presentation to director

13 Tips on How To Nail a Presentation To the Board of Directors

Published: January 13, 2021

In college, I always made it a point to listen intently to presentations. I knew how stressful and nerve-racking it was to present in a room of peers and authority figures.

I would nod feverishly to let presenters know I was invested in their presentation. And they knew it too. They often zeroed in on me as I became their focus point and silent motivator. The fixation felt awkward at times, but that felt like one of my small contributions to society. That, and an endless supply of cat videos.

Back then, the stakes were relatively low. But when you’re tasked with putting together a presentation to a board of directors, the pressure’s on.

But with a few tricks in your arsenal, you won’t need a sympathetic audience member to gauge how well you’re doing.

Let’s walk through some tips to prepare for your presentation and review some things to avoid.

How To Make a Presentation To the Board

• Know your audience.
• Plan ahead.
• Structure your presentation.
• Keep it concise.
• Set up early.
• Incorporate visuals into your presentation.
• Focus on results.
• Send materials beforehand.
• Build confidence with your power outfit.
• Rehearse your script.
• Don't fall into the PowerPoint Trap.
• Read the room.
• Include time for questions.

1. Know your audience.

Knowing your listeners is as important as the content of your presentation. When you understand their priorities, you can put together a presentation that speaks directly to them.

If you don't know the board well, do some research and get answers to these questions:

What does the board care about?

This will help you see from what lens they look at things. For instance, a board keen on community impact may not be drawn to a presentation focused on return on investment (ROI).

There are a few ways to find this out. You can start by looking into each board member’s professional background. If most members have a finance background, for instance, you’ll want to make sure you cover any financials as it relates to your presentation. This could be cost, expected ROI, or operating margins.

You can also get some insight into what the board cares about by looking back at your interactions with its members. Think about the conversations you’ve had: What comes up most often? Is it company culture, profit, philanthropy, innovation, or something else?

What are their main concerns?

A board of directors is responsible for making decisions that will ensure the growth and sustainability of a company. So naturally, they will be looking out for anything that may impede that process.

Common concerns a board may have are:

• Costs: How much time and money will it require?
• Timeline: How long will this project take and is that timeline feasible?
• Risks: How risky is your proposal and what is the risk-to-return ratio?

You may find that each board member has a different focus, which means your presentation should be well-rounded to tackle these issues.

Once you know this answer, you can subtly handle each concern throughout your presentation. Getting those answers will help you create a presentation that not only interests your audience but also aligns with their goals. This, in turn, will bring you much closer to accomplishing the plans laid out in your presentation.

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2. Plan ahead.

The next step in delivering a great presentation is making a plan. This means figuring out the focus of your presentation, what you’ll cover, and what you’ll leave out.

A presentation should follow the structure of any good movie, with a beginning, middle, and an end. Here’s an example outline for a presentation where the head of the marketing team is proposing course offerings as a new lead generation channel.

The middle is the meat and potatoes of your presentation. You'll likely spend time providing data, contextualizing it, and explaining your approach.

Your ending should bring together your key points and leave your audience with actionable steps. Because what good is providing the information if you have no plan for what to do moving forward?

3. Structure your presentation based on the board’s process.

Not every board of directors operates in the same way. Sure, there are standard guidelines for every meeting. However, the approach may vary for presentations.

Some may operate more like a town hall, pausing periodically to discuss the points as they come up. In this case, leave room after each section of your presentation to discuss what was covered.

Others may follow the more standard approach: presentation followed by a discussion. Studies show that humans remember best the beginning and end of what they read, hear, and see. What’s in the middle tends to get lost. With that in mind, consider sharing your most pertinent information toward the beginning and end of your presentation.

4. Keep it concise.

One thing board members aren’t known for is open availability. That said, you want to make the most of your time with them. How do you do that? Stick to the scope of the presentation.

While it’s great to incorporate storytelling, avoid getting sidetracked and wasting time. Be clear and keep it simple.

If you’re showing data, only share one highlight per data graph. There are several reasons for this:

• Data itself doesn’t tell a story. You, as the presenter, do. As such, you have to explain what it means and why it matters. Let’s say lead generation at your company has plateaued in the past year across all channels. That’s all the data says. But during your research, you realize it’s due to a shift in how your audience is consuming information. Your role is to present the data and explain the "why" behind the plateau along with a solution.
• You want to prevent information overload. Share the piece of data that best supports your points and has the most impact. For instance, if a new lead generation channel is the focus of your presentation, diving into the specifics of another channel may not be worth your time.

If you leave it to your audience to make sense of the data, they might reach a conclusion that doesn’t align with your message.

5. Set up early.

There’s nothing more awkward than silence during a technical difficulty.

Everyone’s looking at you while you’re figuring out why technology has forsaken you. The more time the issue takes to resolve, the more panicked you get. We’ve all been there.

To avoid this, set up early and do a run-through before your scheduled presentation time. It’ll give you time to get familiar with the space and any technology you’ll need to run during your presentation.

6. Incorporate visuals into your presentation.

When choosing between words and media, pick the latter.

Visuals help us make sense of information at a much quicker pace than words do. We’re also better at remembering what we see versus what we hear by 55% – it’s called pictorial superiority .

It’s also beneficial to keep your visuals simple. If you have too much going on, your audience will be confused. But if it’s too bare, it will take too many visuals to paint the picture. So, pull your most significant data and use data visualization tools to design intuitive graphics.

7. Focus on results.

A board of directors typically focuses on big-picture decisions that will have a long-term impact on the company.

In this vein, every piece of your presentation should get you closer to answering these questions:

• " Why does this matter? "
• " What is the long-term impact? "
• " How does this bring the company closer to its goals? "
• " Any potential roadblocks? How will you address them? "

Incorporating these answers into your presentation will set you up for a smoother Q&A session.

8. Send materials beforehand.

Depending on what you’ll be covering in your presentation, it may be helpful to send the board materials to review in advance. This should only be supplemental information that would be too time-consuming or distracting to cover in a presentation, like reports and demos. This way, the focus during the presentation will be on the "why" and not the "how."

The one material you don’t want to send is your presentation, as you want to be the one to contextualize it. Otherwise, the board might form an opinion based on limited information.

A week before the meeting is a good rule of thumb, leaving room for you to respond to initial comments or feedback.

Think of this process as an advantage. You get insight into what the board members may bring up during the meeting and more context to prep. Secondly, it ensures everyone is on the same page ahead of the meeting. That way, you can dive straight into key points during your presentation without covering minute details.

9. Build confidence with your power outfit.

Building confidence is one of the less concrete tips on the list to implement. But the good news is, there are research-backed techniques you can use to achieve it. One of them is right within your reach: clothing.

Many of us can relate to the feeling of trying on clothes in a fitting room and feeling like a million bucks. It tends to put us in a better mood and shift our perspective.

Well, turns out there’s a reason for this. In 2012, two researchers coined the term " enclothed cognition " to refer to the impact clothes can have on the psyche. They found that the clothes we wear can shift our perspective.

In that spirit, put on your best blazer or suit the day of your presentation. That outfit may be just the boost you need.

10. Rehearse your script.

During a presentation with a board of directors, you want to avoid the Michael Scott approach at all costs.

Instead, go the exact opposite route: practice. Practice is the cure to presentation jitters and the formula for seamless delivery. The more familiar you become with your content, the better the presentation will be.

If it’s been a while since your last presentation, start by practicing in the mirror. You’ll immediately notice any mannerisms that may be distracting to your audience. Recording yourself also works great.

Then, practice in front of an audience. And, unfortunately, your dog won’t cut it for this one. Practice with family or friends who can give you feedback on how to improve.

And remember: You’re the only one who knows your speech and presentation. So, if you mess up or forget to mention something, you’re likely the only one who noticed.

11. Don’t fall into the PowerPoint trap.

You’ll likely use a tool like PowerPoint to guide you during your presentation. Yet, it’s important that you don’t overly depend on it.

For instance, packing your slides with heavy text or bullet points is a surefire way to lose your audience. In fact, 40% of respondents in a 2018 study by Prezi said it caused disengagement and made it harder to retain information.

So, stick to one key point on each slide. It’s easier for your audience to remember and prevents information overload.

12. Read the room.

Even if you follow every tip listed above, you might hit a point in your presentation where there’s a disconnect between you and your audience. You might notice confused looks or a shift in body language. If that happens, that’s your cue to pivot.

If your audience seems confused, dive in a little bit deeper on your point. If you sense disagreement, tackle those concerns head-on.

Let’s say you’re proposing a new initiative for the company, and you sense some pushback on the timeline.

You can address it by saying something along the lines of, " You may have some concern regarding the timeline and whether it’s feasible given our current projects. While the timeline may seem tight, we have factored in X, Y, and Z, and, given our past initiatives, we believe this timeline will account for A, B, and C ."

A response like this can mitigate the situation while still keeping you on track.

13. Include time for questions.

As a foodie, dinner for me isn’t complete without a good piece of chocolate. Whether it’s a KitKat or a chocolate cake, having chocolate after dinner feels like the perfect ending. Q&A sessions are kind of like that. It’s the audience’s chance to ask questions and discuss the presentation.

Be ready for questions regarding the data and solutions you presented. The length of the Q&A session will vary depending on the length of your presentation, the size of the board, and other factors.

Additionally, it’s your opportunity to address any looming concerns and re-emphasize your key points. Not sure what to do if you don’t have an answer to something? Here are a few responses:

• "That’s a great question. I don’t have an answer for you at the moment, but I will follow up over email by end of day."
• "I don’t have much experience in that X [topic/department/]. However, I will reach out to X and get back to you within a week."
• "We haven’t explored that yet, but what I can tell you is …"
• "That’s a great point we hadn’t considered before. My team and I will reconvene and strategize on the best way to approach this."

When the stakes are so high, a presentation to the board can seem daunting. By incorporating these tips into your strategy, you can remove the stress and focus instead on your delivery.

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Board of directors presentation: The all-in-one guide

Learn how to craft a persuasive pitch, deliver your presentation with confidence.

Raja Bothra

Building presentations

When it comes to presenting to your board of directors, it's not just another run-of-the-mill presentation. You're facing a unique audience with high expectations and critical decisions to make.

