topics (medical/legal/financial advice) without expert review.\n\n## Inputs\n\n**Minimum required**\n- Presentation type + setting (all-hands, keynote, exec review, customer demo; in-person vs Zoom)\n- Audience (roles/seniority) + what they care about\n- Desired outcome (inform / align / decide / persuade) and the **ask** (decision, approval, next step)\n- Time limit and Q&A format (minutes; live Q&A vs async)\n- Core content (bullets, doc, notes, or an existing deck) + any must-include points\n- Constraints (deadline, level of polish, sensitive details to avoid)\n\n**Missing-info strategy**\n- Ask up to 5 questions from [references/INTAKE.md](references/INTAKE.md) (3–5 at a time).\n- If details are missing, proceed with explicit assumptions and label unknowns.\n\n## Outputs (deliverables)\n\nProduce a **Presentation Pack** in Markdown (in-chat; or as files if requested):\n\n1) **Presentation brief** (goal, audience, ask, constraints)\n2) **Narrative outline** (core message + “what is vs what could be” contrast)\n3) **Slide-by-slide outline + talk track** (each slide: takeaway, key points, evidence, speaker notes)\n4) **Q&A / objection bank** (top questions + crisp responses)\n5) **Stakeholder pre-brief plan** (who to pre-meet, what to align, how to de-risk)\n6) **Rehearsal + delivery plan** (visualization, record/review, timing, logistics, Zoom/in-person cues)\n7) **Risks / Open questions / Next steps** (always)\n\nTemplates: [references/TEMPLATES.md](references/TEMPLATES.md)  \nExpanded guidance: [references/WORKFLOW.md](references/WORKFLOW.md)\n\n## Workflow (8 steps)\n\n### 1) Intake: lock the objective, ask, and constraints\n- **Inputs:** user context + [references/INTAKE.md](references/INTAKE.md).\n- **Actions:** Clarify audience, outcome, and the single most important ask. Confirm time limit and what is in/out of scope.\n- **Outputs:** Presentation brief (draft) + assumptions/unknowns list.\n- **Checks:** You can answer in one sentence: “After this talk, the audience will _____.”\n\n### 2) Build the narrative spine using contrast\n- **Inputs:** brief + source content (doc/bullets/deck).\n- **Actions:** Define the “what is” current reality and the “what could be” future. Choose 2–4 supporting points and the call-to-action.\n- **Outputs:** Narrative outline (contrast table + story beats).\n- **Checks:** The contrast is concrete (not vague) and matches what the audience values.\n\n### 3) Map the narrative to a slide/story structure\n- **Inputs:** narrative outline + time limit.\n- **Actions:** Select a structure (e.g., Context → Tension → Proposal → Proof → Ask). Create a slide list with 1 takeaway per slide and a rough time budget.\n- **Outputs:** Slide-by-slide outline (titles + takeaways + time plan).\n- **Checks:** The talk fits time with buffer; no slide has multiple competing takeaways.\n\n### 4) Draft talk track and evidence (make it sayable)\n- **Inputs:** slide outline + evidence sources.\n- **Actions:** Write speaker notes (bullet talk track), add proof (metrics, examples, demos), and trim anything “nice to know.”\n- **Outputs:** Slide outline with speaker notes + evidence plan.\n- **Checks:** Each slide can be spoken without reading; jargon is translated for the audience.\n\n### 5) Prepare for Q&A: role-play objections\n- **Inputs:** draft pack + stakeholder context.\n- **Actions:** Generate a Q&A / objection bank. Role-play the hardest audience member(s) and refine responses. Identify unanswered questions.\n- **Outputs:** Q&A bank + “unknowns to resolve” list.\n- **Checks:** Top 10 likely questions have concise answers and a fallback (“I’ll follow up by DATE”).