Communication and Presentations skills
Communication and Presentations Skills-md for AI Agents
Communication and presentation skills are SKILL.md files that turn Claude, Codex and other AI agents into a presentation coach and communication partner. They build a storyline around one big idea before any slide exists, design slides with assertion headlines and visual evidence, and prepare you to deliver with speaker notes, timed rehearsals and answers to the questions you will be asked.
6 of 13 skills published, version 1.0.0, October 2026.
Presentation Storyline
Build a presentation storyline before any slides: audience analysis, a one-sentence big idea with stakes, a specific call to action, structures from answer-first and SCQA to what is versus what could be, three supporting points with evidence, opening and close, action-title slide outlines, objections, time plans and a headline test.
Slide Design
Design clear slides from a storyline: one message per slide, assertion headlines backed by research, visual evidence instead of bullets, chart makeovers that highlight the point, grids, typography and purposeful colour, accessibility, speaker notes, appendices, templates and pre-read adjustments for PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote or HTML.
Presenting and Delivery
Prepare and deliver presentations well: speaker notes with transitions, scripted openings and closings, timed out-loud rehearsals, pace, pauses, voice and body language, nerves, video call and hybrid delivery, answering clear, hostile and off-topic questions, recovering from problems and following up.
Data Storytelling
Turn data into stories people act on: context, one insight per visual, evidence, explanation, implication and action, finding and checking insights, choosing the right chart, decluttering and highlighting, headline titles and annotations, clear uncertainty, common data traps and recommendations.
Pitch Presentations
Build and rehearse pitches for investors, clients, partners and leadership: problem and why now, solution, proof, model and numbers, team, a specific ask, investor and client deck structures, a two-minute verbal pitch, sent and live versions, hard questions with answers and same-day follow-up.
Persuasion and Influence
Influence decisions ethically, especially without authority: the ask and smallest version, stakeholder maps and power-interest grids, interests behind positions, framing around shared goals, evidence and credibility, pre-wiring, messengers and channels, Cialdini principles used ethically, objection handling, principled negotiation and follow-through.
No skill matches that search. Clear it or choose All.
What communication skills do for an AI agent
Ask a general AI model for a presentation and it usually produces a deck of bullet slides with topic titles, background first and the point at the end. It looks complete but asks the audience to do the work of finding the message, and it does nothing to help the person who has to stand up and deliver it.
These skills follow the methods professional presentation coaches and strategy consultants use. The agent analyses the audience, writes one big idea that someone could disagree with, sets a specific call to action and chooses a structure such as answer-first, SCQA or what is versus what could be. Slides get full-sentence headlines with one piece of visual evidence each, charts that highlight their point and accessible design. Delivery preparation covers speaker notes, scripted openings and closings, timed rehearsals, video calls and answers to hard questions.
Presentations, updates and conversations
The set covers storylines, slides, delivery, data stories, pitches, status and stakeholder updates, feedback, difficult conversations, change announcements, team chat, all-hands and influence.
Every skill keeps you in control of the message: the agent proposes, you decide, and nothing is presented or sent without your review.
Where to start: story, slides, delivery
Start with presentation-storyline. Before opening any slide tool, write the audience analysis, the big idea, the call to action and a slide outline with action titles. Read the titles alone: if they tell the whole story, the hard work is done.
Then use slide-design to turn each title into a slide with one assertion headline and one piece of visual evidence, and presenting-delivery to rehearse out loud with a timer, script the first and last minute and prepare answers to the ten most likely questions.
For a 20-minute leadership slot, this usually means about an hour on the story, an hour on slides and an hour of rehearsal. Decks shrink, often by half, because detail moves to an appendix, and meetings spend their time on the decision rather than on finding the point.
The same approach works beyond slides. Status updates, stakeholder emails, announcements and difficult conversations all benefit from knowing the audience, stating the main message first and planning for the questions people will ask. As more skills in this set go live, each one will follow that pattern: who needs to hear it, what they should think and do, how to structure it and how to deliver it so it lands. Skills for data storytelling, pitches and stakeholder updates come next, followed by feedback, difficult conversations, change announcements, team chat, all-hands and influence, so the whole set covers both formal presentations and everyday workplace communication.
Each skill also works on its own when you only need one part.
