Refine Phase

The Refine Phase is where you review, adjust, and perfect your generated presentation. This is your opportunity to polish the content and ensure everything meets your standards.

Purpose

The Refine Phase:

• Review generated slides.
• Make content adjustments.
• Modify tone or style.
• Add or remove slides.
• Polish for final presentation.

Output: Presentation ready for commit and download

The Refinement Assistant

Your primary tool in this phase is the Refinement Assistant chatbot.

What the Refinement Assistant Can Do

Content Modifications

• "Make slide 3 more detailed".
• "Shorten the executive summary slide".
• "Add technical details to the product features slide".
• "Change the chart on slide 5 to show percentages instead of raw numbers".

Tone Adjustments

• "Make slide 2 more formal".
• "Make the opening slide more exciting".
• "Adjust the tone of slide 7 to be more conversational".

Content Updates

• "Change the title of slide 3 to 'Quarterly Results'".
• "Update the revenue numbers on slide 6 with: Q1: $2M, Q2: $2.5M".
• "Add a bullet point about our new partnership to slide 4".

Slide Management

• "Add a new conclusion slide after slide 8".
• "Remove slide 5".
• "Add a slide about methodology after slide 2".

Style Changes

• "Make the bullet points on slide 4 more concise".
• "Expand the table on slide 6 to include year-over-year comparison".

How the Refinement Assistant Works

Conversational Interface: You interact naturally:

You: "The title on slide 3 is too generic."
Assistant: "I'll update the title on slide 3 to be more specific. 
           What would you like it to say?"
You: "Change it to 'Q1 Revenue Performance vs Target'."
Assistant: [Updates slide 3 title]
           "Updated slide 3 title to 'Q1 Revenue Performance vs Target'."

Tool-Based Execution:

• Assistant uses slideContentUpdateValidator tool.
• Validates changes before applying.
• Shows you what will change.
• Confirms after successful update.

Error Handling: If something goes wrong:

1. Assistant explains the issue.
2. Attempts to fix automatically.
3. Asks for clarification if needed.
4. Tries again with corrected approach.

Reviewing Your Presentation

Systematic Review Approach

Pass 1 - Content Accuracy (Critical)

• Check all facts and data
• Verify numbers are correct
• Ensure key messages are present
• Look for contradictions or errors

Pass 2 - Content Completeness

• All required topics covered?
• No major gaps?
• Appropriate level of detail?
• Supporting evidence included?

Pass 3 - Tone and Style

• Language appropriate for audience?
• Tone consistent throughout?
• Style matches expectations?
• Phrasing professional/effective?

Pass 4 - Visual Balance

• Slides not too dense or sparse?
• Good variety of slide types?
• Content fits well in shapes?
• Visual flow makes sense?

Pass 5 - Polish

• Titles compelling?
• Transitions smooth?
• Formatting consistent?
• Ready to present?

Slide-by-Slide Review

For each slide, ask:

Content:

• Is this accurate?
• Is this complete?
• Is this necessary?

Clarity:

• Is this clear and easy to understand?
• Any confusing phrasing?
• Jargon appropriate for audience?

Impact:

• Does this support the overall message?
• Is it compelling?
• Would I want to see this as audience?

Fit:

• Does content fit the slide design well?
• Any awkward text overflow or whitespace?
• Charts/tables readable?

Common Refinement Tasks

Modifying Existing Content

Changing Text:

"Change the first bullet on slide 4 to say 'Revenue increased 25% YoY to $5.2M'"

"Make the description on slide 6 more concise"

"Rewrite the executive summary to emphasize growth over profitability"

Updating Data:

"Update the Q3 revenue in the table on slide 7 to $3.1M"

"Change the chart on slide 5 to show percentages instead of absolute values"

"Add a column to the table on slide 8 for Q4 projections"

Adjusting Tone:

"Make slide 3 sound more confident and less hedged"

"Change slide 9 to be more action-oriented"

"Make the language on slide 2 more accessible for non-technical audience"

Adding Content

New Slides:

"Add a slide after slide 5 about implementation timeline"

"Insert a new data slide before the conclusion showing customer growth"

"Add a risk assessment slide after the financial projections"

Additional Points:

"Add a bullet to slide 6 about our new partnership with Company X"

"Include a quote from the CEO on slide 3"

"Add a note about the data source at the bottom of slide 7"

Removing Content

Deleting Slides:

"Remove slide 8 - it's not needed"

"Delete the methodology slide"

Removing Elements:

"Remove the last bullet point from slide 4"

"Delete the footnote on slide 9"

Reorganizing

Moving Content:

"Move the content from slide 7 to slide 5"

"Swap slides 3 and 4"

Note: Major reorganization might be better handled by regenerating structure.

