# Oria Text-to-Slide Workflow — Claude Skill Guide

> **What this file is:** A reusable guide for Claude (Claude.ai Work / Cowork mode) to build an Oria-ready instruction deck from any content source and a branded PPTX template. Provide your content in any form — already split by slide, a rough outline, a document, or bullet notes — and Claude will prepare a multi-slide `.pptx` file ready for Oria's Text-to-Slide feature, one slide per page, clean plain text, no complex formatting.

---

## What Is Oria?

[Oria](https://www.oria.app) is a PowerPoint add-in built for consultants, analysts, and professional presentation designers. It uses AI to design complex slides from text input, maintaining corporate branding and on-template styling.

Its **Text to Slide** feature works as follows: you provide a text block describing what a slide should look like (layout structure, content, charts) and Oria independently builds a polished, fully editable PowerPoint slide.

**How Oria handles styling automatically:**
- **Colours** — Oria reads the colour palette from the template and its built-in hex codes. You do not need to specify colours unless a colour carries semantic meaning (e.g., "use red to indicate underperformance", "green for on-track items").
- **Icons** — Oria analyses the context of each content block and selects appropriate icons from its library. You do not need to describe what the icons should look like. If you want icons on a slide, simply write "add relevant icons." If you do not want icons, say nothing.
- **Illustrations** — Write "add relevant illustrations" if desired. However, unlike icons, **Oria works slide by slide and only sees the current slide's content.** If the broader presentation context (e.g., Oil & Gas industry, healthcare, logistics) is not obvious from the text on that particular slide, Oria will not know to make the illustration relevant to that context. In such cases, describe what the illustration should depict (e.g., "add a relevant illustration showing an offshore oil platform" or "add a relevant illustration of a hospital triage workflow"). When the slide's own text makes the subject obvious, "add relevant illustrations" is sufficient. You only need to specify an illustration style (photorealism, isometric, etc.) if the user has chosen a visually rich mode (see Visual Style below).

**Oria's limitations — what to avoid in instructions:**
- **Overlapping elements** — Oria has difficulty producing clean, editable slides when multiple images, text blocks, or charts overlap each other. Keep layouts with clearly separated, non-overlapping regions.
- **Complex backgrounds** — Avoid instructions that describe visually rich backgrounds with illustrations behind text, heavy gradients, or layered textures. These create overlapping elements that Oria cannot easily make editable.
- **Overlapping layers** — Oria can handle sophisticated slides with many elements, but each element must occupy its own distinct region. A slide where text overlaps an illustration, or a chart sits on top of a background image, will produce poor results. As long as elements are placed side by side, stacked vertically, or in clearly separated zones, Oria handles complexity well.

**Rule of thumb:** design instructions should describe *structure and placement* (what goes where), not *styling* (what it looks like). Oria handles styling. You handle the message.

---

## How to Trigger This Workflow with Claude

Use any of these phrases:

> *"Create an Oria deck from my content using this template."*

> *"I have my presentation content. Please build me an Oria instruction deck — one slide per page."*

> *"Turn this document into an Oria-ready PPTX."*

---

## Before Building: Claude's Pre-Flight Steps

When a user triggers this workflow, Claude performs three checks before writing any slide instructions.

### Step 1 — Find the Template

Claude searches the current workspace folder for any `.pptx` file that looks like a template (single-slide files, files with "template" in the name, or files the user has used as templates before).

- **If a template is found:** Claude asks the user to confirm — *"I found [filename] in your folder. Should I use this as the Oria template?"*
- **If no template is found:** Claude asks the user to upload one or place it in the folder — *"I don't see an Oria template in your folder. Could you drop a one-slide branded .pptx template into the chat or into the folder?"*
- **If the user explicitly provides a template** (in the chat or by name): Claude uses it without asking.

### Step 2 — Determine Visual Style

Claude asks the user how the presentation should look:

> *"How visually rich should the presentation be?"*

**Option A — Strict / Clean:**
Professional, content-focused slides. No decorative icons, no illustrations. Clean layouts with text, charts where needed, and nothing else. This is the default for board decks, regulatory presentations, and data-heavy reports.

