Revamp Your Old Slides: My Workflow Using AI for Efficient Updates.

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Are you still manually modifying old presentations? 🤯 I tried using #Gemini to rewrite content and #Gamma to generate new designs with one click, and the efficiency was greatly improved! Take a look at my AI briefing update workflow and say goodbye to overtime hell 💪 #AI # Productivity # PresentationSkills #GoogleWorkspace

Have you ever looked at the old briefing files marked “Final Version v3” and “Client Briefing_2022_final_final” deep in the folder with mixed feelings in your heart? On the one hand, you know that there may be hidden essences of past projects, data tracks, and even insights that you cracked your brains to produce. But on the other hand, when you think about opening them, you will face market information that may be out of date, cases that are no longer applicable, and even visual designs that are contrary to current brand norms. The motivation to update is instantly extinguished. Performance reviews at the end of the year, cross-department knowledge sharing, or educational training materials that need to be prepared for new colleagues… The need to update briefings always appears periodically. Still, traditional manual modifications are not only time-consuming and laborious repetitive work, but also often accompanied by the risk of formatting and missing content, which makes people just want to escape.

However, these “sleeping” old briefings are actually valuable intellectual assets of the organization or individual. If there is a way to wake them up quickly and effectively, update their information, and give them a new life, it will significantly enhance the reuse value of knowledge. Fortunately, developments in artificial intelligence (AI), especially breakthroughs in natural language processing and content generation, provide us with entirely new solutions. This article is to share in depth the complete process, detailed considerations, and in-depth insights into how I actually used Google’s Gemini AI, combined with the visualization tool Gamma, and integrated Google Workspace in my personal work scenario in Taiwan to transform old slideshows successfully. This is not only about improving efficiency, but also about making good use of AI and activating our knowledge assets.

My AI-driven update process: an in-depth breakdown of the six steps

Clear strategies and procedures are key to riding the AI horse. Below are the six core steps I have summarized after many times of practice and repeated optimization. I hope to provide you with a specific reference:

Step 1: Clarify goals and scope – set precise navigation for AI updates

This step may seem basic, but it is the key to success or failure. Before investing in AI tools, be sure to ask yourself a few questions:

• What is the core purpose of the update? A complete overhaul of your content to match the latest market trends? Or do you only need to update key data and cases? Or do you need to adjust the narrative angle to suit different audiences?
• Who is the target audience? What is their background knowledge? How familiar are you with this topic? What to expect from the briefing? (For example: a report to senior managers should focus on strategies and conclusions; a report to a technical team should include more details.)
• What is your desired style and tone? Does it need to be extremely professional and data-oriented, or do you want something more inspiring and storytelling?
• Is there a core architecture or specific elements that must be preserved? The logical flow of some old briefings may still apply and just need to be filled in with new content.

Only by clarifying the answers to these questions can we provide the most effective guidance for subsequent AI prompts. Sometimes, the goal may be simple, such as “update this 2023 market ans report with market size data to 2025 estimates, and replace all references to 2023 cases with 2024 cases.” Even a relatively simple goal like this must be clearly defined in advance.

Step 2: Format preprocessing – creating an AI-friendly foundation

Although some AI tools claim to be able to process PPT files directly, according to my experience, converting old PowerPoint (.ppt/.pptx) files to Google Presentation (Google Presentation) first can make subsequent integration in the Google ecosystem (especially using Gemini in Workspace) smoother. This is mainly because the API integration of tools in Google Workspace is higher, which is conducive to direct reading and operation by AI. The conversion process is usually very fast, but it is still recommended to take a few minutes to browse through it quickly to check whether there are serious formatting errors or missing images to ensure the fundamental integrity of the content and avoid “garbage in, garbage out”.

Step 3: Reinvent content with Gemini – let AI be your content strategist

This is the link in the entire process that best reflects the value of AI. After importing the content of Google Presentation into Gemini (you can operate it directly in the Workspace or copy the text), the most important thing is to design an effective prompt. In addition to the fundamental structures mentioned above, you can also try more advanced instructions:

• Request different styles of output: “Rewrite this technical description into a piece of text that even non-technical audiences can easily understand.”
• Generate auxiliary content: “Based on the content of this slide, generate three speaker notes for me that can be supplemented during the speech.”
• Anticipate audience questions: “Regarding the main arguments of this briefing, anticipate three key questions that the audience may ask and provide brief directions for answering them.”
• Adjust content length: “Condensing these three pages of detailed explanation into a one-page summary.”

The strategy of “outline first, details later” is fundamental. How so? If AI is allowed to generate complete content directly from the beginning, once the direction deviates, subsequent modifications will be very time-consuming. First, let AI produce an updated outline, and you can quickly review the logical structure, whether the key points are complete, and whether the order is appropriate. After confirming that it is correct, let AI fill in the details, cases, and data for each outline point. During this process, Iterative optimization is the norm. Rarely does an AI’s output come out perfect the first time. You need to give specific feedback just like communicating with an assistant: “This case is good, but please provide one more example from a different industry”, “The third point is not clear enough, please explain it in another way”, “This part is too lengthy, please shorten it to less than 100 words.” Through such repeated communication and fine-tuning, high-quality content can be gradually polished.

Step 4: Content assembly and structuring – refinement and layout in Google Docs

I am used to exporting Gemini-generated content to Google Docs first. This step is not only for the convenience of editing, but also for structuring the content. I use Google Doc heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2…) to mark different levels of content, and use bullet points or numbered lists to organize key points. The advantage of this is that when the file is subsequently imported into Gamma, Gamma can better identify the hierarchical relationship of the content and automatically generate a slide layout with a more reasonable structure. At the same time, the Google Doc comment feature is also handy. You can leave your modification notes during review or discuss them with collaborating colleagues.

