23 min read 2nd May 2023
IAI technology has become much more mainstream over time and exploded in popularity as a result. Within two months of launching in November 2022, ChatGPT, one of the most well-known AI platforms, boasted over 100 million users, with some estimates suggesting it now receives more than a billion hits per month.
In January 2023, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, delivered a speech to Bloomberg that was partly generated by artificial intelligence, or AI.
Also in January 2023, in the US, Democratic Representative for Massachusetts, Jake Auchincloss, became the first member of congress to deliver a speech written by AI on the floor of the House of Representatives. Both of these speeches were effectively political stunts to help champion the power and progress of artificial intelligence.
At Body Talk, we coach businesses in delivering impactful presentations, based on the science behind how we connect and communicate. In this blog, we’ll be taking a look at what AI can help us to do when it comes to presentations and, crucially, what it can’t.
Why are people using AI for presentations?
The main selling point of AI is that it can be used to make tasks quicker and easier by automating processes that would otherwise be complex or time-consuming. Unsurprisingly, many businesses are now curious to discover how they may be able to benefit from this emerging technology – and this includes writing presentations, speeches and emails.
To get some more specific detail from the horse’s mouth, I asked ChatGPT to tell me how it can help in writing presentations. This was its response (auto-generated within seconds):
“AI-powered tools can assist with tasks such as generating content outlines, summarising information, creating visuals, and even writing full sections of text. Many businesses and individuals are leveraging these tools to save time and improve the quality of their presentations. However, it’s worth noting that the level of AI involvement in the creation of presentations can vary widely, from fully automated generation to simple suggestions and support.”
Let’s look at this a little more closely.
How can AI help when it comes to presentations?
Some of the ways AI can assist you in creating your presentation are:
It can research and summarise documents in seconds
AI tools can be used to conduct research and analyse data, helping to identify key insights or trends, which could potentially save time and improve the accuracy of the information you are presenting. It has the power to be able to ‘read’ through lengthy documents to extract key points with a high degree of accuracy.
It can write your script for you
If you suffer from writer’s block, AI can help you get over it with content generation. Type a command to tell it what you want to write and you could have something usable within seconds. AI can help to outline and structure a script, edit and proofread it, translate it into multiple languages and even help to suggest appropriate tone and style for the audience.
It can design a beautiful slide deck for your presentation
‘Generative’ AI could soon make ‘Death by Powerpoint’ a thing of the past, as slide deck creation becomes more automated. AI can help design visually-appealing slides that avoid the traditional bullet point approach and can help your storytelling and the memorability of your presentation as a result.
AI technology has even been embedded directly into slide design programs. In 2023, Microsoft launched CoPilot, an AI feature within its Office suite that can help create “beautiful presentations with a simple prompt, adding relevant content from a document you made in the last week or last year.”
How can AI help you become a better public speaker?
Alongside helping you to draft a script and design your slides, AI can help you to improve your public speaking skills in the following ways:
It can give you real-time feedback on your voice, pace, and filler words
AI technology can be used to help time presentations, using voice recognition technology to track speech patterns and provide real-time feedback, such as indicating when it’s time to move on to your next slide or how much time you have left in your presentation.
Tools like Microsoft Speaker Coach even provide detailed reports on your practice sessions, and can draw your attention to areas that you need to improve on, down to the specific filler words that you use.
It allows you to practice in front of a virtual audience
VirtualSpeech lets you practice in front of a virtual audience, either via Virtual Reality (VR) or through a browser. It’s perfect for simulating the nerves you might feel in front of a live crowd – without actually having to stand in front of one.
It can help you to manage nerves
For managing nerves or rehearsal anxiety, Yoodli is an option. It helps you simulate Q&A sessions, letting you practice answering questions that might come up during your presentation. Yoodli also has a video feature that tracks your facial expressions and eye contact, so you can see how you’re coming across.
The disadvantages of using AI for presentations
The above are just some examples of the many things that AI can do to help with preparing presentations. On the face of it, it can seem like AI can really take away the time and effort needed to write compelling speeches.
However, relying on AI for your presentations may end up being a false economy, as it lacks something essential for truly effective communication: human and emotional connection.
We speak about this more in our blog on how AI communication is changing the way we connect.
AI tools aren’t always accurate
The tools we’ve talked about like Microsoft Speaker Coach or Yoodli sound great on paper, but they come with their limitations. For instance, they may not always pick up on nuanced details, like pitch or fluctuating speaking speeds. You might be told you sound relaxed when, in reality, you’re shifting between speaking too fast and too slow, something that a human coach would quickly notice.