Start small and build.
The 13 skills in this set, and the methods behind them
Thirteen skills are planned for this set. Six are live now; the rest follow.
| Skill | What it does | Status |
|---|---|---|
presentation-storyline | The big idea, structure and action-title outline before slides | Live |
slide-design | Assertion headlines, visual evidence and readable slides | Live |
presenting-delivery | Rehearsal, delivery, questions and video calls | Live |
data-storytelling | Turning numbers into insight people act on | Live |
pitch-presentations | Pitches to investors, clients and leaders | Live |
status-updates | Weekly updates that report progress and risks | Planned |
stakeholder-updates | Updates for executives and managing up | Planned |
feedback-conversations | Specific, kind feedback that changes behaviour | Planned |
difficult-conversations | Hard conversations prepared and handled well | Planned |
change-announcements | Announcing change so people understand and act | Planned |
team-chat-communication | Clear messages in Slack and Teams | Planned |
town-halls-all-hands | All-hands and town halls people want to attend | Planned |
persuasion-influence | Influencing decisions without authority | Live |
The research and methods behind these skills
| Source | How the skills use it |
|---|---|
| Minto Pyramid Principle | Answer first, then grouped reasons and evidence |
| Duarte, Resonate | Contrast between what is and what could be for persuasive talks |
| Assertion-evidence research (Alley and colleagues) | Full-sentence headlines with visual evidence instead of bullets |
| Mayer, multimedia learning | Words with relevant visuals, no decoration, no duplicated text |
| Rehearsal and question planning | Timed out-loud practice and prepared answers to likely questions |
Example prompts
Each skill triggers on everyday wording. These prompts are good starting points:
- Storyline: “Plan my 20-minute leadership update on Q3 marketing.”
- Big idea: “What is the one message of this deck?”
- Headline test: “Rewrite my slide titles as full-sentence messages.”
- Slides: “Redesign this bullet-heavy deck.”
- Charts: “Make this chart prove its point.”
- Rehearsal: “Write speaker notes and a rehearsal plan.”
- Questions: “What hard questions will the CFO ask?”
What the agent needs from you
Good presentation help depends on a few inputs:
- Purpose: inform, persuade, decide, teach or inspire.
- Audience: who is in the room, who decides and what they care about.
- Time and format: slot length, room, video call or pre-read.
- Material: data, notes, documents and any existing deck.
- Constraints: template, brand, mandatory content and approvals.
If something is missing, the skills ask only what changes the story and start with sensible defaults.
What an agent cannot do, and myths to ignore
An agent can structure, design, script and coach, but it cannot read the room for you, build trust with your audience or deliver the talk. Your judgement on politics, timing and tone still matters most.
| Myth | What works better |
|---|---|
| More slides show more work | Fewer slides with one message each, detail in an appendix |
| Titles should be short labels | Full-sentence headlines that state the message |
| Bullets are the default layout | Visual evidence that proves the headline |
| Great presenters wing it | Timed out-loud rehearsal and prepared answers |
| End with any questions | End with the call to action, then questions, then the ask again |
Frequently asked questions
How do I structure a presentation?
Start from the audience and one big idea, choose a structure such as answer-first or SCQA, add three supporting points with evidence and end with a specific call to action.
What is an assertion headline?
A full-sentence slide title stating the message, supported by visual evidence instead of bullets.
How many slides should I use?
As few as the story needs, often one slide per message with detail in an appendix.
How much should I rehearse?
At least three timed, out-loud rehearsals for important talks.
How do I handle hard questions?
Listen, pause, rephrase the concern, answer the core point and check it was answered.
Can AI make my slides?
It can draft storylines, headlines, chart choices and speaker notes; you check facts and deliver.
Which agents can use these skills?
Claude, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI and other tools that support the Agent Skills format.
Are these skills free?
Yes, under CC BY 4.0, as long as you credit Afeez Adebayo and link to the source page.
Sources and more skills
- Barbara Minto, The Minto Pyramid Principle
- Nancy Duarte, Resonate
- Michael Alley, assertion-evidence approach
- Richard Mayer, Multimedia Learning
Checked on 13 October 2026. See all Productivity skills, including Workplace Writing and Meetings and Calendar.