**Option B — Standard:**
Professional slides that may include relevant icons next to content blocks where they aid comprehension. No standalone illustrations. Instructions will include "add relevant icons" on appropriate slides.

**Option C — Visually Rich:**
Slides with icons and illustrations to create a more engaging, visual experience. If the user picks this option, Claude follows up:

> *"What illustration style do you prefer?"*

Typical styles: photorealism, corporate Memphis (flat vector people/scenes), isometric (3D-like geometric), hand-drawn/sketch, abstract geometric, or minimalist line art.

Claude records the chosen style and adds illustration instructions to appropriate slides (e.g., "Add a relevant illustration in corporate Memphis style").

### Step 3 — Assess Content Input

Claude determines whether content is pre-split by slides (Mode 1) or needs to be split (Mode 2). See Content Input Modes below.

---

## Content Input Modes

Claude accepts content in two modes. You do not need to pre-format anything — just provide what you have and Claude will determine which path to follow.

---

### Mode 1 — Content Already Split by Slides

If your content is already divided into slides (a STORYLINE file, a slide-by-slide outline, a previous deck's notes, etc.), Claude will use that structure directly.

**What "already split" means:** the content clearly identifies slide boundaries, whether through headings (`## SLIDE 1`, `---`, `[Slide: Title]`), a numbered list of slide topics with their body text, or any other per-slide grouping. The structure does not need to follow a specific format — Claude will recognise the intent.

**What Claude does in this mode:**
- Reads each slide block as-is
- Writes a `### Page Description (Oria Layout)` if not already present
- Writes a `### Page Content` if not already present
- Writes a `### Page Charts` for any slide where data visualisation makes sense
- Applies the chosen Visual Style (strict / standard / visually rich)
- Packages the result into the Oria instruction deck

**Preferred source structure (optional, not required):**

```markdown
## SLIDE N — [Slide Title]

### Page Description (Oria Layout)
[Layout and structure instructions]

### Page Content
[Positioned text blocks]

### Page Charts
[Chart specification and data — omit if no chart on this slide]

### Speech Transcript — Slide N
[Speaker notes — NOT included in the Oria deck]
```

---

### Mode 2 — Content Not Yet Split into Slides

If you provide raw, unsplit content — a document, an article, a brief, a list of topics, bullet notes, or a long text block — Claude will first perform a meaningful split into slides and then write full Oria instructions for each.

**What Claude does in this mode:**

1. **Analyse the content** — understand the subject, key messages, narrative arc, and logical sections
2. **Determine slide count** — default target is one slide per major idea or section. If you specify a target count (e.g., "make it 10 slides"), Claude respects that
3. **Propose a slide structure** — title slide, section dividers, content slides, closing slide; each slide gets a clear purpose and headline
4. **Write Oria instructions for every slide** — `### Page Description`, `### Page Content`, and `### Page Charts` where applicable, all respecting the chosen Visual Style
5. **Build the instruction deck** from the template

**How to trigger Mode 2:**

> *"Here is my draft document / these are my talking points — please turn this into a 12-slide Oria deck."*

> *"I have a report on X. Split it into presentation slides and build me the Oria instruction file."*

Claude will show you the proposed slide structure before building, so you can approve or adjust before the deck is generated.

---

## The Page Description Format

The **Page Description** tells Oria how to structure the slide. Focus on layout and element placement — not on colours, icon details, or decorative styling.

| Element | What to include |
|---|---|
| **Layout type** | e.g., "Two-column layout", "Three-tile row", "Split layout — left text, right chart", "Single centred headline" |
| **Element placement** | Where each major element sits (text block, chart, callout box) — use clear spatial language |
| **Chart presence** | If the slide has a chart, mention its type and position (full detail in Page Charts) |
| **Icons / illustrations** | Only if Visual Style is Standard or Visually Rich — write "add relevant icons" or "add relevant illustrations in [chosen style]". For illustrations: if the slide's own text does not make the broader topic obvious, describe what the illustration should show |
| **Semantic colour cues** | Only when colour carries meaning — e.g., "use red to indicate the underperforming metric", "highlight the winning option in green" |