In this guide, we'll delve deep into the art of creating impactful board of directors presentations. Whether you're a seasoned presenter or just starting out, these insights will help you shine in front of your board members.

Art of presenting to your board of directors

Presenting to your board of directors is a skill that can significantly impact your organization's success. It's a chance to convey your ideas, strategies, and achievements in a way that aligns with the company's goals and values.

Board of directors: The pillars of governance

The board of directors, often referred to as the "board," plays a crucial role in steering the company. They are responsible for major decisions, overseeing company performance, and ensuring it stays on course. Understanding the dynamics of the board is key to a successful presentation.

Board members: Your audience

Your board members are a diverse group with varying backgrounds and expertise. They bring their unique perspectives to the table. Addressing their specific needs and concerns is essential to a successful presentation.

Slide design: Crafting visual impact

In board presentations, slides are your canvas. Use them to create a visual narrative that complements your verbal communication. Avoid overcrowding slides with text. Instead, focus on concise, visually appealing slides that enhance your message.

Board meeting dynamics

Board meetings are structured events where presentations are made, decisions are taken, and strategies are discussed. Understanding the flow and purpose of a board meeting is crucial to your presentation's success.

Purpose of a board of directors presentation: Why do we need one?

Why present to the board.

Every board of directors presentation serves a distinct purpose. Whether it's a quarterly performance update or a strategic proposal, your presentation should align with the board's needs and expectations.

The long-term value proposition

Remember, your presentation should not just be about the here and now. It should convey the long-term value your strategies and initiatives bring to the company.

How to structure an effective board of directors presentation

A well-structured presentation is like a well-organized roadmap. It guides your board members through your ideas, helping them understand and appreciate your perspective.

1. Title slide :

• Start with a compelling title that summarizes the purpose of the presentation.
• Include your company logo and the date of the presentation.

2. Agenda :

• Create a slide that outlines the agenda for the presentation.
• This helps set expectations for what will be covered.

3. Introduction :

• Begin by introducing yourself and your role within the company.
• Provide a brief overview of the presentation's purpose and goals.

4. Company overview :

• Present a concise overview of your company, including its history, mission, and key achievements.

5. Financial highlights :

• Share key financial metrics and performance indicators.
• Use charts and graphs to visualize data for easy comprehension.

6. Operational updates :

• Discuss recent operational developments, such as product launches, market expansion, or cost-saving initiatives.

7. Market analysis :

• Provide insights into the industry landscape, market trends, and competitive positioning.

8. Strategic initiatives :

• Detail any strategic initiatives, projects, or goals your company is pursuing.

9. Risk assessment :

• Identify and assess potential risks and challenges your company may face.
• Explain your mitigation strategies.

10. Financial projections :

• Present future financial projections, including revenue forecasts and expense estimates.

11. Recommendations :

• Offer recommendations or decisions that require the board's input or approval.
• Clearly state the desired outcomes.

12. Q&A session :

• Dedicate a slide to transition into a question-and-answer session.
• Encourage board members to ask questions and seek clarifications.

13. Conclusion :

• Summarize the key points of your presentation.
• Express gratitude for their time and input.

14. Next steps :

• Outline the next steps or actions expected from the board following the presentation.

15. Closing remarks :

• End with closing remarks and thank the board for their attention.
• Reiterate your commitment to the company's success.

16. Appendix (Optional):

• Include any additional data, charts, or supporting documents in the appendix.

Do's and don'ts on a board of directors presentation

Presenting to a board of directors is both an art and a science. Knowing what to do and what to avoid can make or break your presentation.

• Rehearse : Practice makes perfect. Rehearse your presentation to ensure a smooth delivery.
• Keep it concise : Avoid lengthy, meandering explanations. Keep your presentation concise and to the point.
• Engage your audience : An engaging presentation can help board members understand complex topics better.

Don'ts:

• Overload the slides : Avoid overcrowding slides with too much information.
• Copy-paste content : Your presentation should never be a copy of existing documents.
• Lack of preparation : Don't go into a presentation without thorough preparation.

Summarizing key takeaways

• Unique audience expectations: Board presentations are distinct, requiring understanding of the board's unique audience with high expectations and decision-making authority.
• Impactful communication: Craft presentations that effectively convey ideas, strategies, and achievements aligned with the company's values for maximum impact.
• Board governance insights: Recognize the vital role of the board in steering the company, making significant decisions, and maintaining its course.
• Diverse board members: Acknowledge the diverse backgrounds and expertise of board members; cater to their specific needs and perspectives for success.
• Effective presentation structure: Structure presentations thoughtfully, including key elements like agenda, company overview, financial highlights, strategic insights, and a focus on engagement while avoiding common pitfalls.

1. How should I approach discussions and decision-making in the boardroom after my presentation?

After your presentation, discussions in the boardroom are crucial for reaching a consensus and fine-tuning the decision. It's not uncommon that the discussion starts immediately without formal presentations. Be ready to engage with board members, answer questions, and provide additional information if needed. Keep the long-term value and risks in mind during these discussions, as board members generally watch over the long-term value of the company. Your role in the boardroom is not only to present but also to actively participate in the decision-making process.

2. What are some tips for engaging board members during a presentation?

Engaging board members during a presentation is essential for a successful outcome. Here are some tips:

• Craft visually appealing slides that support your content.
• Use bullet points to present key arguments or take-aways.
• Encourage questions and open discussions to foster engagement.
• Keep the presentation concise and focused on what really matters.
• Avoid going into the details of things beside the point.
• Make sure your presentation is based on selected details and numbers that are relevant to your proposal.

3. How should I handle questions and answers (Q&A) during a board presentation?

Handling Q&A during a board presentation requires finesse. Be prepared to answer questions, even if you don't know the answer, but be honest if you don't have the information at hand. Don't take questions lightly, as they can influence the board's decision. Additionally, don't make up information. If necessary, offer to follow up with a detailed response after the presentation. Q&A is an opportunity to provide clarity and ensure the board members understand your proposal.

4. What should I include in the slides of my board of directors presentation?

The content of your presentation slides is crucial. Each slide should contribute to the narrative of your presentation. Use visuals, bullet points, and concise text to convey your message effectively. Your slide deck should be more than a mere copy of the presentation. It should be a visual aid that supports your spoken words. Ensure that your slides align with the purpose of your presentation and the key arguments you want to present. Don't overload the slides with unnecessary information; instead, focus on elements that you want the board to remember.

5. How can I make my board presentation more impactful and memorable?

To make your board presentation impactful and memorable, consider these strategies:

• Craft an inductive story that captures the board's attention from the start.
• Structure your presentation based on the three typical parts: introduction, key arguments, and conclusion.
• Prioritize information quality and unanimity in your presentation.
• Ensure your presentation revolves around what really matters to the board.
• Use connectors for your computer to ensure everything goes as you expected during the presentation.
• Finally, don't forget to express gratitude for their time and attention at the end.

Create your board of directors presentation with Prezent

In the world of board presentations, having the right tools can make all the difference. Prezent, an AI presentation software designed for enterprise teams, can help you create compelling board presentations that are on-brand, engaging, and effective.

With Prezent, you can:

• Craft visually appealing slides that resonate with your board members.
• Save time and effort in creating and sharing presentations.
• Ensure 100% compliance with brand guidelines.
• Collaborate with your team in real-time, even for overnight presentations.

Presenting to your board of directors is a skill that evolves with experience and preparation. Whether it's your first presentation or you're a seasoned presenter, following best practices and leveraging tools like Prezent can help you deliver presentations that leave a lasting impact on your board members. Remember, it's not just about the content; it's about the art of persuasion and engagement.

To further enhance your boardroom presentations, consider incorporating a well-structured Board of Directors meeting presentation template . This valuable tool can guide you in organizing your thoughts, ensuring clarity in your message, and maintaining a professional and polished appearance. So, next time you step into the boardroom, armed with your carefully crafted presentation and utilizing a Board of Directors meeting presentation template, keep in mind the insights and tips shared here. With the right approach and a touch of finesse, you can master the art of presenting to your board of directors.

Are you ready to make a real impact with your presentation to the board? Try our free trial or book a demo today with Prezent!

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Give a Winning Board Presentation in 2023

February 27, 2023

Presenting to the board can feel daunting.  But at the same time it’s a great opportunity to stand out and impress: you can showcase yourself with your board presentation. In this article you have ten specific tips to improve your board of directors presentations.

One of your biggest challenges when you present to the board is knowing at what level to present.  do you need to outline the background  should you cover all the detail do you need to address every objection  for this reason, people often struggle to make their presentations to the board work..

The most important thing to understand is that board members want answers, not problems .  They do not want to mark your homework; they want to make decisions based on your expert advice. 

Presenting to the Board is a real skill. a core business skills.  And it’s a skill you can learn.  Over the last 15 years we’ve coached hundreds of people to be brilliant presenters at board meetings. 

Do please call us and we’ll tell you about our presentation coaching – it’s fast and good value.

To help you master the skills of a high-stakes presentation, our coaches have shared their top ten lessons for creating and delivering killer c-level presentations.  Their advice is based on over 15 years of successfully coaching senior managers globally.

Contact us for a free consultation on your coaching needs

    Top ten tips for presenting to the board

• Your board wants answers, not problems
• Keep your board presentation short
• Get to the point quickly
• Tell the board how important their decision is
• Your presentation is often won before the board meeting
• You are the expert
• Minimise use of visual aids in your board presentation
• Use stories and examples
• Make your presentation easy for the board, and fun
• Prepare your boardroom presentation rigorously

Let’s review each of these tips in more detail:

1. Your board wants answers, not problems

Imagine being a board director. You have huge responsibilities. Your brief is wide and you regularly need to make decisions based on limited knowledge.  When someone presents to you at a board meeting you want to know that you are listening to an expert.  You want them to give you advice.  What you don’t want is someone who sits on the fence and says ‘on the one hand – on the other hand…’ without reaching a conclusion.

As a presenter you need to do the hard work for the board so that your presentation to the board of directors lays out clearly what the issues are, why they are important and what should be done. If you are very good you will also look at alternative approaches and argue why those will not work. You may also assess risks. 

By taking this approach you show that you understand the issues and that the board can rely on your good judgement. 

