Presentation Patterns — Master Index

Structured reference taxonomy based on Presentation Patterns: Techniques for Crafting Better Presentations (Neal Ford, Matthew McCullough, Nathaniel Schutta, 2013). Contains 63 named patterns and 25 antipatterns organized by presentation lifecycle phase.

This is the primary entry point. The agent reads this file first, then drills into individual pattern files only when detailed descriptions, scoring criteria, or combinatorics are needed.

How to Use This Index

1. During creator Phase 2 (Architecture): Read the phase-grouped lookup table below to find which patterns are relevant at the current phase, then read the pattern files for the ones you want to present as options.
2. During vault Step 3 (Analysis): Scan against observable patterns only — skip patterns marked observable: false (pre-event logistics, physical stage behaviors, and external systems that leave no trace in transcripts or slides).
3. During creator Phase 4 (Guardrails): Read all antipatterns and compare against the outline. Flag matches as [RECURRING] (from speaker profile) or [CONTEXTUAL] (new detection). Skip unobservable antipatterns.
4. During creator Phase 6 (Publishing / Go-Live): Surface unobservable patterns as a go-live preparation checklist — these are actions to take before and during delivery that the vault cannot score retroactively.

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Pattern Catalog

Prepare Phase (18 patterns + 3 antipatterns)

ID	Name	Type	Vault Dims	Creator Phases	Related
know-your-audience	Know Your Audience	pattern	4, 9	intake	emotional-state, seeding-satisfaction
social-media-advertising	Social Media Advertising	pattern	4	publishing	seeding-satisfaction
required	Required	pattern	9	intake, intent	proposed, posse, concurrent-creation, crucible
the-big-why	The Big Why	pattern	9	intake	carnegie-hall, crucible
proposed	Proposed	pattern	9	intake, intent	required, peer-review, know-your-audience
narrative-arc	Narrative Arc	pattern	2, 5	intent, architecture, content	triad, bookends, intermezzi, unifying-visual-theme, context-keeper
fourthought	Fourthought	pattern	2, 8	intent, architecture	unifying-visual-theme, backtracking, narrative-arc
crucible	Crucible	pattern	12, 14	content	brain-breaks, fourthought, carnegie-hall, traveling-highlights
concurrent-creation	Concurrent Creation	pattern	2, 8	content	talklet, unifying-visual-theme
triad	Triad	pattern	2	intent, architecture	narrative-arc, fourthought, talklet
expansion-joints	Expansion Joints	pattern	2, 12	architecture, content	talklet, narrative-arc
talklet	Talklet	pattern	2, 12	architecture, content	narrative-arc, foreshadowing, backtracking, a-la-carte-content, expansion-joints
unifying-visual-theme	Unifying Visual Theme	pattern	10, 13	architecture, slides	brain-breaks, defy-defaults, narrative-arc
brain-breaks	Brain Breaks	pattern	3, 12	architecture, content	leet-grammars, narrative-arc, entertainment, crucible
leet-grammars	Leet Grammars	pattern	7, 10	content	analog-noise, brain-breaks
lightning-talk	Lightning Talk	pattern	2, 12	architecture	talklet, carnegie-hall, fourthought, defy-defaults, narrative-arc
takahashi	Takahashi	pattern	8, 12, 13	architecture, slides	brain-breaks
cave-painting	Cave Painting	pattern	5, 13	architecture, slides	context-keeper, soft-transitions, brain-breaks, takahashi, lipsync
abstract-attorney	Abstract Attorney	antipattern	2, 14	intent, guardrails	preroll, narrative-arc, fourthought, triad, crucible, carnegie-hall
alienating-artifact	Alienating Artifact	antipattern	3, 10, 14	guardrails	know-your-audience, brain-breaks
celery	Celery	antipattern	2, 14	guardrails	required, know-your-audience, narrative-arc, brain-breaks

Build Phase (27 patterns + 10 antipatterns)