**What NOT to include in Page Description:**
- Hex codes for general styling (Oria picks these from the template)
- Descriptions of what icons should depict (Oria reads context and chooses)
- Complex backgrounds, gradients, or layered textures (Oria cannot produce clean editable slides from these)
- Overlapping element instructions (e.g., "text over a background illustration")

**Example — Strict style:**
```
Layout: Two-column layout. Left column carries text with a header and four bullet points.
Right column carries a clustered bar chart as the primary visual.

No icons, no illustrations.
```

**Example — Standard style:**
```
Layout: Three-row layout. Each row has a bold principle name and a one-line description.
Add relevant icons next to each row to aid comprehension.
```

**Example — Visually Rich style:**
```
Layout: Split layout — left half carries a headline and three supporting bullet points.
Right half is reserved for a relevant illustration in isometric style depicting a
wealth management advisor reviewing a client portfolio dashboard — the slide text is
generic, so the illustration needs to anchor it to the financial services context.
```

---

## The Page Content Format

The **Page Content** gives Oria the actual text to place on the slide, with positioning hints using bracket labels. Use bold `**[Position, style]**` tags to indicate where each text block goes.

Common positioning labels:
- `**[Top, section header]**` — slide title or section name
- `**[Left column]**` — left content block
- `**[Right column]**` — right content block
- `**[Centre, large, bold]**` — hero headline
- `**[Centre highlight box]**` — callout or key statistic
- `**[Bottom — callout]**` — closing hook or CTA
- `**[Bottom-left, small text]**` — speaker name, logo area
- `**[Bottom-right, small text]**` — event name, date

Note: do not add colour instructions to positioning labels (e.g., avoid `**[Left column — green accent]**`). Oria handles accent colours from the template. The exception is when colour is semantically meaningful: `**[Right column — use red to signal risk]**`.

**Example:**
```
**[Top, section header]**
Why Pricing Deserves More Attention in Fintech

**[Left column]**
**Telco & Retail: Pricing Maturity**
• Board-level discipline with dedicated teams
• 1% price improvement = 11% operating profit lift
• Real-time competitive monitoring

**[Right column]**
**Fintech & Wealth: The Gap**
• Fee structures set at launch, rarely revisited
• Limited price sensitivity measurement

**[Centre highlight box]**
10 bps fee misalignment on $100M AUM = $100K/year left on the table

**[Bottom — callout]**
"When was the last time your fee structure had a proper data-driven review?"
```

---

## The Page Charts Format

The **Page Charts** block is used when a slide includes a data chart. Oria can generate charts directly from the data you provide — bar charts, line charts, pie charts, scatter plots, waterfall charts, and more.

Each chart block contains four parts:

1. **Chart type** — the chart style (bar, clustered bar, stacked bar, line, area, pie, donut, scatter, waterfall, combo, etc.)
2. **Positioning** — where on the slide and how large relative to other elements
3. **Labels and axes** — axis titles, data labels, legend placement, units
4. **Data** — the actual values, in a clear tabular format

Note: do not specify colours for chart series unless colour carries semantic meaning (e.g., "red for items below target, green for items above target"). Oria will apply the template's colour palette to chart series automatically.

**Format:**

```
### Page Charts

**Chart: [Chart Type]**
Position: [e.g., "right half of slide", "full-width below headline", "centre, 70% of slide area"]
Size: [e.g., "large — dominant element", "medium — supporting the text column"]

Axis X: [label] | Axis Y: [label, unit]
Data labels: [on/off, position — e.g., "on, above bars"]
Legend: [position — e.g., "bottom", "right", "none"]

Data:
| Category       | Series 1 | Series 2 |
|----------------|----------|----------|
| Label A        | 42       | 18       |
| Label B        | 67       | 31       |
| Label C        | 89       | 55       |
```

**When to add semantic colours to a chart:**

```
Colours (semantic):
- Series "Actual": use red to indicate underperformance vs. target
- Series "Target": neutral / default
```

Only add a `Colours` block when there is a reason the reader needs to associate a specific colour with a meaning. If the chart is purely informational, omit the colours section entirely and let Oria choose.