\n\n### 6) De-risk with stakeholder pre-briefs (no surprises)\n- **Inputs:** draft pack + stakeholder map.\n- **Actions:** Plan and run pre-meetings with key decision-makers/influencers. Capture objections early and update the narrative/ask.\n- **Outputs:** Pre-brief plan + change log (what changed and why).\n- **Checks:** No major stakeholder is seeing the core ask for the first time in the live meeting.\n\n### 7) Rehearse for confidence (visualize + record + iterate)\n- **Inputs:** near-final outline/talk track.\n- **Actions:** Do a mental dress rehearsal (visualization), then a timed run. Record yourself, review, and iterate. Add delivery cues (pause, look up to think, avoid reading).\n- **Outputs:** Rehearsal plan + timing notes + delivery cues.\n- **Checks:** You can deliver within time twice in a row without major stumbles.\n\n### 8) Finalize and run the quality gate\n- **Inputs:** final draft pack + logistics.\n- **Actions:** Run [references/CHECKLISTS.md](references/CHECKLISTS.md) and score with [references/RUBRIC.md](references/RUBRIC.md). Confirm logistics (room/Zoom, backups). Produce the final pack.\n- **Outputs:** Final Presentation Pack + Risks/Open questions/Next steps.\n- **Checks:** A teammate can read the brief + slide outline and correctly predict the ask and flow.\n\n## Quality gate (required)\n- Use [references/CHECKLISTS.md](references/CHECKLISTS.md) and [references/RUBRIC.md](references/RUBRIC.md).\n- Always include: **Risks**, **Open questions**, **Next steps**.\n\n## Examples\n\n**Example 1 (all-hands update):** “Create a 7-minute all-hands presentation: what we shipped this quarter, what’s next, and what help we need from other teams.”  \nExpected: brief, narrative contrast (current vs next), slide outline + talk track, Q&A, rehearsal + delivery plan.\n\n**Example 2 (exec review with decision):** “I need a 12-minute exec review proposing a new onboarding flow. The ask is approval to run a 4-week experiment. Prep me for objections.”  \nExpected: clear ask, proof points, objection bank, pre-brief plan for key execs, and a rehearsal plan.\n\n**Boundary example (redirect):** “I need to get the VP of Eng and the CFO aligned on our infra investment before the board meeting.”\nResponse: This is a stakeholder alignment problem, not a presentation problem. Redirect to `stakeholder-alignment` for the alignment brief, stakeholder map, and pre-brief loop. Once alignment is secured, return here to build the board presentation.\n\n**Boundary example (reframe):** “Make my slides prettier.”\nResponse: clarify whether the problem is narrative/structure vs visual design; if it’s purely aesthetics, recommend design-system alignment or a designer and do not invent business content.\n\n## Anti-patterns (common failure modes)\n\n1. **”Death by slides”** -- Creating 40+ dense slides instead of a tight narrative with 1 takeaway per slide. Audiences tune out; the talk runs over time.\n2. **No clear ask** -- Presenting information without stating what the audience should do, decide, or approve. Leads to “interesting talk, but now what?”\n3. **Skipping rehearsal** -- Trusting that the slides will carry the talk. Result: rambling, reading slides verbatim, or freezing on tough questions.\n4. **Audience-blind content** -- Using the same deck for execs and ICs. Execs want the ask + tradeoffs up front; ICs want detail and context. Mismatched content loses the room.