It’s important to use your own judgment when reviewing AI feedback and remember that, unlike a human coach, AI can’t always pick up on subtle cues, emotions, or the energy of the moment.
AI can’t emotionally connect with your audience
One of the key elements of preparing a great presentation is knowing your audience: who they are, what their challenges are and what they care about most – and this is something AI will struggle with.
Although you can program your AI prompts to include a description of an audience, it is not possible for AI to ‘know’ your audience as well as you do, so it may ‘choose’ the wrong points to focus on. It can’t gauge cultural sensitivity or audience preferences.
Also, it may not be able to adjust the tone or level of detail to suit the audience’s needs. It may also fail to recognise when the audience is losing interest, resulting in a less engaging presentation.
It’s the personal insights and stories that make us connect
As we talk about in our blog on the communication skills AI can’t replace, AI tends to deal with facts and figures. Even though it can sound pretty human-like at times, it lacks the personal experience that only humans can create.
Great presentations connect with us on a personal level, and one of the best ways to do that is through stories and anecdotes, which make our speeches memorable. Through storytelling, you can really engage your audience emotionally, adding humour and warmth; AI, on the other hand, whilst sounding convincing, only offers a superficial attempt at human connection that doesn’t have the depth of a real person’s experience.
AI doesn’t understand context
AI may struggle to understand the finer context of your presentation subject, missing important subtleties that a human presenter would be able to pick up on. Relying on AI to craft a presentation without knowing any of the background surrounding it may mean that you miss giving context that’s essential for your audience to understand.
Also, when writing your own presentation, you can think ahead about any potential objections that may arise and weave any reassurances throughout your script as you prepare – something that AI can’t easily do.
What AI doesn’t know, it might make up!
Artificial intelligence can appear to master creative processes, such as research and writing, but the accuracy of what it outputs can vary greatly. Although it can appear to do the heavy lifting of any research, be prepared to cross-check any ‘facts’ that it turns up.
For example, we asked an AI program to write a bio for one of our Body Talk training team; while some of the biographical information it wrote was correct, the program that we used falsely credited a string of work achievements that were entirely fictional.
It’s worth mentioning that all AI programs are simply models that learn from the data around them, crawling information from online data sources, machine learning and algorithms. If what goes into the model is incorrect, what comes out will be too – so use it with caution, and don’t always trust what you see!
Do you really need a slide?
Great visuals can make slide decks more appealing to audiences, but when AI is used, we can become tempted to overuse slides that we don’t need just because they look slick. AI can’t make the decision to use a slide or not, nor can it ‘sense check’ slides to see how effective or distracting they may be for an audience. It can also lead to technically perfect presentation slides that still feel generic or lacking in creativity or depth.
‘Death by Powerpoint’, is not only the result of bland bullet points: it can also be caused due to being overwhelmed by the overuse of data and visuals – so be wary of the temptation to use more slides than are absolutely necessary.
AI can’t deliver your presentation for you
If you are the one delivering a presentation, then it is most effective when you have written it yourself. Being authentic is a key part of building trust with audiences, and even the best-generated presentations can come across as sterile and robotic.
AI can’t help you with body language, non-verbal or para-verbal communication. If you write your script yourself, you can make conscious choices about your body language to ensure that you engage your audience, giving your message the maximum impact.
What AI still can’t do for public speakers specifically
AI can’t read the room the way a human speaker can. While it might be able to analyse audience reactions after your talk, it can’t pick up on the subtle, real-time changes in energy, body language, or mood.
A skilled speaker can sense when an audience is losing interest or when a particular point resonates, adjusting their delivery to match. If you rely too much on AI practice sessions, you might find it difficult to develop the skill of meeting your audience where they are.
So what’s the best way to use AI for my presentations?
It’s unrealistic to think that people will eschew AI when it offers clear benefits for saving time and analysing information. It’s great as a research tool; it can help you to plan a compelling presentation and can create slide decks that look slick and appealing. But it’s important to see AI as something that assists you in your presentation rather than creates it all for you.
Start by planning your presentation “on paper”
Begin your presentation process “on paper”, taking the time to thoughtfully plan your approach. Start by defining your core message in your own words – the central idea you want your audience to walk away with – and ensure every element of your presentation supports this.
Carefully organise your talking points in a clear, logical sequence, keeping in mind what your audience needs to hear and the most effective order for delivering that information. Your goal is to guide them through your message in a way that is both engaging and easy to follow.
This is an opportunity to introduce new ideas and present them in a way that connects deeply with your audience. We talk about this more in our blog on using storytelling in presentations.