**Chart type reference:**

| Use case | Recommended chart type |
|---|---|
| Comparing values across categories | Clustered bar / horizontal bar |
| Showing composition (parts of a whole) | Stacked bar / donut / pie |
| Showing trends over time | Line / area |
| Showing a range and a target | Waterfall / bullet chart |
| Comparing two metrics per item | Combo (bar + line) |
| Showing distribution or correlation | Scatter / bubble |
| Showing a single key number | Large stat / KPI tile (no chart — use Page Content instead) |

**Full example:**

```
### Page Charts

**Chart: Clustered horizontal bar**
Position: right two-thirds of the slide, vertically centred
Size: large — primary visual element of this slide

Axis X: Maturity Score (0–100) | Axis Y: Capability Dimension
Data labels: on, outside end of bar
Legend: bottom-centre

Data:
| Capability Dimension            | Telco & Retail | Fintech & Wealth |
|---------------------------------|----------------|------------------|
| Dedicated pricing team          | 85             | 20               |
| Competitive monitoring cadence  | 90             | 25               |
| Elasticity / sensitivity data   | 75             | 15               |
| A/B testing on pricing          | 70             | 10               |
| Board-level pricing review      | 80             | 30               |
```

---

## The PPTX Template File

The Oria instruction deck is built from a single-slide branded template. The template slide must have:

| Placeholder | Purpose |
|---|---|
| **Title placeholder** (`p:ph type="title"`) | Left empty — do not fill |
| **Content placeholder** (`p:ph idx="10"` or similar) | Filled with Page Description + Page Content + Page Charts |
| **Slide number placeholder** (`p:ph type="sldNum"`) | Auto-increments |

The template carries your corporate branding (colours, footer, logo, confidentiality label). Oria reads the template's colour palette and applies it to all generated slides — this is why you do not need to specify colours in the instructions.

Claude duplicates this one slide N times and injects the Oria instructions into the content placeholder.

**Naming convention for the template:**
`[ClientName]_Oria_Presentations_[Year]_template.pptx`

---

## What the Instruction Deck Contains

Each slide in the output deck has the following plain-text structure in its content placeholder:

```
== [PRESENTATION NAME], SLIDE N — [Slide Title] ==

=== PAGE DESCRIPTION (ORIA LAYOUT) ===

[Full Page Description text here]

=== PAGE CONTENT ===

[Full Page Content text here]

=== PAGE CHARTS ===

[Full Page Charts specification and data — omitted if no chart on this slide]
```

**No formatting, no embedded images** — just clean instructional text for Oria to interpret. Oria reads this and generates the actual designed slide, including charts, icons, and illustrations as instructed.

---

## Building Multiple Presentations in One Deck

You can combine slides from multiple presentations in a single Oria deck — useful when you want to run several presentations through Oria in one session.

Provide multiple content files or documents to Claude at once. Claude will process each, concatenate them into a single `.pptx`, and label each slide by its source presentation.

**Example output deck:**
- Slides 1–13: `Presentation 1 — [Topic A] ([Conference A])`
- Slides 14–24: `Presentation 2 — [Topic B] ([Conference B])`

---

## Step-by-Step Build Process (for Claude)

When asked to build an Oria deck, Claude follows this process:

1. **Find the template** — search the workspace folder for a `.pptx` template. If found, confirm with the user. If not found, ask the user to provide one. If explicitly provided, use it directly.

2. **Ask about Visual Style** — ask the user: Strict, Standard, or Visually Rich? If Visually Rich, also ask about illustration style. Record the choice.

3. **Assess input mode** — determine whether content is pre-split by slides (Mode 1) or needs to be split (Mode 2).

4. **If Mode 2: split and structure** — analyse the content, determine logical slide boundaries, assign a title and purpose to each slide, propose the structure, and await confirmation before proceeding.

