Hour −9: freeze the story
Write seven sentences: what they believe now, what you need them to believe, three proofs, the ask, the fallback if they say no. If you cannot write them, you do not have a deck problem.
Hour −7: one master, one type ramp
Open the file. Duplicate it. Apply one theme or keep the inherited master — do not restyle 30 slides at 01:00. Headline 28–32 pt, body 20+. Delete clip art. Compress pictures. Kill bounce animations. Apply fade to all or none.
Hour −4: numbers and names
Every chart needs a date and a unit. Every name is spelled like the person’s email, not like your memory. If a number came from a chat, put it back in the sheet and screenshot the cell into the slide or live with the risk.
Hour −2: backups
Export PDF. Copy PPTX + PDF + any mp4 to USB. Email both to yourself. If the room PC is a lottery, you will present PDF. Rehearse once out loud with a timer. Cut slides, do not talk faster.
Hour 0
F5. B for black when you want faces. Do not open WPS templates on the lectern — that is an ad funnel. If a Pro modal blocks the first slide, Alt-Tab to the PDF. After: thank the room, then save the marked-up notes into the dated PPTX, not into “final_final2.”
Presentation guide · ads · F5 / B.
The room PC
Ask what it runs. If it is a 2014 image with Office 2013, your PPTX with 365-only fonts will substitute. Carry Arial. If it is a locked account that cannot install WPS, you are presenting PDF or using their PowerPoint. Do not discover this at 08:55. Night-before includes an email to whoever owns the room.
Clickers and lasers
HID clickers send Page Down. Test. If WPS eats the key because a task pane is focused, click the slide first. Phone-as-clicker apps are another moving part — USB clicker or keyboard arrows. B for black is still the professional pause.