A Dead Message Stays Dead Even In A Pretty Deck

Everyone’s drooling over AI deck apps right now.

You type a prompt, hit enter, and voilà — you’ve got twenty slides that look like the real thing.

But looking good isn’t the same as being clear.

Clarity doesn’t come from software.

It comes from sweat.

It shows up when you’ve wrestled an idea long enough to make it simple.

You don’t need another tool.

You need the message first, the slides second, and the guts to cut everything else.

Think before you click.

Who is it for?

What is it for?

How much do they know and how much do they need to know?

What’s the one line you want echoing in their head when they leave?

I’ve sat in enough boardrooms to see most decks die before slide two.

Not because they were ugly, but because nobody did the thinking.

I once worked with a CFO who rehearsed the same slide six times, polishing fonts and colours while her story gasped for air.

It was painful to watch because you don’t need to be a mind reader to recognise fear.

I’d done the same dance myself.

She wasn’t fixing slides.

She was trying to fix the panic that she had nothing to say.

She was building shields.

Yes, AI can spit out your deck in a second.

But it can’t build conviction.

It can’t read the room, feel the silence, or sense confusion.

That’s human work.

And when you stop doing it, you don’t just lose your edge.

You lose trust.

And the people.

Long before AI was born, someone at IBM fired off five words that still smoke:

“Machines should work. People should think.”

The machines kept their promise. 

We didn’t.

We’ve built an industry on thinking less and convinced ourselves it’s progress.

Gamma promises polish.

Tome promises power.

Beautiful.ai promises intelligence.

Pitch promises revolution.

Every week, another “PowerPoint killer” pops up, shouting about speed and magic slides.

And somehow not one of them can tell you what the hell to say.

That’s not AI work.

It’s yours.

And people can always smell the difference a mile away.

PS. If you don’t know jewellery, know your jeweller. That’s Buffett’s rule. It’s the same with messaging. Smart ideas die in boring words. If you don’t know the game, find a partner who does, because your reputation is on the line. I help thinkers, rebels, and disruptors say what they mean and make it stick.  Step up. Bring your message. I’ll bring the punch. You’ve got one shot to say it right. I’ll help you take it.