2. Keep your presentation to the board short

Most board directors are very busy and have a huge amount on their plate.  When presenting to the board of directors your job is to make it easy for the board to make decisions .  You’ll find that you will be most successful if you say less, and say it better.  What do I mean by that? Don’t waste time stating the obvious. You do not need to tell them that climate change is a big issue or that the war in Ukraine has increased energy prices. 

You will look more impressive when you present if you build on the board’s existing knowledge rather them telling them stuff they know already. 

3. Your presentation should get to the point quickly

What do you say in the opening words of your high-stakes presentations? How do you grab attention and show that what you are saying will be valuable to the board?  If you want to impress you want to quickly lay out why you are there and what you are looking for from the board members.

The quicker you get to the meat of the topic the better.   Do not start with extensive background and never leave the punchline to your closing words. 

I f you lay out your ‘ask’ at the very start of your presentation then each board member will listen more attentively to what you are saying and better understand how everything you say points to your conclusion. 

Only bad presentations leave the ‘ask’ to the very end.

Another way to make your board feel comfortable is to start by talking about things in which they believe. For example, if you start your presentation by stating that the world is flat, you will alienate most people. Instead, you want to get your board members nodding along with you towards the start of your presentation – so long as you are not stating the obvious.

4. Tell the board their decision is important

As we said above, your board members are busy people . To get the result you want, you should put their decision in context.  For instance, what would be the result of delaying a decision? What is the impact on the bottom line of the right decision?  How big a risk is making the wrong decision? 

These are the sort of questions you want to address relatively early in your presentation. If you tell your board the danger of failure is important, high risk and expensive, you’ll grab their attention.

For example, one client recently was presenting to the board to get final budget approval for a major office move.  She was worried that the board would simply end up discussing who would get the corner offices and what colour the chairs would be.  So, to show them how important their decision was, she started: “This £50m decision is one of the biggest decisions this board has made.  And it impacts the lives of our 2,000 colleagues.”  After that, nobody would dare get lost in trivial detail. 

5. Your presentation is often won before the board meeting

Surprises at board meetings are high risk. In reality, the biggest board decisions are generally agreed well before the board meeting. You should use your presentation for final sign-off and approval only.

For example, how many board members or key people can you speak to before your board meeting?   The more people you consult and listen to before the meeting, the better you will succeed.  If everyone on the board feels they have been involved and agrees with what you are presenting, you will be more likely to carry the board with you. 

If people have raised objections in your discussions before the board meeting, then address those objections in your presentation.  People want to be heard and appreciated.

6. You are the expert when presenting to the board

While many of the board may be strong, daunting figures, they are unlikely to be experts in your specialist area.  You are presenting because you have expertise . If you don’t know more than them, then you are not the right person to be presenting, or you are looking at the wrong thing.  You should be educating the board members – they should learn from you. 

7. Minimise use of visual aids in high level presentations

You can waste a huge amount of time preparing PowerPoint.  But PowerPoint slides usually reduce your impact in board presentations .  Instead, put your efforts into a high-quality board note and a short, punchy summary talk.

Some things you should work on for your next board meeting presentation:

– Use language that makes your board comfortable.  For example, what’s most important to them? Is it sales, profits, margins, safety, cash flow?  Talk about what matters to them. 

– What metaphors do they use in the board? Do they talk about driving the business? Do they talk about nurturing and growing the company? Or do they talk about battling the competition and fighting market conditions? When you use the board’s own favourite metaphors, you will be speaking their language.

8. Use stories and examples when presenting to the board

One of my favourite sayings for pitches and presentations is: “Facts get forgotten, but stories get repeated”. A good story is usually more compelling than the most convincing numbers. Yet too many board presentations fail to apply the power of a compelling story.

A good story in your presentation to the board can be a multi-tool. It can do many jobs at once. A powerful story can help bring to life a complex idea. A story can make it easy for a board member to understand what drives your recommendation and a strong story will give the board member something they will remember and repeat.

We’ve written a few good articles on how to use business storytelling and this is one of my favourites .

9. Make your boardroom presentation easy for the board, and fun

One common mistake when presenting to the board is to make your presentation too long and too complicated.  Just because you are smart and your board members are smart does not mean that your board presentation needs to show how much work you have done. Complexity is off-putting. The human brain loves simplicity . A boardroom presentation should be made simple for your audience.

Having worked on hundreds of successful board presentations, we are often surprised how simple the best presentations are. But turning complex presentations into simple presentations is hard. Anybody can fill a presentation with detail. It takes real skill to convince your board with just a handful of smart ideas and cast-iron logic.

10. Prepare your boardroom presentation rigorously

Test your presentation on other people.  Show it to your boss. Ask people to pick holes in your arguments.  Be tough on yourself.  Keep working at it and fixing it until you are completely happy.  And practise it out loud.  Not to memorise it, but to check if it is good enough.  You should be fixing and changing your presentation up until the last minute.     

For you to be successful in your high-stakes presentations, you want to be well prepared.   So many people bring in a coach to help them prepare. That way you can stress-test your ideas, rehearse and improve your presentation , then go into the board feeling confident that you are ready. 

How do you do this?  Call us.   We spend our lives polishing board presentations.

How to be brilliant at boardroom presentations

Get some expert help. if you want to really impress when you next pitch to the board of directors, then get in touch. we’ve been helping executives present to the board for over 15 years. hundreds of businesses have benefitted from our fast and efficient coaching expertise., call louise angus, our client services director, for a no-obligation chat about how we can add value to your board-level presentations., transform your presentation skills with tailored coaching.

We can help you present brilliantly. Thousands of people have benefitted from our tailored in-house coaching and advice – and we can help you too .

“I honestly thought it was the most valuable 3 hours I’ve spent with anyone in a long time.” Mick May, CEO, Blue Sky

For 15+ years we’ve been the trusted choice of leading businesses and executives throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East to improve presentation skills and presentations through coaching, training and expert advice.

Unlock your full potential and take your presentations to the next level with Benjamin Ball Associates.

Speak to Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email [email protected] to find out more and discuss transforming your speeches, pitches and presentations.

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How to make a Presentation to the Board of Directors

by Edouard Gruwez – September 2019

This article is a brief guideline for anyone who prepares a presentation to the Board of Directors or to a Board Committee.

A Board of Directors is a particularly demanding audience because time pressure, information quality and unanimity are more important to them than to any other management team. A presentation to the Board should be to the point: short and complete, simple and substantiated, persuasive and factual, confident and honest.

Don’t talk like TED, be TO THE POINT.

The answer to this challenge is NOT to make a TED-like presentation. Directors and Executives are not seeking entertainment. They want to make the best possible decision in the shortest possible time, while taking all information and risks into account.

Time Squeeze. Time is money, especially in Board Meetings. Directors want to get directly to the heart of the matter. If you don’t do so, they will interrupt you from the very start. But how to make a story short if the subject is complex and information abundant?

Information Gap. Information that reaches the Board might be biased in many ways. So, they want to check. With their experience, they often ‘feel’ if something is right or not. Both checking facts and getting the right feeling, requires them to investigate details. But how can you provide details within the extreme time constraint?

Team Dynamics. Aligning such a group of intelligent, authoritative individuals with many, often conflicting, priorities is a subtle process of information, discussion and persuasion. But how do you behave as a visitor, not being familiar with these dynamics?

The answer to this challenge is a meticulous preparation:

Step 1 – Understand and focus on the essence. Step 2 – Build a concise, solid narrative. Step 3 – Create convenient and detailed documentation. Step 4 – Prepare to be your honest self.

Following pages describe the four steps in further detail.

STEP 1 – Understand and focus on the essence.

In most cases a person from the audience is at the origin of your invitation. Use your sponsor as sounding board throughout your preparation and consider talking to some Board members.

a. Make the purpose yours and stick to it.

The Board has invited you for a purpose. Make sure that this purpose is crystal clear. If it isn’t, ask your sponsor or check with the Board Secretary. What is the exact scope? Is it an item for information or decision? And if so what decision? If not done by the chair, consider reminding the audience of the purpose at the beginning of your talk.

Don’t have a hidden agenda! Stick to the purpose of your presentation. Any attempt to achieve a hidden purpose will only weaken your presentation and credibility.

b. Know who sits in the Board of Directors and understand their needs.

Ask your sponsor about the Board members, their background, their knowledge, their opinions, their formal and informal roles.

Make sure to understand what they are looking for. Boards generally watch over the long-term value and risks of the company. Understand what ‘value’ means to them: contribution to society, sustainability, well-being, or legacy can be as important as monetary value. Find out if there are specific worries. The more you can build your presentation around what really matters to them, the more you will capture their attention.

Typical Board questions are :

• Have we looked at all alternatives?

• Is the data reliable and is the methodology solid?

• Can we secure the resources?

• What are the risks?

• How does this create value in the long run?

• Is it a well-grounded strategy that fits the mission and goals?

And understand their background. Non executive board members might be less familiar with some industry-specific technicalities and acronyms. Either avoid these items or give enough background information.

Pre-reading documents aren’t slides.

If you present an item for decisoin, the Board will (should) require a pre-read. In my opinion a pre-read should never be a copy of the presentation slides. Slides are a mere visualisation of your story without full sentences. Pre-reads are self-standing documents and therefore must have information in full text.

a. Highly structured documentation.

Make the pre-reading document highly structured. The length will depend on the imporance and complexity of the subject and will typically consist of 3 parts:

1. Executive summary (3-7 lines).

2. Narrative (1-5 pages).

3. Attachments (1-50 pages).

The executive summary contains your conclusion and the 3 the 5 key arguments or take-aways. The narrative is your core story. It should be structured around those key arguments. It contains the answers to the key questions and a few selected details and numbers as explained earlier. The answers to all other questions, the bulk of the information, goes into the attachments, possibly as Q&A. These should be structured in such a way that the reader can easily retrieve specific details.

As things tend to change quickly, it might also be wise to send intermediate reports.

Table of Contents

You would hope that most people who sit on Boards of Directors know their stuff. They are experienced, proven, successful business leaders (sure, that might not always be the case… but as a rule). So, you need to have your act together whenever you go in front of them. You probably don’t need us to tell you that. You might well be feeling some trepidation at the thought – that’s probably why you’re reading this article. Well, don’t worry, we can help you improve your board presentation skills.