ID	Name	Type	Vault Dims	Creator Phases	Related
coda	Coda	pattern	6, 8	content, slides	infodeck, vacation-photos
peer-review	Peer Review	pattern	7, 8	content, guardrails	leet-grammars
foreshadowing	Foreshadowing	pattern	2, 5	content	narrative-arc, talklet, backtracking, intermezzi
composite-animation	Composite Animation	pattern	13	slides	emergence, gradual-consistency
a-la-carte-content	A la Carte Content	pattern	2, 4	architecture, content	talklet, coda, live-demo
vacation-photos	Vacation Photos	pattern	8, 13	architecture, slides	unifying-visual-theme
defy-defaults	Defy Defaults	pattern	13	slides	analog-noise, bookends, intermezzi
analog-noise	Analog Noise	pattern	13	slides	defy-defaults, leet-grammars
infodeck	Infodeck	pattern	8	architecture	coda
gradual-consistency	Gradual Consistency	pattern	8, 13	slides	exuberant-title-top, composite-animation, analog-noise
charred-trail	Charred Trail	pattern	8, 13	slides	context-keeper, exuberant-title-top, bookends
exuberant-title-top	Exuberant Title Top	pattern	13	slides	charred-trail, gradual-consistency
invisibility	Invisibility	pattern	13	slides	gradual-consistency
context-keeper	Context Keeper	pattern	2, 5, 13	architecture, content, slides	breadcrumbs, bookends, narrative-arc, charred-trail, cave-painting
breadcrumbs	Breadcrumbs	pattern	2, 13	content, slides	context-keeper, bookends
bookends	Bookends	pattern	2, 5, 13	content, slides	context-keeper, narrative-arc, intermezzi, defy-defaults
soft-transitions	Soft Transitions	pattern	5, 13	slides	intermezzi, cave-painting
intermezzi	Intermezzi	pattern	2, 5, 13	content, slides	context-keeper, bookends, narrative-arc, unifying-visual-theme, brain-breaks
backtracking	Backtracking	pattern	2, 5	content	fourthought, foreshadowing, talklet
preroll	Preroll	pattern	1, 13	slides, publishing	seeding-the-first-question
crawling-credits	Crawling Credits	pattern	6, 13	slides	coda
live-demo	Live Demo	pattern	11	architecture, content	lipsync, traveling-highlights
lipsync	Lipsync	pattern	11, 13	content, slides	live-demo, cave-painting, live-on-tape
traveling-highlights	Traveling Highlights	pattern	11, 13	slides	crawling-code, emergence
crawling-code	Crawling Code	pattern	11, 13	slides	traveling-highlights, emergence
emergence	Emergence	pattern	11, 13	content, slides	composite-animation, traveling-highlights, crawling-code
live-on-tape	Live on Tape	pattern	8	publishing	lipsync, entertainment
cookie-cutter	Cookie Cutter	antipattern	8, 13	guardrails, slides	soft-transitions, fourthought
injured-outlines	Injured Outlines	antipattern	8, 14	guardrails	fourthought
bullet-riddled-corpse	Bullet-Riddled Corpse	antipattern	8, 13, 14	guardrails, slides	charred-trail, infodeck
ant-fonts	Ant Fonts	antipattern	13, 14	guardrails, slides	bullet-riddled-corpse, infodeck
fontaholic	Fontaholic	antipattern	13, 14	guardrails, slides	floodmarks
floodmarks	Floodmarks	antipattern	13, 14	guardrails, slides	bookends, defy-defaults, unifying-visual-theme
photomaniac	Photomaniac	antipattern	10, 13, 14	guardrails, slides	unifying-visual-theme, vacation-photos
borrowed-shoes	Borrowed Shoes	antipattern	7, 8, 14	guardrails	crucible, narrative-arc, carnegie-hall
slideuments	Slideuments	antipattern	8, 14	guardrails	infodeck, charred-trail, gradual-consistency
dead-demo	Dead Demo	antipattern	11, 14	guardrails	live-demo, a-la-carte-content

