A keynote is not a pitch
In front of an investor, you seek a decision. On a conference stage, the audience has nothing to decide: they want to understand, remember one idea, sometimes enjoy themselves. The duration is set by the organizer, and nobody reads the deck afterwards. That changes the preparation: story, rhythm and voice matter more than slide density. For a pitch in front of an investor, see Gamma vs Creation: standalone deck or live pitch?.
| Need | Gamma | Creation (Ember) |
|---|---|---|
| Speaker notes | Notes per slide, visible only in presenter view, editable live | Pitch notes per slide with optional delivery cues: two-second pause, slow down, accelerate, landing line, low voice |
| Time tracking | Timer in presenter view | Target duration compared with the recorded duration of a take |
| Rehearsal | No rehearsal feature described in the help pages we read | Speaking practice: record, replay, analyze a take |
| Feedback on a take | Not applicable | Slide-by-slide analysis, segmented transcript, strong and weak moments, recommended exercises |
| Stage aids | Full screen or in-tab mode, spotlight, quick edit, follow link for the audience | Full-screen Present mode, export to PDF or PowerPoint (.pptx) from the editor |
What Gamma offers for presenting
According to Gamma's help pages, read on September 29, 2026: the Present button opens a clean mode, in full screen or in a tab. Presenter view shows your notes privately while the audience sees only the content; notes are visible only in that view and can be edited live. Presenter view includes a timer to track speaking time. Spotlight mode highlights the current content, dims what was viewed and fades what is coming. The E key opens quick edit without leaving the presentation, and a follow link lets viewers follow along in real time. These are good stage tools. The pages we read do not describe help with writing the spoken text or a recorded rehearsal.
What Creation offers for preparing the delivery
In Creation, each slide carries pitch notes: you write what you will say, and you can add optional delivery cues such as a two-second pause, slow down, accelerate, a landing line or a low voice. The Speaking practice area lets you record a take, replay it and analyze it. The analysis gives an overall score, slide-by-slide feedback, a segmented transcript with timestamps per slide, strong and weak moments, and recommended exercises. The recorded duration is compared with the target duration.
Creation offers a full-screen Present mode with keyboard navigation, and exports a deck to PDF or PowerPoint. We did not find a presenter view showing notes and a timer like Gamma's: if you want that on stage, export and present from another program.
A three-week preparation plan
- Write the story in one sentence, then in three beats (opening, central idea, landing).
- Cut it into slides with little text: one idea per image.
- Write the notes, then say them out loud with a stopwatch.
- Record two takes and compare the duration with the imposed one.
- Rehearse in front of one person who is not in the subject and ask what they remembered.
A tool can show you that you speak too fast or skip a point. It does not replace a real person's eyes in the room.
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