Stop Asking ChatGPT the Wrong Questions — Here Is How to Actually Use It for Presentations
Introduction: The Gap Between Using AI and Using It Well
Only 21% of people give ChatGPT any feedback after they get their first response. The other 79% either ship the first draft straight away or give up entirely. That gap — between people who use AI and people who use it well — is exactly what Ryan J. Warriner came to Present to Succeed to close.
His solution is the PATH framework: a four-part formula for giving ChatGPT precisely what it needs to build a presentation that is genuinely useful, not just technically correct.
How ChatGPT Actually Works
Before the framework, Ryan takes a step back. Most people never bother to understand what is happening under the hood — and that is where the trouble starts.
ChatGPT works in four steps:
Prompt — you ask it something
Processing — it searches its pre-trained patterns and, where needed, the web
Generation — it produces a response based on what you gave it and what it has learned
Draft response — what you get back is only as good as what you put in
The training data has a cut-off, the web searches are less reliable, and the output is entirely shaped by your input. Which brings us to the mistakes.
The Four Most Common Mistakes
Vague or lazy prompts — if you do not tell it what you want, it will guess, and it will guess wrong
No business context — ChatGPT cannot help you impress a client it does not know exists
Expecting a final draft first time — iteration is everything; most people never do it
Ignoring tone and style — ChatGPT does not know your voice, your comfort level, or how you like to present
The PATH Framework
Ryan's framework gives ChatGPT the four things it needs to produce a presentation worth using.
P — Purpose: What do you want your audience to do, think, or understand by the end? Be specific. Precision prompts like "take action", "gain buy-in", or "change behaviour" give ChatGPT a clear target to aim for.
A — Audience: Who are they, what do they care about, and how much do they already know? Even a rough answer helps ChatGPT calibrate the language, depth, and structure.
T — Tone: What style will land best — engaging, conversational, formal? And what do you want them to feel? Reassured, informed, excited? Ryan's personal favourite prompt: "friendly, but polished."
H — Horizon: How long do you have, how many slides, and where is this taking place? Online versus in-person, boardroom versus webinar — all of it changes what a great presentation looks like.
Q&A Highlights
What if I do not know all the answers? You do not need to fill in everything. The more context you give, the better — but even partial information is far better than none.
Can ChatGPT really match my voice? Not automatically. That is why tone matters. Tell it how you like to present and it will get much closer. Ryan's cheat sheet includes a "Your Voice" section specifically for this.
What about speaker notes? ChatGPT will generate them, but treat them as a starting point. They reflect what it thinks is most persuasive — not necessarily what you are comfortable saying out loud.
Is there a shortcut? Yes — scan the QR code from the session to download Ryan's full PATH cheat sheet, including the top 15 precision prompts ChatGPT responds to best.
Final Thoughts: AI Does the Scaffolding — You Bring the Building
ChatGPT can give you structure, content, layout suggestions, and speaker notes. What it cannot give you is presence, conviction, or the ability to read a room. The PATH framework is not about replacing any of that. It is about removing the part of presentation-making that has nothing to do with presenting — so you can focus entirely on the part that does.
Join the Conversation
Which part of the PATH framework do you think will change the way you prepare presentations — and what is the worst thing ChatGPT has ever produced for you? Share your thoughts below.
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