Deliver Phase (18 patterns + 12 antipatterns)

ID	Name	Type	Vault Dims	Creator Phases	Related
preparation	Preparation	pattern	14	publishing	know-your-audience, carnegie-hall
carnegie-hall	Carnegie Hall	pattern	12, 14	publishing	crucible
posse	Posse	pattern	4	publishing	greek-chorus, seeding-satisfaction
seeding-satisfaction	Seeding Satisfaction	pattern	4	publishing	know-your-audience, social-media-advertising
seeding-the-first-question	Seeding the First Question	pattern	4	content, publishing	preroll, know-your-audience, display-of-high-value, greek-chorus
display-of-high-value	Display of High Value	pattern	9	content	know-your-audience, mentor
shoeless	Shoeless	pattern	14	publishing	breathing-room, carnegie-hall, crucible
emotional-state	Emotional State	pattern	4, 9	intake, content	social-media-advertising, know-your-audience
breathing-room	Breathing Room	pattern	7, 12	content	narrative-arc, brain-breaks, know-your-audience
mentor	Mentor	pattern	9, 11	intent, content	narrative-arc, display-of-high-value
weatherman	Weatherman	pattern	12	publishing	make-it-rain, lipsync
entertainment	Entertainment	pattern	3, 10	content	know-your-audience, brain-breaks, make-it-rain
make-it-rain	Make It Rain	pattern	4	content	entertainment, weatherman
echo-chamber	Echo Chamber	pattern	4, 7	publishing	seeding-the-first-question
red-yellow-green	Red, Yellow, Green	pattern	4	publishing	crucible, know-your-audience
lightsaber	Lightsaber	pattern	11	content	traveling-highlights
stakeout	The Stakeout	pattern	14	publishing	preparation, carnegie-hall
greek-chorus	Greek Chorus	pattern	4, 9	architecture, content	posse, mentor
shortchanged	Shortchanged	antipattern	12, 14	guardrails	preparation, expansion-joints, weatherman
hiccup-words	Hiccup Words	antipattern	7, 14	guardrails	breathing-room, carnegie-hall
disowning-your-topic	Disowning Your Topic	antipattern	9, 12, 14	guardrails	know-your-audience, crucible
going-meta	Going Meta	antipattern	9, 14	guardrails	breathing-room, carnegie-hall, crucible
bunker	Bunker	antipattern	4, 14	guardrails	carnegie-hall, know-your-audience
hecklers	Hecklers	antipattern	4, 14	guardrails	know-your-audience, display-of-high-value
backchannel	Backchannel	antipattern	4, 14	guardrails	social-media-advertising, know-your-audience
laser-weapons	Laser Weapons	antipattern	13, 14	guardrails, slides	traveling-highlights, lightsaber
negative-ignorance	Negative Ignorance	antipattern	4, 14	guardrails	know-your-audience, seeding-satisfaction
dual-headed-monster	Dual-Headed Monster	antipattern	4, 14	guardrails	live-on-tape, weatherman
tower-of-babble	Tower of Babble	antipattern	7, 9, 14	guardrails	know-your-audience, leet-grammars
lipstick-on-a-pig	Lipstick on a Pig	antipattern	8, 9, 14	guardrails	narrative-arc

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Phase-Grouped Lookup Table

Which patterns to surface at each creator phase:

Phase 0: Intake

Audience/context patterns — shown as context-setting reminders.

• know-your-audience
• required
• the-big-why
• proposed
• emotional-state

Phase 1: Intent

Planning patterns — inform spec construction.

• narrative-arc
• fourthought
• triad
• required
• proposed
• mentor
• abstract-attorney (antipattern — warn about abstract drift)

Phase 2: Architecture

All structural patterns — the main Pattern Strategy selection moment.