Whether you present to the Board regularly or have one big opportunity to get in front of them and show your stuff, you’ll want to do the best job you possibly can and create an impactful presentation. So, read through our top tips for presenting to the Board and you’ll know exactly how best to approach your presentation. Knowing what you need to do will bring confidence… and that’s half the battle!

We’ll take you through what you need to do to in terms of preparation, what you should consider when it comes to the content of your presentation, and some top tips for delivery.

Here’s our list of tips for nailing any presentation to the Board:

Be well prepared (make sure you have all the materials and information you will need)

Know your audience

Ask to see the full agenda

Don’t use jargon

Know the exact points you want them to remember, use data and benchmarks, make your slides look decent, get your materials right, do not read from notes.

Smile, don’t be afraid of humour

DO NOT go over time

Be ready to answer questions.

So, let’s take a look at each of these points in more detail….

Be prepared

Remember, if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. Don’t wing it. Presenting to the Board is important – even if you’re the CEO and do it regularly, you will almost always be presenting to the Board with a very specific and important goal in mind. Maybe you need to get approval, buy-in or sign-off for an initiative, or you’re hoping to secure investment for a project. Whatever the purpose of your presentation, if you’re in front of the Board, it’s important and worth doing properly.

So, make sure you prioritise this presentation and make the time to properly prepare for your next board meeting. Try not to leave this until the last minute. Ideally, you’ll do your preparation far enough in advance to allow time for you to put it down for a few days and then revisit it with fresh eyes. That’s a great way to double check your key messages are clearly coming through.

And here is exactly what you should do to prepare…

Do your homework on all the Board Members – know their experience and their expertise. And, if you’ve never met them before, make sure to find a photo of them so you can put faces to names and bios.

Knowing their backgrounds and experience will help you craft a presentation that doesn’t patronise or assume knowledge where it isn’t. You can also subtly direct particular parts of your presentation to the most relevant Board Members to help engage them and ensure you have their attention.

Ask to see the full agenda for the Board Meeting

It’s a good idea to know the context you are presenting in so you can get a sense for how the Board Members might be feeling. What are you following? Will they been exhausted from looking at spreadsheets or will they be relatively relaxed after a coffee break? Know your context and present accordingly.

Unless you are 100% confident that everyone in the room will understand it, avoid jargon. And remember, it’s important to explain any technical concepts in a relatable manner in order to keep them engaged. Board Members will be from a variety of backgrounds and experiences (that’s what makes a good Board) so you cannot assume everyone has the same level of knowledge of your area. Don’t take the risk of losing their attention or obscuring your meaning by using language they may not understand.

When planning your content, summarise your presentation and decide what the crucial points you want to get across are. If the Board Members only remember 2 or 3 points about your presentation, what would you want them to be?

When you’ve boiled down what you’re saying to those most important points, look back over your presentation and double check they are coming across loud and clear. Consider making a summary slide and ending the presentation on a reinforcement of those key points.

As it’s often said, it’s hard to argue with facts… so infuse your presentation with as many as possible, especially if you’re trying to win buy-in for something. Back up what you’re saying with data, stats or metrics and key performance indicators. If you make a point about performance improvement, show the data that demonstrates that. If you’re offering a growth projection, show the data that supports that hypothesis.

Then make sure you present that data in an interesting way. Data visualisation is an important skill to have and can help you transform presentations and bring numbers to life. Consider using graphs and diagrams instead of flat figures. This can really help the more visual people in your audience absorb the point you’re trying to make.

Remember, if you’re presenting data, don’t just show the stats without offering some analysis or a conclusion. What does this data tell us? What have you learnt from it? Does it drive any decisions or actions?

Also remember to give the board context for each data point. Is that a good or bad performance? It’s no good showing a conversion rate, for example, without giving any sort of indication as to how that compares to expectations or industry averages. Try to include benchmarks for reference.

You’d be surprised how many people don’t give this the focus it deserves. This is particularly important if you’re going to be one of a series of presentations during the Board session. If you’ve spent the time to make your slides look engaging, then it’ll help you stand out.

If you have slides with a list of bullets, think about how they can be presented in a more visually engaging way. A list of bullets could become a grouping of different icons or images, each illustrating your different points with some supporting words underneath.

It’s worth getting a proper design brain to help you with this. Even if you just ask them to input on a few slides in your deck, you can then take the design improvements they’ve made to those slides and extend the same principles across the whole deck.

Spending time to make your presentation deck look good will not only help engage your audience and get your point across; it also shows that you have put the work in and are taking this seriously. That level of effort won’t go unappreciated by The Board.

No doubt there will be a Board Pack or Board Report you need to contribute to. Get that ready as far as you can in advance. If you do send materials in advance, do assume they’ve been read by the time it comes to your presentation, and don’t just repeat what was in the papers – that’ll feel like you’re wasting the Board Members’ precious time and that will annoy them.

This might seem obvious, but it’s worth noting here so you remember to factor in enough time for this. Some people like to practice in front of a trusted colleague, family member or friend, others are more comfortable in front of the mirror. Either way is good.

How you practice and how much does really come down to personal preference, but just make sure you get to the point where you’re confident in your delivery and you don’t have to struggle to remember what comes next.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that there is such thing as over practising. You don’t want to don’t kill all energy from your presentation and get to the point that you’re just reciting it like a robot!

We’re all for writing down what you want to say – it’s always better to be prepared and have properly thought through what you need to get across and how – but that doesn’t mean you should read it. The secret is to write what you’re going to say and then to learn it.

You can either write a full script, or some detailed notes. If you’re writing a script, it’s extremely important to write as you speak. Don’t think of this as an article or report – it’s a script to be spoken – so worry less about punctation and more about the flow of your words. Try speaking your ideas first… and then write them down.

If you don’t think you can pull off a natural enough delivery of a script, then don’t write one, write notes instead. But then you must practice and practice delivering the presentation based on the notes you have read – this will eliminate ums and errs and hesitations and ensure you have a smooth delivery where you’re confident of everything you’re saying.

Smile, use some humour if the context is right

Make your presentation at least mildly entertaining. People always remember presenters that made them smile, or even laugh. But it’s a fine balance – don’t rock up with a full comedy set, or launch into some physical slapstick humour, whatever you do.

If you opt for some humour, make sure you read the room. If little jokes are not landing, then ditch the rest, they might not be in the mood. And if you know your Board of Directors have zero sense of humour, then just stick to smiling and being upbeat – don’t try for laughs that aren’t there!

And, of course, don’t roll out the gags if the subject is particularly grave or if you’re presenting a cost reduction strategy that involves redundancies.

Give some height to your presentation – establish yourself as someone worth looking up to! It’s all too easy to slouch in a chair – standing up will help you keep a straight posture and look confident.

Standing up will also help open out your diaphragm and enable you to project your voice more successfully. Sure, if you’re in a small room you don’t want to be bellowing at them, but you want to have a straight posture and speak clearly.

If you’ve been given a time to keep to, KEEP TO IT. Board meetings will be busy and have pretty packed agendas. Nothing will annoy Board Members more than you coming in and putting their agenda and timetable out of whack.

This, again, comes down to practice. You need to run through it a few times – remembering to keep a natural and considered pace – so you’re confident you can keep it to time.

And if they haven’t given you a set time, then just be aware that brevity is a good thing. Be mindful of people’s attention span and consider what has come before you on their agenda. If they’re likely to be a bit frazzled from an intense couple of hours, you’ll need to keep things as concise as you can or risk losing them.

Make sure you leave time for a Q&A! Read through your presentation imagining you are a Board Member, try to think of any questions you’d ask. Now either work the answer to those questions into the presentation or be prepared with a considered answer for a Q&A session at the end.

Don’t be afraid to say you don’t know the answer to something. It’s best to say quickly and firmly that you do not know the answer, but you will find out and get back to them. That’s much better than launching into a flustered bumble of BS. A savvy Board Member will spot that a mile off.

Also make sure you answer the actual question asked. So, listen carefully and if you’re unsure what they’re asking, repeat back your understanding of the question to check before answering. Don’t launch into an answer unless you’re very clear what they want to know.

So, those are our top 14 tips for nailing your presentation to The Board. In a nutshell it’s all about being prepared, practiced and confident (which comes from the first two).

One final important tip is to try and enjoy it! Board Members are people like you and I, don’t be unduly worried or intimidated. Enjoy the limelight and good luck!

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Dec 21 2009

7 Tips for Presenting to Senior Executives

Don't miss an opportunity to impress the execs! (c) Shutterstock

When it comes to presenting, knowing how to present to senior executives within your own company or another company is going to have the biggest impact on your career. Some presenters figure it out to their great success. Other people crash and burn only to lament an opportunity missed.

I’ve compiled a series of tips that will hopefully come in handy the next time you’re going to present to a CEO, CMO, Senior VP, VP, etc. For example, you might be proposing a promising new social media initiative to marketing executives at your company or pitching a prospect’s executives on a new web-based payroll solution. My suggestions will focus on the boardroom situations rather than keynote presentations . Boardroom presentations are typically two-way interactions in smaller, more personal settings (e.g., meeting room, office, etc.) compared to the one-way interactions with large, anonymous groups of executives at business conferences.

You’d be wise to consider the following suggestions:

1. Start strong

A good start is critical (c) Shutterstock

Starting strong is important for any presentation and audience, but you might find senior executives slightly less forgiving. Starting strong with executives means giving them confidence that you’re going to use their time wisely. You gain their confidence by establishing a clear direction for what’s going to be covered and what the desired outcome is.

Executives are frequently going from meeting to meeting — often not always knowing what the exact purpose of the next meeting is. Their admin assistant may have accepted the meeting on their behalf or they may not have had time to review any information prior to the meeting. You need to tell them why they’re there and why your topic is important to them.

2. Use your time effectively

Senior managers’ time is valuable. They have 20+ other things they could be doing in the 10-60 minutes they have given you. Be prepared to cover your content in the time allotted . Also, leave ample time for discussion or questions .

I was recently in a presentation to several VPs where the presenters delivered a great presentation, but left no time for discussion and questions at the end. Unfortunately, they missed an opportunity for the senior executives to discuss the presentation content, buy into the recommendations, and determine a plan of action. The executives had to run to their next meeting.

