{"id":14760,"date":"2025-06-30T09:55:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T14:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/?p=14760"},"modified":"2026-01-08T09:30:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T14:30:27","slug":"our-interview-with-powerpoint-expert-geetesh-bajaj","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/our-interview-with-powerpoint-expert-geetesh-bajaj\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Interview with PowerPoint Expert, Geetesh Bajaj"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Geetesh Bajaj, the founder of Indezine<\/a> and a recognized authority in the presentation space, having been awarded Microsoft PowerPoint MVP status for 25 consecutive years\u2014a distinction given to experts who demonstrate deep technical knowledge and actively contribute to the broader user community.<\/p>\n

As a behind-the-scenes strategist in the presentation ecosystem, Geetesh collaborates with a wide range of industry players\u2014including PowerPoint add-in developers, design agencies, and business professionals\u2014to help elevate the clarity, impact, and effectiveness of visual communication.<\/p>\n

In this interview, Geetesh shares with us his thoughts on the future of PowerPoint, the impact of AI, must-have PPT add-ins–with insights specifically tailored to management consultants and business executives.<\/p>\n

Indezine has chronicled every major PowerPoint milestone since 2000. In your view, which of the new AI-driven features (e.g. Copilot, Designer, Live Translations, etc.) is the most useful to consultants?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You’re right\u2014at Indezine, we\u2019ve tracked PowerPoint\u2019s evolution closely for over two decades. From that vantage point, I\u2019d say Copilot<\/strong> is the most transformative AI-driven feature for consultants.<\/p>\n

Why? Because consultants don\u2019t just create slides\u2014they structure ideas, synthesize information, and craft narratives under tight deadlines. Copilot acts almost like a thinking partner in that process. I like to think about Copilot as an intelligent assistant, and Microsoft probably thinks so too because they called it Copilot rather than Pilot.<\/p>\n

Copilot can help outline a deck, reframe key messages, and even generate starter slides from meeting notes or briefs. That\u2019s a huge time-saver in the early stages of a presentation, when clarity and speed are most critical. However, this is just the beginning. Many users just save the presentation and are done with the task. That\u2019s not the right approach.<\/p>\n

While Designer<\/strong> is great for visual polish and Live Translations<\/strong> are invaluable in global settings, it\u2019s Copilot\u2019s <\/strong>ability to accelerate content creation and structure thinking that makes it the most useful to consultants.<\/p>\n

That said, these tools are most powerful when used in tandem. AI is a great collaborator\u2014but it\u2019s still the presenter, the consultant, or the subject matter expert who provides the nuance, judgment, and story that wins the room.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You’ve held Microsoft MVP status for over 2 decades. Can you share any capabilities still on the PowerPoint product roadmap that consultants and executives would find most compelling?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you\u2014it’s been a privilege to serve as a Microsoft PowerPoint MVP for over two decades. While I\u2019m bound by an NDA and can\u2019t speak about unreleased features in detail, what I can say is this: the PowerPoint team is deeply focused on making the tool smarter, faster, and more connected to the way professionals actually work.<\/p>\n

The broader direction is clear: PowerPoint is evolving from a slide-making tool into a strategic communication platform\u2014and that shift is very exciting for those of us who live and breathe presentations.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What advice do you have on how consultants and executives can best leverage AI prompts with presentation development?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The key to leveraging AI effectively in presentation development is to treat prompts like strategic briefings\u2014not casual requests.<\/p>\n

For consultants and executives, this means:<\/p>\n