Full 4-tier recommendation using pattern_profile:

• Signature tier: Speaker's high-usage patterns from profile
• Contextual tier: Patterns matching spec context with occasional speaker usage
• New to You tier: From never_used_patterns, filtered by spec relevance
• Shake It Up tier: Random picks from never_used_patterns

Structural patterns relevant here:

• narrative-arc, triad, talklet, expansion-joints, lightning-talk, takahashi, cave-painting
• a-la-carte-content, context-keeper, bookends, intermezzi
• unifying-visual-theme, vacation-photos, infodeck
• brain-breaks, greek-chorus
• live-demo (if demo-driven mode)

Phase 3: Content

Build patterns — applied during outline writing.

• foreshadowing, backtracking, brain-breaks, bookends, intermezzi, coda
• breadcrumbs, context-keeper, a-la-carte-content
• live-demo, lipsync, emergence
• leet-grammars, entertainment, breathing-room
• display-of-high-value, mentor, seeding-the-first-question
• make-it-rain, lightsaber, echo-chamber

Phase 4: Guardrails

Antipatterns as warnings — scanned against the outline.

All 25 antipatterns, with two flag types:

• [RECURRING] — from pattern_profile.antipattern_frequency (speaker-specific)
• [CONTEXTUAL] — detected in the current outline (new detection)

Phase 5: Slides

Visual/construction patterns — applied during slide generation.

• defy-defaults, composite-animation, vacation-photos, analog-noise
• takahashi, cave-painting, charred-trail, gradual-consistency
• exuberant-title-top, invisibility, soft-transitions
• traveling-highlights, crawling-code, emergence
• preroll, crawling-credits, bookends, intermezzi, breadcrumbs
• cookie-cutter, ant-fonts, fontaholic, floodmarks, photomaniac, laser-weapons (antipatterns)

Phase 6: Publishing

Delivery prep patterns — final checklist before the talk.

• preparation, carnegie-hall, seeding-satisfaction, seeding-the-first-question
• posse, shoeless, emotional-state, weatherman, stakeout
• echo-chamber, red-yellow-green
• social-media-advertising, preroll, live-on-tape

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Vault Dimension → Pattern Mapping

Reverse lookup: which patterns relate to each of the 14 rhetoric analysis dimensions.

Dim	Name	Patterns	Antipatterns
1	Opening Pattern	preroll	—
2	Narrative Structure	narrative-arc, fourthought, triad, expansion-joints, talklet, context-keeper, breadcrumbs, bookends, intermezzi, foreshadowing, backtracking, a-la-carte-content, concurrent-creation, lightning-talk	abstract-attorney, celery
3	Humor & Wit	brain-breaks, entertainment	alienating-artifact
4	Audience Interaction	know-your-audience, social-media-advertising, a-la-carte-content, posse, seeding-satisfaction, seeding-the-first-question, emotional-state, make-it-rain, echo-chamber, red-yellow-green, greek-chorus	bunker, hecklers, backchannel, negative-ignorance, dual-headed-monster
5	Transition Techniques	narrative-arc, foreshadowing, backtracking, context-keeper, bookends, intermezzi, soft-transitions, cave-painting	—
6	Closing Pattern	coda, crawling-credits	—
7	Verbal Signatures	leet-grammars, peer-review, breathing-room, echo-chamber	hiccup-words, borrowed-shoes, tower-of-babble
8	Slide-to-Speech Relationship	fourthought, concurrent-creation, coda, vacation-photos, infodeck, gradual-consistency, charred-trail, takahashi, live-on-tape, peer-review	cookie-cutter, injured-outlines, bullet-riddled-corpse, borrowed-shoes, slideuments, lipstick-on-a-pig
9	Persuasion Techniques	know-your-audience, required, the-big-why, proposed, display-of-high-value, emotional-state, mentor, greek-chorus	disowning-your-topic, going-meta, tower-of-babble, lipstick-on-a-pig
10	Cultural & Pop-Culture References	leet-grammars, unifying-visual-theme, entertainment	alienating-artifact, photomaniac
11	Technical Content Delivery	live-demo, lipsync, traveling-highlights, crawling-code, emergence, mentor, lightsaber	dead-demo
12	Pacing Clues	crucible, expansion-joints, talklet, brain-breaks, lightning-talk, takahashi, carnegie-hall, breathing-room, weatherman	shortchanged, disowning-your-topic
13	Slide Design Patterns	unifying-visual-theme, takahashi, cave-painting, composite-animation, vacation-photos, defy-defaults, analog-noise, gradual-consistency, charred-trail, exuberant-title-top, invisibility, context-keeper, breadcrumbs, bookends, soft-transitions, intermezzi, preroll, crawling-credits, lipsync, traveling-highlights, crawling-code, emergence	cookie-cutter, bullet-riddled-corpse, ant-fonts, fontaholic, floodmarks, photomaniac, laser-weapons
14	Areas for Improvement	crucible, preparation, carnegie-hall, shoeless, stakeout	abstract-attorney, alienating-artifact, celery, injured-outlines, bullet-riddled-corpse, ant-fonts, fontaholic, floodmarks, photomaniac, borrowed-shoes, slideuments, dead-demo, shortchanged, hiccup-words, disowning-your-topic, going-meta, bunker, hecklers, backchannel, laser-weapons, negative-ignorance, dual-headed-monster, tower-of-babble, lipstick-on-a-pig