3. Be flexible while presenting

Be flexible and incredible like Elastigirl (c) Disney

It’s common for senior executives to ask you to jump back to a previous slide or fast forward through your slides to a particular section of your presentation. Don’t be surprised when executives interrupt you as you present a painstakingly crafted slide with “Got it. Next”. Fight the urge to scream “I spent 5 hours on this slide!” and reinterpret those three words as “Great job on this particular slide. I understood its main point. Please move on.”

An extended discussion on a particular slide may mean you need to whip through other less important slides in order to get back on track in terms of covering all of your slides. In some cases, you may even forgo covering all of your slides because the discussion on a particular aspect of your presentation is going really well. The key is to be flexible and cover what they want to focus on — not necessarily what you want to . In order to achieve your objectives (e.g., more resources, budget, executive support, etc.), you may not need to go through every slide. 

4. Be ready with supporting data

Don’t make the mistake of not being able to answer a senior manager’s question during your presentation. Executives are experts at finding holes in your logic or content. They want to be sure you understand the consequences and implications , and that they can trust your analysis and recommendations .

I made the mistake of including some preliminary survey data that indicated that customers felt differently about a particular company practice. I thought the data was interesting, but when the senior VP shouted “bull sh!t” I knew I had made a terrible mistake including it in my presentation. I should have either gathered more information on the surprising insight to verify it or left it out of my presentation entirely.

It’s a best practice to anticipate potential questions by identifying what content could be susceptible to further questioning. Be prepared with additional supporting data on any parts of your presentation that could be viewed as counter-intuitive, unexpected, challenging to current opinion or practices, or result in significant changes. You may need to have additional data at your finger tips, including back-up slides in an appendix section or a spreadsheet ready to go. Senior executives often take comfort in the fact that you have tortured the data.

5. Know your audience

Before you open that door you should know what you're heading into. (c) Shutterstock

It’s always important to know your audience and in the case of senior executives it is imperative.

• How much do the VPs know about your topic? (i.e., how much time should you spend on providing background information?)
• What topics are hot buttons or particularly interesting to the executives based on their current business goals?
• Which executives would be politically threatened by your recommendations?
• What can you find out about their pet peeves or preferences ?

For example, I worked at one company where the CEO hated when people substituted “challenge” or “issue” for the word “problem”. He wanted people to call problems what they were. It’s better to avoid pet peeves such as this one that can unnecessarily sidetrack a presentation.

You need to find an insider who can coach you on how to best present your material to the targeted executive or group of executives. That person could be your executive sponsor, one of the executive’s direct reports, their admin assistant, or another peer/next-level manager who has interacted with your audience on a regular basis. You’re looking for inside information on your audience so that you can avoid derailing your presentation and wasting everyone’s time.

6. Keep it simple

In a study that asked top executives at several large companies how people could present more effectively to them, the overall feedback was to make the presentations shorter and more candid . The researcher found that “Senior people don’t have time to learn about your topic. They just want to know how they can help you.” Remove extraneous information that could take your discussion off track or cloud your main points. You lean towards focusing on the bottom-line in presentations to executives. The more simple and candid your presentation is, the easier it will be for your executive audience to understand how they can help you and move things forward.

7. Be prepared

Be prepared like a Wilderness Explorer (c) Disney

For most of us, opportunities to present to the senior management team don’t happen everyday. A key to seizing the moment is to be prepared, which may mean conducting an exhaustive analysis and review of the topic, carefully building slides that clearly and succinctly convey your message, creating back-up slides with supporting data, rehearsing your slides several times, seeking peer feedback prior to presenting, etc.

Being prepared means that you will be more confident in these intimidating situations. You’ll also be more flexible when executives throw curve balls your way such as switching the focus to a whiteboard instead of reviewing the rest of your slides. Your preparedness and polish will leave a positive impression on your executive audience — one that will benefit your career long-term.

What has been your experience?

I’m sure many of you have had different experiences with senior executive presentations — both good and bad. I’d love to hear your war stories and what valuable lessons you have learned along the way. If you’re a senior executive, I’d love to hear your perspective as well.

While writing this blog post, I found a couple of related articles on this subject which may be helpful to you. Good luck with your senior executive presentations in 2010!

• “ Now That We Have Your Complete Attention… ” (Eric Matson, Fast Company)
• “ Presenting to the Big Dogs ” (Marsha Redmon, Bnet)

No related posts.

Tags: audience , boardroom , clarity , executives , preparation , time , time management

Comments (8)

8 Responses to “7 Tips for Presenting to Senior Executives”

I love the visuals as well as the numbered headed contents. This is my favorite blog of the year. Thanks for the tips!

[…] 7 Tips for Presenting to Senior Executives […]

Great post. I think #3 and #7 particularly go hand in hand. I’ve found that quite often when presenting to senior executives, or at least those who view themselves in a powerful position, you always have to be on your toes and ready to react. It’s not uncommon to be interrupted, challenged, or questioned. Not only do you have to be ready to stop and change directions on a dime, but you must be prepared to back up your statements/facts. And make sure you get to the point, fast, as it relates to them.

Great job putting all of this information together. It’s definitely a great resource.

[…] Powerpoint Ninja includes more detailed suggestions in 7 Tips for Presenting to Senior Executives. My favorite is: Executives are frequently going from meeting to meeting — often not always […]

[…] ‘7 tips for presenting to executives’, viewed 14 September 2011, https://www.powerpointninja.com/presentation-delivery/7-tips-for-presenting-to-senior-executives/ […]

[…] https://www.powerpointninja.com/presentation-delivery/7-tips-for-presenting-to-senior-executives/ […]

Educative,good

[…] 7 Tips for Presenting to Senior Executives – PowerPoint Ninja […]

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There's an Art to Presenting to Your Board of Directors

The corporate board is often described as a black box, a powerful members-only club. For some executives, however, the time will come when the club door will swing open, and they'll be ushered inside. When that day arrives for you, you want to be ready. 

An invitation to present to the board is a badge of honor, says Rich Fields, head of the board effectiveness practice at Russell Reynolds. "You don't get asked to do that if you're not kind of a big deal at the organization." 

Although the board's agenda determines who's asked to speak, the CEO, who makes the invitation, might have their own motive, too, says Jeff Wong, EY's chief innovation officer. CEOs often want to expose the board to someone worthy of a major leadership role in the future. That way, directors are familiar with the employee when the CEO floats their name at the next board meeting. And if those directors like what they see, they'll also have more confidence in the CEO's leadership. 

Moreover, engaging with the board and getting exposure may be your stepping stone to landing a future board seat. 

The stakes are admittedly high for an executive asked to present to the board, but—and this is paramount—put that aside as you prepare for your big day. The best way to hit the mark during your boardroom debut is to stay focused on your mission, and meet your audience's needs, says Lisa Edwards, executive chair of the Diligent Institute. Here's what that means and how to do it. 

Focus on the topic at hand, not every topic under your sun  

This was the No. 1 piece of advice from every board member, executive, and governance expert interviewed for this guide. When you're presenting to the board, your mission is to stay narrowly focused on the subjects that most closely align with its goals. 

Be selective even if asked to give a general update: What matters most to the board? What are the two or three takeaways you need to drive home? This isn't a data dump, nor is it about showcasing all of your deep knowledge. It's about delivering specific information. 

Turning the presentation into a show-and-tell moment is the most common error executives make when first appearing in the boardroom, says Edwards. "It's human nature that you want to show your expertise," she says. But you can do that by demonstrating you understand the board's role in the firm. "They don't want to run your business," she says. "They want to get assurances that you're on top of it." 

Hold a premeeting and ask questions

Most board presentations are meant to either: a) keep the board informed about a key area of business or b) supply data and context to help the board go deeper on a topic when a strategic decision is needed. Your job in the premeeting with whoever invited you to meet the board—usually the CEO—is to find out exactly what the board expects from you and what they already know. 

The questions to ask, according to Fields: 

• What is the key message I need to get across? 
• What actions do I need to get from the board? 
• What questions should I anticipate? 
• What has the board heard about or decided on the subject already? 

This pregame tête-à-tête also helps executives understand how much time they should spend preparing the presentation. According to Fields, practiced presenters spend 10 to 15 times the allotted presentation time on prep work. But Deborah Rubin, senior partner and head of RHR International's Board & CEO Services division, warns that senior team members often spend an outsized amount of time—days or weeks—on boardroom prep, creating unnecessary anxiety and taking the focus off of day-to-day business, when the potential return on investment may not match the effort.  

At smaller companies, executives may have preexisting relationships with board members and should feel comfortable inviting them to a coffee, says Yasmene Mumby, a leadership coach who has worked with organizations like the ACLU,  International Rescue Committee and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

"Instead of at the board meeting that's very public, and everyone is waiting for something juicy to happen, meet people where they are before the meeting, understand what they care about," she suggests. 

Make your presentation memorable 

Only once you understand the scope of your mission can you start preparing your meeting materials: a pre-read deck, slides (if you plan to use them), and the general outline for your short talk. Here's a lightning round of advice to make your material and delivery stand out: 

Keep your pre-read laser-focused

You'll be asked to submit reading for the meeting's "board book," a collection of documents that board members are expected to read and digest before arriving at a meeting. The length of your pre-read deck will vary depending on the topic and ask. However, some say limiting the pre-read to five pages is a good rule of thumb. Fields typically advises executives to create a first draft and then trim it by half. Peggy Foran, chief governance officer at Prudential and a longtime National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) faculty member, likewise argues that the pre-read has to relay tailored information in as few pages as possible. Use bullet points, she says. 

When you feel compelled to add details to flesh out your pre-read, remember that there's always an appendix. That's where full financial statements will land and you can slip in additional reading. "By the way, you'd be surprised, a lot of board members go deep into the appendix," says Jocelyn Mangan, a board member at Papa John's and CEO of Him For Her, which aims to improve gender diversity on boards. 

Don't ignore the raw data, especially when it's requested

Keeping your presentation materials short and well-structured is essential, but some board members—especially new ones or activist investors turned directors—will want to see raw data rather than a carefully curated report. If boards ask for raw data and only receive selected, packaged charts and narratives, says Rubin, they may worry that the company's leadership team lacks transparency. If you're unclear on how much detail to offer, ask the CEO or the company's corporate secretary for a sample presentation. 

