Pptx Toolkit

Audit .pptx files using the standard library only — no python-pptx required. Reads OOXML directly via zipfile + xml.etree.

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Table of Contents

• Keywords
• Quick Start
• Core Workflows
• Tools
• Reference Guides
• Templates
• Best Practices

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Keywords

pptx, PowerPoint, slide deck, presentation, board deck, sales deck, deck review, slide density, speaker notes, animation, hidden slides

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Clarify First

Before running the audit, confirm these inputs. If any is unknown or vague, ASK — do not assume:

• Deck purpose (board/investor, sales, or conference talk) — sets the density caps, speaker-notes coverage, and animation limits (the rubric differs per type)
• Delivery context (sent to be read vs presented live from notes) — changes whether bare slides and animations are acceptable
• Whether hidden slides should ship — distinguishes intentional backup slides from leftover narrative cruft

Stop rule: ask only the 2-3 that most change the output. If the user says "just draft it," proceed and list your assumptions at the top of the artifact.

Quick Start

python scripts/pptx_auditor.py deck.pptx

Outputs: slide count, hidden slide count, slides with speaker notes, words per slide (with per-slide breakdown), image and embedded-media count, animation node count, theme name.

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Core Workflows

Workflow 1: Pre-Meeting Deck Review

Goal: Catch the issues that make decks look unprofessional in the room — overstuffed slides, missing speaker notes, leftover hidden slides from prior versions.

Steps:

1. Run audit
2. Slides with > 50 words → flag for content reduction
3. Slides without speaker notes for a board / investor deck → add notes or mark "intentionally bare"
4. Hidden slides → confirm they should ship hidden, or delete
5. Animation count > 100 across deck → likely over-animated; trim

Time Estimate: 5-10 minutes per deck.

Workflow 2: Board / Investor Deck Audit

Goal: Hold a board / investor deck to a higher quality bar with a structured audit trail.

Steps:

1. Run audit; export JSON for archival alongside the deck
2. Apply the rubric in references/deck_density_rubric.md
3. Flag slides over density caps; trim to one idea per slide
4. Pair with cs-board-deck-builder skill for narrative review

Time Estimate: 30-60 minutes per board deck.

Workflow 3: Pre-Conference Talk Deck Check

Goal: Stage-ready deck — hidden / cut slides removed, speaker notes complete, animations rehearsable.

Steps:

1. Audit; ensure slide count matches dry-run timing budget
2. Speaker notes coverage > 90% (for talks where you'll deliver from notes)
3. Animations under 50 across the talk (more invites timing accidents on stage)
4. Embedded video / audio: confirm present and play locally

Time Estimate: 15 minutes pre-rehearsal.

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Tools

pptx_auditor.py

Reads a .pptx file as a ZIP archive and parses OOXML directly. No external dependencies.

python scripts/pptx_auditor.py deck.pptx
python scripts/pptx_auditor.py deck.pptx --json

Reports:

• Slide count and hidden-slide count
• Slides with speaker notes (count and percentage)
• Words per slide (mean, max, full distribution)
• Top-N densest slides
• Image / embedded-media count
• Animation timing node count
• Theme name

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Reference Guides

• references/deck_density_rubric.md — Words-per-slide guidance by deck purpose (board, sales, talk, training); animation philosophy; speaker-notes pattern

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Templates

• assets/deck_handoff_checklist.md — Pre-meeting deck sign-off checklist

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Best Practices

• One idea per slide. If you can't summarize the slide in one sentence, it has more than one idea.
• Speaker notes are documentation. Slides without notes leave readers (post-meeting) guessing what the talk track was.
• Delete hidden slides before sending. Hidden slides are often older versions left for "just in case" — they survive forever and leak narrative context.
• Animations are timing risk. Every animation is a place where the live demo can desync from the speaker.

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Integration Points

• Pairs with c-level-advisor/board-deck-builder for board / investor decks
• Pairs with marketing/launch-strategy for launch-deck reviews
• Used by cs-pr-comms-lead for press / partner decks