Refinement Strategies

The Efficiency Approach

Focus on high-impact changes only:

1. Fix critical errors first

   • Wrong data
   • Factual mistakes
   • Missing key information

2. Address major content issues

   • Significant gaps
   • Poorly explained concepts
   • Confusing sections

3. Polish key slides

   • Opening slide
   • Main message slides
   • Closing slide

4. Accept "good enough" elsewhere

   • Don't over-optimize
   • Diminishing returns on minor tweaks
   • Know when to stop

The Comprehensive Approach

Thorough refinement for critical presentations:

1. Complete accuracy review

   • Verify every fact
   • Check every number
   • Confirm every claim

2. Content optimization

   • Refine every slide
   • Perfect the phrasing
   • Optimize every bullet

3. Consistency check

   • Terminology consistent
   • Tone uniform throughout
   • Style maintained

4. Multiple rounds

   • First pass: big changes
   • Second pass: medium changes
   • Third pass: polish
   • Final pass: last check

Choose your approach based on:

• Presentation importance
• Available time
• Audience expectations
• Stakes of the presentation

Working with the Assistant

Effective Requests

Be specific: ❌ "Fix slide 5" ✅ "On slide 5, change the revenue figure to $2.5M and add a comparison to last year"

One change at a time: ❌ "Update slides 3, 5, and 7 with new data and change the tone" ✅ "Update slide 3 Q1 revenue to $2M" → then → "Now update slide 5..."

Provide context: ❌ "Change the title" ✅ "Change the title on slide 3 to be more specific about Q1 results"

Be clear about what you want: ❌ "Make it better" ✅ "Make the bullet points more concise - aim for one line each"

Iteration

Don't expect perfection in one request:

You: "Make slide 5 more detailed"
Assistant: [Adds details]
You: "Good, but now it's too long. Make it more concise but keep the key points"
Assistant: [Adjusts]
You: "Perfect, but change the title to be more specific"
Assistant: [Updates title]

This is normal and expected. Iterate until satisfied.

Verification

After each change:

• Review what was changed
• Confirm it matches your intent
• Identify any issues
• Request additional adjustments if needed

Technical Limitations

The Refinement Assistant cannot:

• Change slide layouts or templates
• Modify master slides
• Change fonts or colors (uses template)
• Add or modify images (text only)
• Change animations or transitions
• Modify shape positions or sizes

It can only modify:

• Text content in shapes
• Table data
• Chart data
• Shape names
• Slide-level metadata

For design changes, you'll need to edit the PowerPoint file manually after download.

Knowing When You're Done

Signs you're ready to commit:

• All critical errors fixed
• Major content issues addressed
• Comfortable presenting this
• Key messages clear and compelling
• No obvious problems remaining

Signs you might be over-refining:

• Making tiny changes that don't matter
• Tweaking the same slides repeatedly
• Spending more time than it's worth
• Changes aren't improving quality
• Can't decide between options

Rule of thumb:

• Critical presentation: Refine until excellent (30-60 min)
• Important presentation: Refine until very good (15-30 min)
• Standard presentation: Refine until good enough (10-15 min)
• Internal update: Refine until acceptable (5-10 min)

Regeneration vs Refinement

Sometimes issues are too fundamental for refinement:

When to refine:

• Minor content adjustments
• Tone/style tweaks
• Data updates
• Small additions/deletions
• Polish and perfecting

When to regenerate:

• Wrong slides selected in structure
• Major content missing
• Completely wrong direction
• Fundamental approach issues
• Slide order illogical

To regenerate:

1. Go back to Structure Phase
2. Adjust structure or provide feedback
3. Repopulate
4. Enter Refine Phase again

Note: Regeneration discards all refinements. Only regenerate if truly necessary.

Saving Progress

Changes in Refine Phase are automatically staged:

• All adjustments are saved as you make them.
• Can navigate away and return.
• Changes preserved until commit.
• No manual save needed.

However, they're not permanent until you commit.

Moving to Commit

When satisfied with your presentation:

1. Review one final time.
2. Check that all key slides are correct.
3. Verify critical data.
4. Click "Commit" or "Generate Final Deck".
5. Proceed to download.

Common Questions

Q: How long should I spend refining? A: Depends on importance. 10-30 minutes is typical. Don't over-optimize.

Q: Can I edit slides in PowerPoint after download instead? A: Yes, but doing it in Refine Phase keeps everything in the system and allows regeneration if needed.

Q: What if I want to restart completely? A: Go back to Build Phase or even create a new slide deck. Staged changes can be discarded.

Q: Can multiple people refine the same presentation? A: Currently, one person at a time to avoid conflicts. Coordinate with your team.

Q: Is there a limit to refinements? A: No limit, but know when good enough is reached.

Q: Can I download and review in PowerPoint before committing? A: No, commit creates the file. But you can always create new slide decks or versions.

Next Steps

• Commit and download your presentation - Finalize and get your file
• Learn best practices - Tips for great presentations
• Master the Refinement Assistant - Advanced techniques