Plan on sharing very few, if any, slides

While your pre-read must be carefully edited, your slide deck ought to be positively minimalist. Fields challenges executives to use one slide—to perhaps find one striking visual—to drive home a point. 

Mind your speaking-to-listening ratio  

The biggest mistake you can make in a 30-minute presentation is to prepare a 30-minute speech, warns Foran. If you want to get the most bang for your buck, speak for no more than 10 minutes and use the rest of the time to converse with the seasoned professionals in the room. Listen to the directors' insights, and take their questions.  

Avoid jargon  

If technical terms cannot be avoided, include a glossary. Your board presentation and pre-reading can include an educational component for meaty topics like data privacy or sustainability, but the "lesson" shouldn't take over. Stay out of the weeds as much as possible and offer to send follow-up material. 

Start with the conclusion.  

Time-pressed directors get impatient and frustrated with long introductions, says Fields. Instead, say, " Let me start at the end and then provide more detail." Or, "Here's the decision we need to make, and here's where we need your input." Opening with that one-line scene-setter is "profoundly obvious," Fields adds, "yet somehow not universally used." 

Do not read from a script.  

Nor should you read your slides. "What I want is the color behind it, the nuance," says Edwards. "Let's have a conversation about the possible risks or opportunities associated with what you're talking about."   

Provide context

Offering a backdrop helps board members come to their own conclusions about data, Edwards says. "So our risk score has improved. Is that good or bad? What do we look like versus the industry? What do we look like versus our named competitors in the proxy? How do we hold up overall?" 

Remember that boards aren't insiders  

"You see the business every day," says Michael Maggio, CEO of Reciprocity, a cybersecurity software company. But unlike you and the colleagues you normally present to, the board has spent maybe 30 minutes on this topic in the last 90 days. 

"If you're presenting to a board that you presented to before, give them an update," Rubin advises. "Link from where you were, what they asked for, what happened, and where you're moving forward." 

Connect to the company's mission  

"Executives should always remember that the board's fiduciary duty is long-term value creation for shareholders while taking other stakeholders into consideration," Sonita Lontoh, a director at the solar company Sunrun and the workforce management software firm TrueBlue, suggests in an email to Fortune . "As such, when executives present to the board, they should share insights as to how their topic is helping the company to better navigate material risks and opportunities for long-term value creation." 

Report the good, the bad, the unclear

Want to demonstrate your leadership skills? Be upfront about what is and isn't working in your area of business. It may take courage, but it's your job and an essential part of building trust, says EY's Wong, who regularly reports to the consulting firm's board. "The number one thing I want them to know is I'm going to tell them the truth." 

Ashley Kramer, CMSO at GitLab, says her company uses a green, yellow and red color coding system to give board members a visual guide to where initiatives stand. Most importantly, she says, tell the board how the company plans to keep the good things going and what it will do to monitor and mitigate risks and trouble spots. 

Make the experience tactile

When it makes sense, EY's Wong allows board members to play with new products or emerging technology as he delivers the presentation. "How do you make it so they can see, feel, and touch it inside their environment?" Wong says. "You don't just talk about what it is in theory. You show it to them in action." For product managers and developers, this is an opportunity to demonstrate the potential return on investing in an innovative idea or educate the board about a new development—like virtual learning or ChatGPT—that may impact the company. 

This article was written by Lila MacLellan from Fortune  and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive Content Marketplace . Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.

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How to Brief a Senior Executive

• Grant T. Harris

Lessons from an Obama White House staffer.

You can always count on outside circumstances to affect your pitch to a senior leader, so prepare to get your point across under pressure by understanding the interpersonal dynamics at play in advance. What are your boss’s “tells”? How do they engage with material? And whom do they look to for endorsement? Knowing these things ahead of time will help you react effectively to pushback and pivot when necessary while you’re in the room, either in person or virtually.

Briefing a senior executive is an art and adept White House staffers do it every day under the most stressful of circumstances. They’re masters of compressing the right information into the right amount of time, no matter how complex the topic or short the briefing. The skills needed to brief the chief executive in the Oval Office are directly applicable to briefing  any  executive in the C-suite.

• GH Grant T. Harris is CEO of  Connect Frontier LLC  and advises companies on doing business in emerging markets. He has twice served at the White House and teaches interactive seminars on  How to Brief the President (or Any Senior Leader) TM  in corporate, nonprofit, university, and policy settings. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Global Management at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern, and a Lecturer at Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley. Follow him on  Twitter .

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Management Presentation: 8 Tips, Examples & a Template

In a corporate context, presenting works wonders for a career. Most professionals get exposure to presenting to informed colleagues and department managers. It’s an ideal way to get visibility and show value. But a management presentation to senior executives who aren’t familiar department nuances is a different ballgame.

A management presentation is a high-level summary to senior executive that optimizes reports to include only the details relevant to directorial decisions . They are notoriously difficult to navigate for two reasons: 1. most executives do not have working knowledge of the nuances in each department , 2. presenters rarely have time to understand executives’ preferences .

More than anything else, good management presenters learn how to strike a balance in the degree of detail: they provide enough detail so executives make informed decisions, but not so much detail that they cause confusion.

This article explores how to make a good management presentations in PowerPoint using 4 management presenting best practices , 4 management presenting techniques , providing examples for each, and finishing with a management presentation template you can apply in real life. You can use it as a jumping off point for deeper communication curriculum .

5 management presenting best practices are:

• Ask what managers prefer ahead of time.
• Have 1 message, and 1 message Only.
• The only words should be “Thought Starters.”
• Keep it short.
• Practice 7 times in advance.

4 management presenting techniques are:

• Use a CSP model – Challenge, Solution, Progress.
• Begin with a summary of exactly 3 points.
• Use only these 3 chart types: bar, line, scatter.
• Design slides with the company logo.

I will use a financial analyst perspective in this article, but everything here applies to data and business analysts as well.

Ask Executives Their Preference Ahead of Time

If you’ve ever taken a class on presentation techniques, you’ve heard the old adage “know your audience.” It’s true, the best way to deliver a great presentation is to align your message with what your audience already understands. The same applies to a management presentation.

The challenge is that, more often than not, executives are too busy for you to get to know them well. This means you hardly get the chance to understand how they like presentations. So what can you do? Well, ask them! There’s no harm in sending an email to understand better. And what’s more, once you know, you can always defer to their preferences in the future.

For a financial management presentation, common questions to ask include the following:

• Do you prefer to see raw data, or only visualizations?
• Do you prefer charts or table summaries?
• Would you like a written explanation on paper for each slide?
• Do you like averages alone, or do you prefer means, or standard deviation?
• What interests you most in a presentation?

If you gather some helpful insights, then your presentation will be that much better. That said, you may not get a response, or it may be quick and not insightful. But most senior executives will appreciate you asking .

The best part is you will be able to surprise them. Using the best practices and techniques below, in additional to any insights gathered form your email, will work wonders for you.

Have 1 Message, and 1 Message Only

The easiest mistake to make on a management presentation is trying to deliver multiple messages. Senior executives go through loads of meetings every day, and each meeting they have includes a wave of information. Your mission should be to deliver 1 essential message so they can easily understand and compartmentalize it.

This is no easy task. When I try to narrow down the focus of my management presentation message, it seems like I leave out critical information along the way. The key is to tell a story to incorporate critical information as part of a story towards the essential message.

For example, imagine you work for a wholesale watch company called Batch Watch . You want to explain a financing operation in which the company has the option of two loans to fund the initial costs of 10,000 watches. These loans have different interest rates and maturity dates. Loan A is better if the company expects to sell the watches within 3 months, while Loan B is better if the company expects to sell over more than 3 months. Each has cancellation fees and cash flow impacts.

Instead of showing the cancellation fees and cash flow impact of the each loan, all you need to say is “ we expect the company to sell them within 3 months, and we recommend loan A for that reason.” If the executives disagree on the sale timeline, they will ask for more information.

This is how you keep senior executives engaged, by integrating them in the story you tell. Ultimately, the essential message of your presentation should be how much profit the company will make from the watch funding operation. Senior executives should leave feeling like the project is in good hands with you, and they only feel that way when you tell a story around the essential message .

Whatever the Message, Use Data

Whatever message you want to send, it needs to be backed up by data. In the example above the data was financial, but it’s not always that simple. Context may require you to provide KPIs and perform extensive data analysis that culminates in a small output that your viewers can easily digest.

You need to be strong with data to deliver a good management presentation. To get started or refresh your memory, you can read AnalystAnswers’ free Intro to Data Analysis eBook .

The Only Words Should be “Thought Starters”

As a general presentation principle, you should not write many thoughts down on presentation slides. Words have two negative impacts on the audience: they demand energy from the reader, and they make the reader feel compelled to read, lest they misunderstand.

If you can avoid putting text blocks altogether, do. If you don’t need any writing at all, don’t. However, if you need guidance as you speak or want to provide reminders for a later data, use “Thought Starters.”

Thought starters are phrases of 3 words maximum that contain ideas leading to the essential message. People often call them “bullet points,” which is common for list-style thought starters. Personally, I prefer to place thought starters at different places on a slide. When I use a chart, for example, I put thought starters at relevant places on the slide.

Keep it Short

Your presentation should never consume more than 80% of the allotted timeframe. This means that if you plan a 5 minutes meeting, deliver the presentation in 4 minutes. If you’re given 30 minutes, do it in 25 minutes. If you have 1 hour, do it in 45 minutes.

By keeping the presentation short, you relieve the audience and you allow for some question buffer. Have you ever sat in a meeting planned for 1 hour, and at 45m it ends early? It’s a pleasure for everyone. Most of us feel like we’re running behind — when you put us ahead of schedule, we love you!

At the same time, senior executives may bombard you with questions throughout the presentation. If you planned to fill the whole timeframe, you won’t finish. But if you planned to finish early, you still have a chance.

And if you use the rest of these best practices and techniques, those senior executives shouldn’t need to ask too many questions!

Practice 7 Times in Advance

There’s a mix of opinions on the number of times you should rehearse a presentation before doing it live, but most people agree that it’s somewhere between 5 and 10 times. If you take nothing else from this article, take this. To deliver a good presentation, prepare excellent slides; to deliver a great presentation, practice presenting them 7 times.