5. **Write Oria instructions for each slide** — for every slide, produce:
   - `### Page Description (Oria Layout)` — layout structure and element placement; icons/illustrations only if Visual Style calls for them; no colour specs unless semantically meaningful
   - `### Page Content` — all text with `**[position label]**` tags; no colour in labels unless semantic
   - `### Page Charts` — chart type, position, axes, data table; no colour specs unless semantic (only for slides that carry data visualisation)

6. **Unpack the template** — extract the `.pptx` template into a working directory using `unpack.py`.

7. **Duplicate slides** — use `add_slide.py` to copy the template slide once per additional slide. Collect the relationship IDs (`rId`) returned by each call.

8. **Assign unique slide IDs** — rewrite `<p:sldIdLst>` in `presentation.xml` with sequential IDs (starting at 256) to avoid duplicate ID errors.

9. **Inject content** — for each slide XML file, replace the content placeholder's `<p:txBody>` with the full Oria instructions block (Page Description + Page Content + Page Charts where present), one `<a:p>` element per line.

10. **Clean and pack** — run `clean.py` to remove orphaned files, then `pack.py` to repackage the `.pptx`.

11. **Output** — save to the workspace folder as `[Client]_Oria_Instructions_[Year].pptx`.

---

## Output File Naming Convention

```
[Client]_Oria_Instructions_[Year].pptx
```

Examples:
- `YourName_Oria_Instructions_2026.pptx`
- `CompanyName_Oria_Q1_Decks_2026.pptx`

---

## Writing Good Oria Instructions — Tips

### Page Description
- **Focus on layout structure** — name the layout type (two-column, three-tile row, split with chart, single headline, etc.) and describe where each element sits
- **Do not specify colours** unless a colour carries meaning (red = risk, green = on-track, amber = caution). Oria applies the template palette automatically
- **Do not describe icon content** — Oria reads context and selects appropriate icons. Just write "add relevant icons" if you want them, or say nothing if you don't
- **For illustrations** — only include if the user chose Standard or Visually Rich style. Write "add relevant illustration" or "add relevant illustration in [style]". **Important:** Oria works slide by slide — if the slide's own text does not make the broader context obvious (e.g., the presentation is about Oil & Gas but this particular slide discusses "operational efficiency" generically), describe what the illustration should depict (e.g., "add a relevant illustration of a refinery control room in [style]"). When the slide's text is self-explanatory, "add relevant illustration in [style]" is enough
- **Keep layouts flat and non-overlapping** — every element (text block, chart, icon area, illustration) should have its own dedicated space on the slide. Never layer text on top of illustrations or charts on top of background images
- **Avoid complex backgrounds** — no gradient descriptions, no textured backgrounds, no "full-bleed image with text overlay". Use clean, solid, or simple backgrounds and let Oria handle the visual polish

### Page Content
- Use `**[Position label]**` tags consistently — Oria uses them to place elements
- **Do not add colour cues to labels** unless semantically meaningful. Write `**[Left column]**`, not `**[Left column — green accent]**`
- Keep each content block focused: one header, then supporting bullets or body
- Use **bold** for section headers within content
- Use bullet points (`•`) for lists
- Use quote marks for direct quotes or key soundbites
- Wrap key stats in `**[Centre highlight box]**` for maximum impact
- Keep text concise — slides frame a message, they don't replicate a document

### Page Charts
- Always specify the **chart type first** — Oria needs to know the chart family before it reads the data
- **Do not specify series colours** unless colour carries meaning (e.g., "red for below-target items"). Oria assigns colours from the template palette automatically
- Use a **markdown table** for the data — it is the clearest format for Oria to parse
- If a chart has a **secondary axis** (combo chart), label which series uses which axis
- For time-series data, put time periods in the leftmost column
- If the chart is a **supporting element** (not dominant), say so explicitly: "small supporting chart, bottom-right corner" — Oria will size it accordingly
- Omit the Page Charts block entirely for slides with no charts — do not write `### Page Charts` with empty content