\n5. **Ignoring Q&A prep** -- Hoping tough questions won’t come up. Unprepared answers undermine credibility even when the core content is strong.","tags":["giving","presentations","lenny","skills","plus","liqiongyu","agent-skills","ai-agents","automation","claude","codex","prompt-engineering"],"capabilities":["skill","source-liqiongyu","skill-giving-presentations","topic-agent-skills","topic-ai-agents","topic-automation","topic-claude","topic-codex","topic-prompt-engineering","topic-refoundai","topic-skillpack"],"categories":["lenny_skills_plus"],"synonyms":[],"warnings":[],"endpointUrl":"https://skills.sh/liqiongyu/lenny_skills_plus/giving-presentations","protocol":"skill","transport":"skills-sh","auth":{"type":"none","details":{"cli":"npx skills add liqiongyu/lenny_skills_plus","source_repo":"https://github.com/liqiongyu/lenny_skills_plus","install_from":"skills.sh"}},"qualityScore":"0.474","qualityRationale":"deterministic score 0.47 from registry signals: · indexed on github topic:agent-skills · 49 github stars · SKILL.md body (8,691 chars)","verified":false,"liveness":"unknown","lastLivenessCheck":null,"agentReviews":{"count":0,"score_avg":null,"cost_usd_avg":null,"success_rate":null,"latency_p50_ms":null,"narrative_summary":null,"summary_updated_at":null},"enrichmentModel":"deterministic:skill-github:v1","enrichmentVersion":1,"enrichedAt":"2026-04-22T00:56:22.696Z","embedding":null,"createdAt":"2026-04-18T22:16:37.394Z","updatedAt":"2026-04-22T00:56:22.696Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-04-22T00:56:22.696Z","tsv":"'/influencers':803 '1':404,494,629,968,1166,1180 '10':123,760 '12':1022 '2':411,545,571,1014,1192 '3':372,423,601,1215 '4':439,572,661,1038,1236 '40':1171 '5':367,373,448,715,1266 '6':467,775 '7':477,839,975 '8':492,898 'action':507,557,580,614,675,729,791,852,910 'add':682,868 'advic':283 'aesthet':1145 'agenda':236 'align':212,220,315,461,1077,1091,1101,1104,1114,1150 'all-hand':112,293,969,977 'alreadi':226 'also':18 'alway':483,959 'answer':535,765,1279 'anti':1161 'anti-pattern':1160 'anyth':689 'approv':322,1034,1207 'ask':38,130,320,364,409,499,516,623,830,947,1032,1047,1195,1252 'assum':224 'assumpt':384 'assumptions/unknowns':530 'async':22,336 'audienc':31,306,408,509,543,599,714,741,1184,1202,1238 'audience-blind':1237 'avoid':359,876 'backup':922 'bank':14,443,735,753,1051 'beat':587 'blind':1239 'board':1084,1122 'boundari':1063,1124 'brief':8,80,406,452,528,553,783,814,940,998,1054,1105,1111 'budget':637 'buffer':654 'build':39,154,246,546,1120 'bullet':339,679 'busi':1158 'call':578 'call-to-act':577 'captur':804 'care':310 'carri':1223 'cfo':1076 'chang':816,819 'chat':398 'check':532,588,648,701,758,822,885,934 'choos':570 'clarifi':508,1132 'clear':34,129,1046,1194 'come':1276 'common':1163 'communic':21,200 'compet':659 'concis':764 'concret':592 'confer':139 'confid':83,162,842 'confirm':517,919 'constraint':351,410,501 'content':338,555,1159,1240,1262,1286 'context':504,619,728,1260 'contrast':44,422,551,584,590,1000 'convert':202 'core':337,414,829,1285 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'first':221,833 'fit':651 'flow':949,1030 'focus':182 'follow':771 'form':191 'format':330 'freez':1232 'front':1255 'futur':569 'gate':904,951 'generat':730 'get':1069 'give':2,24 'giving-present':1 'goal':30,407 'guidanc':488 'hand':114,295,971,979 'hardest':740 'help':116,991 'high':67,151 'high-stak':66,150 'hope':1271 'ic':1248,1256 'identifi':747 'ignor':1267 'import':515 'in-chat':396 'in-person':90,301 'in/out':523 'includ':84,349,960 'info':362 'inform':314,1197 'infra':1080 'input':287,502,552,609,670,724,786,846,905 'instead':1174 'intak':495 'interest':1210 'invent':1157 'invest':1081 'iter':845,867 'jargon':709 'key':434,799,1057 'keynot':138,296 