To deliver a good presentation, prepare excellent slides; to deliver a great presentation, practice presenting them 7 times. AnalystAnswers.com

But just practicing isn’t enough, there are a few criteria you must meet:

• Practice in the room you will present in. There’s something about envisioning yourself live that really makes a difference. When you practice in a space other that where you’ll present, it’s good. But when you practice in the “live” room, you’re able to sensitize yourself to the environment, which calms nerves so you can focus on the message.
• Have an audience. We all behave differently when there’s stimulus of other people around. Whenever possible, get one or two people to whom you can present. In addition to getting used to having an audience, you’ll also get some feedback.
• Use the same volume of voice. When we’re not “live,” we have a tendency to hold back on our voice. This is detrimental to the presentation because you feel taken off guard by your own voice. Make sure to envision yourself in front of the senior execs when you practice.

Best Practices Recap

We’ve addressed 5 best practices — now let’s turn our attention to 4 specific techniques you can easily implement. And when you do, that work wonders for management presenting.

Use a CSP Model (Challenge, Solution, Progress)

Every presentation needs structure, but it’s easy to forget that we need to guide our audience. A great way to structure management reports is using the CSP model. CSP stands for Challenge, Solution, Progress, and it’s exactly what it sounds like.

You need to explain the challenge or goal, explain what the solution to the challenge is (or how to achieve the goal), and show where you are in the steps to completing that goal.

For example, let’s look at our Batch Watch case. Imagine you need to find funding for a new product launch — $100,000 to be exact. A sample CSP model for this would be a slide that shows:

By using the CSP model, you guide the audience. However, it’s important to note that the CSP model is not a summary . It’s an overview of the process, but a summary should always come before. Let’s talk about it now.

Begin with a Summary of Exactly 3 Points

Any good presentation begins with a summary. And a good summary communicates the essential message simply in 3 points. However, the summary is not the same thing as the CSP model. Instead, it provides an alternative view on the challenge and and solution.

For example, using our Batch Watch case of funding a new product, you could address a summary in the following way:

• Challenge, Solution, Progress
• Funding acquisition
• Project Timeline

This provides additional details that are most relevant to the project and carry added value to the CSP model.

Use only Bar Charts (aka Column Charts), Line Graphs, and Scatter Plots

Whether it’s for data, financial, and business analyst topics , management presentations should only ever have bar charts, line graphs, and scatter plots. They are common, rich in information, and well understood. Any other kind of graph is distracting more than anything else.

A bar graph is useful when you want to compare like variables. For example, if you want to show the average size of Canadian trout versus American trout. A common mistake, though, is to use bar graphs to show change over time. While it’s not incorrect to do so, line graphs are better for this purpose.

A line graph is useful when you want to show change in one variable over time (we call this time series data). For example, if you want to show the progression of revenues over time, line graphs are the perfect way to do so.

A scatter plot is best when you want to compare a set of observations of one variable to a set of observations of another. It’s the ideal way to quickly visualize the relationship between two variables. For example, if you want to see how company revenues compare to GDP, you could use a scatter plot like this:

For example, let’s look at our Batch Watch case. If we want to see how our company is performing compared to the economy as a whole, we could use this scatter plot. As you can see, we have a positive (bottom left to top right) relationship, but a weak one (points not clustered closely).

Design Slides Using the Company Logo

When you’re presenting to senior executives, you want your slides to look professional. The best way to do that is by putting your company logo on them, including any corporate design standards (colors, fonts, etc). Show through your presentation that you belong to the same company, and that you’re in it in spirit. For example, let’s add the AnalystAnswers.com logo to our CSP slide:

Techniques Recap

Here’s a sample management presentation template below. I hope you understand after reading this article that management presentation is more about your delivery than it is about the slides you prepare.

Download Management Presentation Template for Free

While the techniques we’ve discussed will help you build a good presentation, your success really depends on how well you deliver the ideas needed to help senior executives make decisions. At the end of the day, it’s all about balance.

If you only remember two things from this article, remember that great management presenters give enough detail to inform senior executive but not too much that they cause confusion, and great management presenters make sure they do so by practicing 7 times in advance. You’ll have to practice, practice, practice.

About the Author

Noah is the founder & Editor-in-Chief at AnalystAnswers. He is a transatlantic professional and entrepreneur with 5+ years of corporate finance and data analytics experience, as well as 3+ years in consumer financial products and business software. He started AnalystAnswers to provide aspiring professionals with accessible explanations of otherwise dense finance and data concepts. Noah believes everyone can benefit from an analytical mindset in growing digital world. When he's not busy at work, Noah likes to explore new European cities, exercise, and spend time with friends and family.

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Which Reports do Directors want in a Board Presentation?

Scott Orn leverages his extensive venture capital experience from Lighthouse Capital and Hambrecht & Quist. With a track record of over 100 investments ranging from seed to Series A and beyond in startups, including notable deals with Angie’s List and Impossible Foods, Scott brings invaluable insights into financing strategies for emerging companies. His strategic role in scaling Kruze Consulting across major U.S. startup hubs underscores his expertise in guiding startups through complex financial landscapes.

Making reports to your startup’s board of directors is a fundamental part of a CEO/founder’s duties Communicating regularly with the board helps you maintain transparency, and lets you take advantage of the board’s contacts and experience. So let’s look at what you should include in a board report.

How Often Should You Have Board Meetings?

First things first, you need to consider the frequency of your board meetings .

In general, you should have board meetings about every two months, in person. Sometimes companies will have them every six weeks and sometimes it’s every quarter. The bottom line is, it is really important to hold them on a regular basis so that you are in touch with your board and they can then help you when you need them.

Let the Board Help You

A lot of people find board meetings intimidating and expect the board to scrutinize them. They may also find board meetings to be time-consuming. While both of these things may be true, if the board doesn’t know what’s going on in the company, then they can’t help you if you’re facing issues.

Get the deck done early - and talk with board members before the meeting

Your board members will give you the best advice and perspectives if you’ve given them time to prepare for the board meeting. You can accomplish this in three important ways:

• Getting the board deck distributed early
• Meeting with directors prior to the board meeting
• Sharing news (especially bad news) as soon as practical, not just at the board meeting

Three ways to get the most out of your startup’s board meeting

1. Distributing the Board Deck Early

Distributing the board deck early - ideally at least a week before the meeting, at worst a couple of days before - is crucial. It allows board members to review the materials at their own pace, prepare questions or suggestions, and fully engage during the board meeting. If you are sharing a number of KPIs, getting the materials early lets the directors think about the numbers and how they compare to other investments, or how they compare to prior estimates or results. And it gives them a chance to ask their partners for advice. 

Additionally, an early-distributed board deck helps establish an atmosphere of transparency and good governance. By getting the materials out early, you are demonstrating respect for the board members’ time and their role as strategic advisors, which can lead to a more collaborative and effective board dynamic. Even more importantly, you are proving that you know how to execute. 

2. Meeting with Directors Prior to the Board Meeting:

One-on-one meetings with board members prior to the board meeting can significantly enhance the quality of board discussions and decisions. These meetings serve multiple purposes:

Pre-discussions : Discuss key issues and decisions that will come up during the board meeting. This ensures that board members are not surprised or caught off-guard during the actual meeting.

Get opinions : Gain feedback on strategic plans and proposals. Board members’ diverse experiences can provide unique insights and suggestions that you might not have considered. More importantly, it prepares you for how the group is going to decide or vote on important topics. For example, if two directors have different opinions on a strategic investment, you want to know that head of the meeting! It’s an early warning system for disagreements. Or, if a director is negative or against something the management team wants to do, it’s best to surface this ahead of time in a one on one conversation so you aren’t blindsided at the meeting.

Getting consensus . One of the VCs I used to work with would say that decisions shouldn’t be made at the meeting, they should simply be confirmed. Meeting ahead of time lets the CEO gain consensus and get the directors and investors to pre-agree to the most important decisions.

Relationship Building : Strengthen relationships and build trust. The more comfortable board members are with you, the more open and constructive they will be during board meetings. Given that follow on rounds are getting harder to raise, it is incredibly important to build solid relationships with your existing investors. You may need them to bridge finance your startup, so do everything you can to get them on your team.

Managing politics : Like it or not, board meetings can sometimes involve politics. Meeting individually with board members allows founders to manage potential conflicts or issues before they become disruptive in the full board meeting.

Education : Startups are often in new, rapidly evolving industries. Individual meetings can be a chance to educate board members on these changes, ensuring they are well-informed and able to provide relevant strategic guidance. Like it or not, many VCs are a bit too proud, and don’t want to look like they don’t know something in a meeting with their peers from other funds. So if you have an investor who can use some help getting up to speed on your industry, meeting ahead of time prior to the BOD gatherings can really hep that investor add-value to the startup, and can make them appreciate your leadership style. 

If there is nothing serious happening, especially if you have worked with the directors for a while, you may be able to get by with a simple email exchange instead of a phone call. But even if there is nothing important, show the courtesy of asking the directors to chat with you prior to meeting so they can share anything is a great idea. 

3. Sharing News (Especially Bad News) As Soon as Practical:

Keeping board members updated on important developments, especially negative ones, is a fundamental aspect of board management. Surprising the board with bad news during a board meeting can erode trust and lead to reactive, ill-considered decisions.

Sharing bad news as soon as practical allows board members to digest the information and provide thoughtful, strategic advice rather than hasty reactions. It also signals that you respect their role as key stakeholders, and you trust them to handle difficult situations, which can further strengthen your relationship with them.

In essence, effective board management hinges on preparation, communication, managing expectations, and respect. By implementing these three steps, you’ll set the stage for productive and impactful board meetings, fostering a board dynamic that can provide significant value to your startup’s success.

What to Include in the Board Deck

One of the best ways of letting the board of directors know what is happening in the company is to give them the proper financial reports in the board deck.

1.      Financial Reports

Remember, members of your board could be on 10, maybe even 15, other boards, which means they are constantly going to board meetings and talking to portfolio companies. You should send the slides to directors one or two days before the meeting.   

On the first or second page of your board deck we recommend having a financial status page that displays a group of very simple metrics. You can review key metrics for SaaS companies here . These allow the board to orient themselves at the start of the meeting.about what’s happening with the company and how they can help.