Review AI outputs carefully
If you’re using AI to help you research, be mindful of its limitations: is the information it returns accurate? Is it missing any key information? Is it representing your data fairly? Have you included everything you need to in your prompts and commands?
Keep a sense check on any slides that you use: just because they look fancy doesn’t mean that they will work for your audience. If you don’t need a slide, don’t use one!
Read your script aloud
If you are using AI to write a script, whether in full or in part, read it out loud. Does it sound like ‘you’ and your unique voice? Where are the human and emotional aspects that are going to add the authenticity that you need to engage your audience?
Use AI to rehearse your delivery after you’ve developed public speaking skills
AI can be a great tool for getting immediate feedback on your delivery, helping you spot areas that need improvement, like pacing or filler words. However, it’s still best to develop your presentation skills without AI first, as AI isn’t perfect and it can’t replace human insight.
Unlike a coach, AI doesn’t have the ability to understand the specific audience connection you’re trying to build, the context of your presentation, or the unique challenges you face as a speaker. A human coach can take into account everything from the venue you’re speaking in, to your past experiences with the audience, and even the personal challenges you’re working to overcome as a presenter.
Use AI as a supplementary tool, but don’t rely on it to teach you.
Know which moments should never be handed to AI
To sum up, I asked ChatGPT how good it was at writing presentations. It replied: “It’s important to remember that AI-generated content is still not a substitute for the expertise and creativity of human designers and presenters.”
We wholeheartedly agree.
Even before AI, it was easy to deliver a presentation that felt robotic or too wordy – too formulaic to make a real impact. For a presentation to truly resonate, it needs a presenter who cares about it deeply.
That’s how you get others to care too. AI can organise ideas and suggest language, but it can’t create that spark that makes a presentation memorable. Your authenticity, passion, and attention to your audience are what turn good content into powerful communication.
Learn how to deliver presentations that inspire action
Is your team struggling to captivate an audience? Do they battle nerves or find themselves delivering presentations that don’t quite hit the mark? Our expert coaches are ready to help turn that around.
With a science-backed framework taught by trainers with real-world experience in national media, film, and stage, your team will learn to speak with authority and confidence.
Here’s what they’ll gain:
- Proven techniques to hold the audience’s attention and keep them engaged, even in high-pressure situations
- Strategies to shift their mindset, boost their confidence, and own the room with authority
- Tools for structuring their message, using storytelling, and delivering with real impact
Whether they’re presenting to executives or speaking at industry events, these courses will empower your team to deliver presentations that resonate and drive results.
Explore presentation skills training courses
Frequently asked questions
We’ve answered your most common questions on using AI for presentations and public speaking below.
Is AI a substitute for a human speech coach?
As we explore in our blog on AI vs communication training, AI isn’t as realistic or accurate as working with a human coach. While an AI coach can offer useful feedback, it lacks the human touch – the emotional intelligence and understanding of how people think.
Can AI help you become a better public speaker?
AI can help you to become a better public speaker, but it’s important to have a strong awareness of what your audience cares about first, and how you can deliver that in a way that will keep them engaged.
If you use AI assistance too much in the preparation process for a business presentation, for example, you might find that it delivers you a script for that looks great to you, ends up being a bit too wordy for your audience.
What are the best AI tools for public speaking practice?
The AI tools we’ve mentioned in this blog are:
- ChatGPT – While not specifically designed for public speaking, ChatGPT can be used for drafting speeches, generating ideas, and refining your message.
- CoPilot – Avaliable in Microsoft PowerPoint directly, CoPilot helps you to create slides, and can continue editing and refining them alongside you.
- Microsoft Speaker Coach – This AI tool helps you practice speaking naturally and at a comfortable pace, making it ideal for preparing business presentations.
- Yoodli – Yoodli is another AI-driven software that offers real-time feedback on your speech, helping you identify areas for improvement, such as filler words, pauses, and pacing.
- VirtualSpeech – This tool uses simulations to create immersive environments for practicing public speaking.
New AI tools are being developed all the time, with AI systems for more advanced features like audience analysis.
How can AI help with language barriers?
AI can be very helpful when it comes to overcoming language barriers. You can translate speeches into different languages, or even speak to people who don’t speak the same language as you with real-time AI translation. Keep in mind that AI-generated content might lose your original tone and context though, and translation isn’t always 100%.
Can AI analyse body language?
Currently, AI tools for public speaking can analyse certain aspects of body language, particularly facial expressions. However, these tools are still limited when it comes to analysing more complex body language, such as hand movements or overall posture.
As the technology advances, we might see more sophisticated tools that can give feedback on how your body language impacts your audience, both in online meetings and in-person settings.
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