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Unobservable Patterns — Go-Live Checklist

These patterns involve pre-event logistics, physical stage behaviors, or external systems that leave no trace in transcripts or slides. The vault cannot score them. Instead, they surface during creator Phase 6 (Publishing / Go-Live) as a preparation checklist.

Do not include these in vault scoring or the speaker profile's pattern_profile.

Pre-Event Preparation

ID	Name	Checklist Action
preparation	Preparation	Pack duplicate cables, backup deck to USB/cloud, hydrate, check room layout and schedule
carnegie-hall	Carnegie Hall	Complete 4 structured rehearsals: (1) pace/timing, (2) delivery, (3) fix notes from 1-2, (4) find the groove
stakeout	The Stakeout	Locate a productive staging area near the venue, arrive with ample buffer time
posse	Posse	Bring a friend/colleague for front-row support, positive energy, and equipment backup
seeding-satisfaction	Seeding Satisfaction	Arrive early, mingle with attendees, make personal connections, verify audience assumptions
shoeless	Shoeless	Activate your personal comfort ritual (favorite undershirt, sneakers, beverage placement)

During Delivery

ID	Name	Checklist Action
lightsaber	Lightsaber	If using a laser pointer, use sparingly and steadily — max 2-3 moments per talk
red-yellow-green	Red, Yellow, Green	If venue supports it, set up colored feedback cards near the exit

Antipatterns to Avoid (unobservable)

ID	Name	What to Watch For
laser-weapons	Laser Weapons	Don't wave the pointer constantly — build highlights into slides instead
bunker	Bunker	Step out from behind the podium, walk the stage, make eye contact
backchannel	Backchannel	Don't monitor social media during your talk — use it as feedback after

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Summary Statistics

• Total entries: 88 (63 patterns + 25 antipatterns)
• Observable (vault-scorable): 77 (55 patterns + 22 antipatterns)
• Unobservable (go-live checklist): 11 (8 patterns + 3 antipatterns)
• Prepare phase: 21 (18 patterns + 3 antipatterns)
• Build phase: 37 (27 patterns + 10 antipatterns)
• Deliver phase: 30 (18 patterns + 12 antipatterns)

Source

Ford, N., McCullough, M., & Schutta, N. (2013). Presentation Patterns: Techniques for Crafting Better Presentations. Addison-Wesley.