Step 5: Visual conversion with Gamma – AI-driven rapid design

Once the text is finalized and structured in Google Docs, it’s time to let Gamma shine. Import Google Doc into Gamma, and something magical happens: Gamma’s AI will analyze the file structure and automatically generate a set of first drafts containing multiple slides. You can choose different theme styles and layout templates. Gamma usually automatically recommends some related gallery pictures or illustrations based on the text content.

How does it look visually? My experience is that Gamma can quickly produce a “presentable” professional presentation, which is very useful for situations where a large amount of visual content needs to be made promptly. Its suggested layouts are generally solid, and its photo suggestions are sometimes to the point and occasionally generic (generic stock photos). You need to be mentally prepared that the images suggested by AI may need to be replaced with materials that are more in line with the brand image or content context. Also, Gamma has limited processing capabilities for complex charts or special visual elements. If your presentation contains a large amount of such content, you may need to export it and then use professional presentation software to process it. Overall, it saves a lot of time from the whiteboard to the preliminary design draft.

(Illustration suggestion 3: Gamma conversion diagram – [Maintain original suggestion] Simulate or take screenshots to show the Gamma interface, which can display options for selecting different themes or layouts.)

Step 6: Final review and polish – add an irreplaceable human touch

AI is undoubtedly a powerful assistant, but it is by no means the end. The final step of manual review and polishing is crucial. This is not just about catching typos or adjusting formats, but also injecting human wisdom, experience, and emotions based on AI:

• Fact check: Reconfirm the accuracy of all data, quotes, and cases, especially the parts where AI may be “seriously talking nonsense” (Hallucination).
• Tone and fluency: Read the entire brief to ensure consistency in tone and smooth transitions between paragraphs and pages.
• Visual consistency: Check whether fonts, colors, and logo usage follow brand specifications.
• Add “human touch”: Adding personal opinions, experience sharing, or short stories that resonate with the audience, where appropriate, is difficult to replace with AI.
• Practical exercises: If the briefing requires a presentation on stage, practice it to check your timing and presentation effect.

This stage is the key to combining AI’s efficiency with human professional judgment to produce high-quality final results.

Tool usage experience and in-depth insights

After actually applying these tools, I gained a deeper understanding:

• Gemini vs. Gamma: Content Strategist vs. Visual Designer: Gemini is more like a strategist or writer who can deeply understand needs, mine data, and produce structured text content; At the same time, Gamma is a designer who can quickly convert text into visual design drafts. The two have different expertise and can be used together to achieve maximum synergy. If you try to let Gamma directly update the content of the old briefing, the effect will be far less accurate than letting Gemini process the text first.
• The real feeling of efficiency improvement: In the past, updating an old briefing might have taken days or even a week. Through this AI process, the first draft can often be completed in a day or less, freeing up a lot of time for higher-level strategic thinking or content optimization.
• Learning curve and ease of use: The basic operations of Gemini (especially the integration within Workspace) and Gamma are relatively intuitive, and the learning curve is not steep. The real challenge lies in how to come up with accurate and effective prompts, and how to judge and modify the output of AI, which requires the accumulation of experience.
• Limitation awareness: At this stage, AI still has its limitations when it comes to highly visual processing content, which contains complex diagrams or requires rigorous fact-checking. For example, AI cannot directly update picture charts embedded in old briefings, nor can it guarantee the absolute accuracy of all generated data.

Overcoming Challenges: Practical Tips and a Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls

Although this AI workflow is good, it is not smooth all the way. Here are some of the challenges and coping techniques I’ve summarized:

• Challenge: AI’s “ideas” may deviate from the topic or produce factual errors (Hallucination).
• Skill: Maintain critical thinking and cross-validate content produced by AI, especially data and assertions. Provide as clear background information and constraints as possible in the prompt.
• Challenge: Maintaining a consistent narrative style and voice.
• Skill: Clearly define tone and style in the Prompt, and read through it carefully during the final editing phase to adjust any inconsistencies.
• Challenge: Working with old briefs that are very long or highly complex in structure.
• Skill: Split large presentations into logical chunks, batch them to AI, and finally consolidate them. For older briefs that are disorganized, you may need to organize the outline first manually.
• Challenge: Finding the “perfect” prompt requires trial and error.
• Skill: Record valid Prompt statements and build your Prompt knowledge base. Start small, gradually adjust the prompts, and see the results.

Summary: Embracing AI integration not only improves efficiency but also recreates knowledge.

This in-depth exploration of using Gemini and Gamma integration to update old briefings made me deeply feel that the changes brought by AI are not only “efficiency improvements” but also the reactivation and value creation of existing “knowledge assets.” Through intelligent process design, we can transform the precious content sleeping deep in the hard disk into communication tools that meet current needs at a lower cost and faster speed.

In Taiwan’s rapidly changing business and academic environment, mastering the use of AI tools to improve work quality and efficiency has gradually become one of the core competencies of professionals. This method is not only suitable for briefing updates, but its core idea of ​​”dismantling tasks -> AI processing repetitive tasks -> manual value judgment and optimization” can also be applied to various scenarios such as report writing, copywriting ideas, and even program code assistance.

Don’t let updating old newsletters become a permanent pain in your to-do list. Start now, try integrating AI into your workflow, and experience the changes it brings! Perhaps you will be surprised to find that tasks that initially gave you a headache can become fun and efficient.