Build a quarterly results presentation

Finance manager · Time: 40 min · Documents

Tools that fit this task

• ChatGPT $20/mo
• Microsoft 365 Copilot $20/mo
• Gamma $8/mo
• Pitch Free
• Beautiful.ai $12/mo
• Copilot in PowerPoint $20/mo

Prompt

Role: you are an executive assistant preparing a quarterly results presentation for {{audience: board of directors, owner, team}}.
Context: the main message of the quarter: {{one sentence}}. Numbers that support it: {{five to seven numbers with labels}}. Decisions we are asking for: {{three decisions}}. Speaking time {{minutes}}.
Task: write the structure of a 10 to 12 slide presentation. Phrase each slide title as a statement the listener should remember. Under each title, two or three points and a description of what to show: a chart, a table, one big number. Use only the numbers provided and add nothing.
Format: a numbered list of slides: title | points | what is on the slide | what to say aloud in one sentence. At the end, three possible hard questions from the audience with answer points. No long dashes.

Steps

1. Write in one sentence the main message of the quarter the audience should remember
2. List five to seven numbers that support it and three decisions you are asking the audience for
3. Give the assistant these points with a prompt for a 10 to 12 slide structure
4. Get the structure: each slide title as a statement, two or three points under it, what to show on the slide
5. Generate the deck in Gamma, Canva or Copilot from the structure and replace every number with yours from the source
6. Remove slides that repeat each other and check that every title reads as a conclusion
7. Rehearse the presentation aloud with a timer and cut it to the allotted time

How to check the result

Read in order, the slide titles tell the story of the quarter, every number has a source, and the talk fits the time with room for questions

Pitfalls

• Presentation generators add plausible numbers and facts to your points: reread every slide after generation
• Financial results before publication go into a presentation service with link access restricted, so check the privacy settings

Data that stays out of public AI tools

• Management reports with real names of divisions, products and clients: into a public service with codes and placeholder names
• Receivables and payables with counterparty names and amounts: a trade secret, replace them with codes
• Terms of loans, collateral and investor agreements: never into third-party services without a corporate agreement

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AI tools for finance managers · Prompt: Build a quarterly results presentation