### Oria Editability — Layout Rules
- **One layer per region** — never place text on top of an illustration, or a chart on top of a background image. Each visual element must occupy its own rectangle
- **Avoid overlapping elements** — if a slide has both text and a chart, put them side by side or stacked, never on top of each other
- **No complex gradient backgrounds** — a solid colour or simple pattern is fine; multi-stop gradients or "dark-to-light diagonal with texture" will cause rendering issues
- **Give every element its own space** — Oria can produce sophisticated slides with many elements (text, chart, icons, callout boxes, illustrations). The key is that each element must have a distinct, non-overlapping region on the slide so Oria can place it as a separate editable object
- **Separate decorative from functional** — if the slide's purpose is to show a chart, don't also ask for background illustrations. If the purpose is a visual statement, don't also add a dense text block

### General
- Every slide must have **Page Description AND Page Content** — Oria needs both
- Page Charts is **optional** — include only when the slide has a data chart
- Speech transcripts belong in your source document, never in the Oria deck
- Avoid raw markdown syntax inside Page Content and Page Charts (no `##`, no `---`) — it appears as literal characters on the slide
- Aim for **80–250 words per slide block** (description + content + charts combined) for best Oria results

---

## Visual Style Reference

| Style | Icons | Illustrations | Colour instructions | Background |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Strict** | None | None | Only semantic (red = risk, etc.) | Solid / clean |
| **Standard** | "Add relevant icons" on appropriate slides | None | Only semantic | Solid / clean |
| **Visually Rich** | "Add relevant icons" liberally | "Add relevant illustration in [style]" on key slides | Only semantic | Solid / clean (never complex — Oria limitation) |

In all three styles, backgrounds remain clean and non-overlapping. The difference is in whether decorative elements (icons, illustrations) are requested.

---

## Full Example: Strict Style — Slide with Text and Chart

```markdown
## SLIDE 5 — Pricing Maturity Gap: Where the Industry Stands

### Page Description (Oria Layout)
Layout: Split layout — left third carries text and a callout box, right two-thirds carries
a clustered horizontal bar chart as the primary visual.

No icons, no illustrations.

### Page Content

**[Top, section header]**
Pricing Maturity Gap: Where the Industry Stands

**[Left column — supporting text]**
Across five capability dimensions, Telco & Retail firms score 3–4x higher than their
Fintech & Wealth counterparts.

The gap is not about effort — it's about discipline and data infrastructure built over decades.

**[Left column — callout box]**
Closing this gap by even 50% could add 15–25 bps in annual net revenue per client.

### Page Charts

**Chart: Clustered horizontal bar**
Position: right two-thirds of the slide, vertically centred
Size: large — primary visual, dominant element

Colours (semantic):
- Series "Telco & Retail": use green to indicate maturity
- Series "Fintech & Wealth": use red to indicate the gap

Axis X: Maturity Score (0–100) | Axis Y: Capability Dimension
Data labels: on, outside end of bar
Legend: bottom-centre

Data:
| Capability Dimension            | Telco & Retail | Fintech & Wealth |
|---------------------------------|----------------|------------------|
| Dedicated pricing team          | 85             | 20               |
| Competitive monitoring cadence  | 90             | 25               |
| Elasticity / sensitivity data   | 75             | 15               |
| A/B testing on pricing          | 70             | 10               |
| Board-level pricing review      | 80             | 30               |
```

## Full Example: Standard Style — Slide with Icons

```markdown
## SLIDE 3 — Three Pillars of Our Strategy

### Page Description (Oria Layout)
Layout: Three-column layout. Each column has a header, a short description, and space for
an icon above the header.

Add relevant icons above each column header.

### Page Content

**[Column 1]**
**Operational Excellence**
Streamline processes, reduce waste, and deliver consistent results across all regions.

**[Column 2]**
**Customer Centricity**
Redesign the client journey around real-time feedback loops and outcome-based metrics.

**[Column 3]**
**Data-Driven Decisions**
Embed analytics into every decision layer, from pricing to product launches.

**[Bottom — key message]**
"Three pillars, one operating model."
```