'know':692 'label':386 'lead':1208 'level':353 'like':761 'limit':326,519,613 'list':531,627,757 'live':332,837 'll':770 'lock':496 'log':817 'logist':474,909,920 'long':190 'long-form':189 'look':97,872 'loop':1112 'lose':1263 'major':824,896 'make':667,1127 'maker':802 'map':602,790,1107 'markdown':395 'match':596 'may':268 'mechan':88 'medical/legal/financial':282 'meet':235,243,458,797,838,1085 'member':742 'memo':193 'mental':855 'messag':415 'metric':684 'minimum':288 'minut':124,331,976,1023 'mismatch':1261 'miss':361,380 'missing-info':360 'mode':1165 'multi':258 'multi-day':257 'multipl':658 'must':348 'must-includ':347 'narrat':9,42,184,412,548,582,604,610,999,1178 'narrative/ask':810 'narrative/structure':1137 'near':848 'near-fin':847 'need':132,169,187,207,209,231,253,993,1020,1067 'new':1028 'next':323,481,964,988,1003 'nice':690 'note':341,438,678,698,882 'object':36,147,442,498,723,734,805,1044,1050 'offsit':260,266 'onboard':1029 'one':270,537 'open':479,962 'outcom':313,510 'outlin':11,106,413,428,583,611,643,672,695,942,1005 'outline/talk':850 'output':388,526,581,638,693,750,811,878,927 'pack':393,726,788,908,926,930 'pattern':1162 'paus':96,871 'per':631,1182 'person':92,303 'persuad':317 'persuas':41 'plan':4,16,54,157,233,453,470,647,700,792,815,880,1012,1055,1062 'play':73,722,738 'point':350,435,574,1049 'polish':172,355 'pre':79,451,457,782,796,813,1053,1110 'pre-brief':78,450,781,812,1052,1109 'pre-meet':456,795 'predict':945 'prep':76,141,1041,1270 'prepar':716 'presenc':95 'present':3,7,25,126,267,278,290,392,405,527,929,980,1095,1123,1196 'pressur':62 'prettier':1130 'problem':1092,1096,1135 'proceed':381 'produc':51,390,923 'proof':622,683,1048 'propos':621,1026 'pure':1144 'q':12,74,144,328,333,440,718,732,751,1008,1268 'qualiti':903,950 'quarter':985 'question':368,445,480,749,762,963,1235,1273 'questions/next':932 'rambl':1227 're':277 'read':708,877,938,1228 'realiti':563 'recommend':1146 'record':844,863 'record/review':86,472 'redirect':1065,1097 'references/checklists.md':912,913,954,955 'references/intake.md':370,371,505,506 'references/rubric.md':917,918,957,958 'references/templates.md':485,486 'references/workflow.md':489,490 'refin':745 'refram':1126 'regulated/high-risk':280 'rehears':15,81,156,468,840,857,879,1010,1061,1217 'request':403 'requir':289,952 'resolv':756 'respons':447,746,1086,1131 'result':1226 'retreat':262 'return':1117 'review':153,286,298,865,1016,1025 'risk':65,466,478,778,961 'risks/open':931 'role':72,721,737 'role-play':71,720,736 'roles/seniority':307 'room':1265 'room/zoom':921 'rough':635 'row':894 'run':241,265,794,862,901,911,1036,1189 'running-effective-meet':240 'running-offsit':264 'sayabl':669 'scope':26,525 'score':915 'scratch':216 'secur':1116 'see':17,827 'select':615 'sensit':356 'sentenc':538 'session':271 'set':292 'ship':983 'singl':513 'skill':181,223,245 'skill-giving-presentations' 'skip':1216 'slide':10,425,427,432,626,632,640,642,656,671,694,703,941,1004,1129,1169,1173,1183,1221,1229 'slide-by-slid':424,639 'slide/story':607 'slide/talk-track':53 'sourc':554,674 'source-liqiongyu' 'speaker':437,677,697 'spine':549 'spoken':706 'stake':68,152 'stakehold':211,219,449,727,780,789,825,1090,1100,1106 'stakeholder-align':218,1099 'state':1199 'step':324,482,493,933,965 'stori':586 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'want':1250,1257 'week':1039 'whether':1133 'whole':274 'within':889 'without':284,707,895,1198 'won':1274 'workflow':491 'write':23,676 'written':20,192,199 'written-commun':19,198 'zoom':94,305 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