In this initial financial report we suggest including the following:

• Cash balance – this will  immediately tell the board what is going on in the company and how much cash you have.
• Average three months of  burn rate – they will divide the cash by the burn rate to get the months of runway outstanding.
• Your total cash  runway – how many months of cash you have.
• MRR – monthly recurring revenue.
• ARR – annual recurring revenue.
• Bookings – these are contracts you’ve closed recently and whether it was a monthly or a quarterly bookings rate.

Laying out these basics in a clear table will give a clear indicator of your startup’s current financial situation. This could be that you’re in a crisis with six months of cash and a check needs to be written ASAP, or that you have 18 months of cash and so strategy and operating metrics can be focused on without needing a check.

This is another reason why it is important to present these metrics early in the presentation because this way you can reassure the board if there isn’t a crisis. It will allow them to think more strategically, improve the discussion, and enable them able to help you more effectively.

Otherwise, they are going to be trying to figure out where you are with your cash, your runway, and how many months you have. You’ll see them flipping through the presentation, looking for them, if you don’t have them in one of the first few pages. So put the financials up front, because time in a board meeting is precious.

2.      Income Statement, Balance Sheet,  and Cash Flow Statement

So, what comes after the first pages with those simplified metrics? Well, you will definitely want to have:

• Income statement
• Balance sheet
• Cash flow statement (potentially)

Firstly, depending on how far along and how complicated the business is, you may put the income statement and balance sheet on one page. You might have a couple of high-level call outs explaining any variance or growth in expenses, but hopefully those will be saying how great your sales team and show the revenue going up. This slide is a very baseline thing, and they just want to see it there.

The cash flow statement can be a little bit farther back, typically in the finance portion of the presentation. Sometimes you’ll have your CFO or VP of finance walk through this, or you’ll have the founder or  CEO do it.

The cash flow statement is also helpful because the board can look at it and see if there are any big CapEx going on or things like that. They will also check your math on your burn rate and cash on the balance sheet.

3.      In-Depth Operational Metrics

This brings us to the third set of reports you want to include in your board deck. These are a lot of in-depth operational metrics – often KPIs for the executive team – which are all aggregated.

We highly recommend that you have some type of appendix in this finance section, to help organize the different reports and their respective KPIs, for the board. What happens, more often than not, is you will have members of the management team, or the CEO, who will present these metrics in the flow of the presentation as they go through the functional groups.

For example, you will have the marketing portion of the presentation where the marketing VP will present metrics such as lead volume, customer acquisition cost, and things like that. And you should definitely let that marketing VP own those metrics and convey what is happening from their standpoint. Essentially, you want each portion to be presented by the VP responsible for that area.

Who Should Present What?

Let’s look at who should be presenting each of the following reports that should be included in the board deck. As we just mentioned, commentary from the VP of each individual area is really valuable for the board of directors.

Customer retention. The VP of customer success is most likely going to own the churn rate, and you want them to present this metric. That demonstrates ownership, and a good VP is going to talk about their metrics, own them, talk about how they’re improving, and illustrate that with historical data. 

Sales. Another good example of the functional expert presenting their KPIs is the sales VP. The sales VP is going to present the number of customers, the average selling price, and any upsell metrics they can provide. That is the bread and butter of the sales portion of the presentation, so let them do that.

Customer lifetime value (CLV). The lifetime value of a customer could be owned by your marketing VP, the sales VP,  or even the finance team, because they’re able to see the revenue generated by a client. They also look at retention and can aggregate this and create the lifetime value of a customer. This is one of the most important metrics a startup is ever going to present to the board of directors. If that lifetime value of the customer is really high, nothing gets a VC’s checkbook out quite like it.

Hiring. Hiring will be owned by either the CEO, or the finance VP or CFO, because each of the functional groups are going to make their own hiring decisions and roll it up into finance.  So you will often see hiring presented in conjunction with the income statement and the balance sheet portion of the board deck. Otherwise you may see a breakout of hiring expectations. There are two main reasons for this:

• There will probably be some excitement in the functional groups, where they will be talking about how the marketing person is hiring a lead gen specialist, for example, or the sales person is considering hiring a director of sales and maybe two more inside sales reps. All of which is going to roll up into finance, and the  burn rate at a startup is mostly influenced by people and by salaries. About 70 to 75% of all expenses at a startup are salaries and benefits, so this will bring up questions within the board. 
• When the VCs see the expenses are projected to go up, or they see your expenses in the last six months going up, they will immediately start talking about hiring and whether or not it was a good investment. They will want to know what return on investment you’re getting from those people and what you have planned for the future.

This is why we recommend that you have the finance person or CEO present hiring information  immediately after the income statement/balance sheet portion of the board deck, in order to pre-empt board and  VC questions.

Early-stage company board meetings

Often, in early-stage companies, the CEO will be presenting all of these reports, but it is still important to have them presented in those functional groups. The CEO will need to answer questions regarding each report in an organized format, such as discussing the startups marketing, what is coming from it, what the new programs are, how much it is costing, marketing performance and the customer acquisition cost. All these topics that need to be grouped in order to make sense and create clarity for the board.

Key Points to Remember

When you’re thinking about your board report, key things to remember are:

• Board meetings are not just for the board. They are also for the executive team and the CEO to get organized, stay focused and really hone in on what is moving the company forward and the key priorities to build on.
• We recommend holding board meetings every two months, maybe quarterly, as it is a really powerful exercise for the entire company.
• You should definitely aggregate all of the different KPIs into an appendix or contents so the board can follow the meeting and look back on it later.
• You should also send the board deck out one or two days before the meeting, so directors can review it. This makes their job easier and means they’re not flipping through the slides constantly.
• Consider who presents what, since individual VP input is really valuable.

Overall, presenting these metrics is really helpful. It will make you a more disciplined and better-managed company. If you have any questions on reports, startup accounting, startup bookkeeping, taxes, or venture capital please contact us .

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Presenting to Your Board of Directors: Telling the IT Story

CIOs often talk about “having a seat at the table.” This usually means reporting directly to the CEO and being engaged in all key strategic meetings within the firm. But many CIOs still do not report directly to their CEO–a controversy that continues to be discussed at many senior management meetings. At the same time, an increasing number of CIOs tell me they are being asked to present to their company’s board of directors–the ultimate “seat” of exposure. If you’re summoned to answer to your board of directors, it’s critical that you understand the top issues your directors are looking at today. Here are four key points for you to bear in mind:

• Boards are most likely interested in hearing about ideas for ways in which the CIO can assist the organization’s growth, both operationally and strategically. They’re less interested in reviewing your budget.
• Board members are concerned about security, particularly how the CIO is providing protection against security risks and the exposure of confidential information.
• Boards are acutely aware of the dangers facing the data the organization stores. An emerging area of CIO responsibility is known as “e-discovery.” This involves understanding how much data is available and the legal exposures of retaining such information.
• Boards need to understand the type and amount of data the company has stored. The CIO needs to do more with data analytics. This involves aggregating and interpreting organizational information in order to directly influence business decisions.

These are big-ticket issues that can make or break an organization, so you need to be thoroughly prepared when you walk into the boardroom. Here are some expert tips:

• Research each board member. What is his or her background? What does each one tend to focus on? Speak with executives who have presented to the board in the past; they might provide suggestions about how the board meetings are conducted.
• Reach out. Try to get to know your board members. Attempt to speak with them before the board meets. This will allow you to ascertain what they are thinking and what issues appear to be at the top of their individual agenda. They might also be able to help you sell your ideas to other board members.
• Watch your time. Never assume you will be afforded the time you need–or even the time that’s been allotted for your presentation. Board meetings tend to run over schedule, and your presentation time could be significantly reduced. Therefore, be sure to have multiple versions of your presentation–especially one version that can be presented within tight time limits.
• Tell stories and keep it simple. Try to express your position through a story that relates how the organization can excel as a result of your ideas, efforts and operation. Stories that clearly show how success can be attained are very attractive and can quickly gain the attention of the board.

Overall, you must be direct with your board: Do not speak in vague terms. Take responsibility for problem areas. Always articulate your plans to fix problems. And never, ever blame your staff for what is ultimately your responsibility.

Art Langer is senior director of the Center for Technology, innovation and Community Engagement at Columbia University.

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What You Should Include in a Board Presentation (with Examples & A Free Template)

Reporting to the board may be daunting, but it’s incredibly important. Your board is tasked with overseeing your organization, and providing them with a snapshot into the health of the organization’s fundraising is critical to their success.

What not to include in your presentation

• Advanced metrics. There’s no need to include things like donor lifetime value, donor acquisition cost, or trends in recaptured donors. The board will lose interest quickly if the concepts you are discussing aren’t simple and crystal clear. Since you most likely will not have a lot of time to share your presentation it is advised to avoid these more complex metrics. Have conversations with your team on these topics instead.
• Predictive analytics. Don’t dedicate a slide or two to discuss the results of your wealth screening or other predictive modeling efforts. Why? Because board members are more interested in the facts, and predictive tools (no matter how helpful we find them), aren’t “true” until we confirm them. Also, your board members were probably screened during the wealth append, and it may open a can of worms discussing with them your techniques to identify major donors.
• All your successes. It would be wonderful if your entire presentation was simply a running list of successes from the past year, but I’d advise against it. You have limited time to present to your leadership, and focusing on a few key points is recommended. If that means you cannot talk about each and every “win” you and your team experienced over the course of the year, so be it. It’s worthwhile for you and your leadership to focus in on what is most important.

What is most important to share with your board

• Total dollars raised
• Total number of donations
• Average donation amount
• Total donors
• Acquired donors
• Donor retention rate
• Donor growth rate
• Donation growth rate

Applying this at your shop

Share this:, 1 thought on “what you should include in a board presentation (with examples & a free template)”.

This is an interesting take on the report to the board. While I agree on some of the points, I think there are some “out of the box” sections of a board report that can be really great, too! Things like telling the board the 1-2 items they’ll be asked to vote on, posing a question to ponder before the meeting, etc. I couldn’t find a great template to give my clients so I made one! If any of your readers are interested in checking it out, it can be found at: oneninedesign.net/shop/board-report

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