## Full Example: Visually Rich Style — Slide with Illustration

```markdown
## SLIDE 8 — The Future of Client Engagement

### Page Description (Oria Layout)
Layout: Split layout — left half carries a headline and three supporting points.
Right half is reserved for a relevant illustration in isometric style depicting a wealth
management advisor reviewing a client portfolio dashboard (the slide text alone is generic,
so the illustration description anchors it to the financial services context).

Add relevant illustration in isometric style on the right half — showing a wealth management
advisor reviewing a client portfolio dashboard.
Add relevant icons next to each supporting point on the left.

### Page Content

**[Top, section header]**
The Future of Client Engagement

**[Left column]**
**Hyper-Personalisation**
Every client receives a fee structure and reporting cadence tailored to their portfolio profile.

**Proactive Outreach**
Automated alerts trigger relationship manager actions before clients ask.

**Seamless Digital Experience**
A unified portal for onboarding, reporting, and communication — no more PDF attachments.
```

---

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Do I need a STORYLINE.md file?**
No. You can provide content in any form — a document, notes, bullet points, a previous deck's speaker notes, or a structured slide-by-slide outline. Claude will determine the best way to split and structure the content into slides.

**Q: What if I don't know how many slides I need?**
Just provide the content and let Claude decide. Claude will propose a slide count and structure based on the volume and complexity of the material. You can then adjust before the deck is built.

**Q: Should I specify colours in my instructions?**
Only if the colour carries meaning. "Use red to indicate underperformance" is useful. "Use #2ecc71 for the bars" is not — Oria will apply the template's colour palette automatically.

**Q: Should I describe what icons should look like?**
No. Oria reads the content context and selects appropriate icons from its library. Just write "add relevant icons" if you want them. Oria also picks the icon style from the reference slides in your template.

**Q: Can Oria generate charts from data in the slides?**
Yes. Use the `### Page Charts` block to provide the chart type, axis labels, positioning, and a data table. Oria will render the chart and colour it from the template palette.

**Q: Why should I avoid complex backgrounds and overlapping elements?**
Oria produces fully editable PowerPoint slides. When elements overlap (text on top of images, charts on top of backgrounds), Oria struggles to create cleanly selectable, editable objects. Keeping layouts flat with one element per region ensures every object is individually editable.

**Q: Can I use Oria to edit the generated slides afterwards?**
Yes. Oria builds fully editable PowerPoint slides. Once Oria has processed each instruction slide, you can make any adjustments in PowerPoint as usual.

**Q: Should I include speech transcripts in the Oria deck?**
No. Speech transcripts are speaker-facing only. Keep them in your source document. The Oria instruction deck contains only Page Description, Page Content, and Page Charts.

**Q: What if my template has a different placeholder structure?**
Claude will adapt. If the content placeholder uses a different `idx` value, Claude will find the correct placeholder by inspecting the template's slide XML.

**Q: How many slides can fit in one Oria deck?**
No hard limit. A typical session is 10–30 slides. For very large decks (50+ slides), consider splitting by presentation to keep Oria sessions manageable.

**Q: Can Claude build an Oria deck from multiple content sources at once?**
Yes. Provide multiple files or documents and Claude will merge them into a single ordered deck, labelling each slide by its source presentation.

---

## Quick Reference: Pre-Build Checklist

Before asking Claude to build an Oria deck, confirm you have:

- [ ] **Content** — in any form (structured slide outline, document, notes, bullet points)
- [ ] **Template `.pptx`** — one-slide branded file with a content placeholder (Claude will search the folder if not explicitly provided)
- [ ] **Visual Style decision** — Strict, Standard, or Visually Rich (Claude will ask if not specified)
- [ ] *(If Visually Rich)* Illustration style preference (isometric, corporate Memphis, photorealism, etc.)
- [ ] *(Optional)* Target slide count, if you want to control the length
- [ ] *(Optional)* Presentation name and audience context

---

*This workflow was developed for the Claude.ai Cowork environment. The build process uses the PPTX skills toolkit (unpack/add_slide/clean/pack) from the `.skills` directory.*