It’s crucial to know what your audience is expecting when you prepare a presentation for a board meeting. Typically, a presentation for the board’s meeting is designed to: a) keep them informed about a key aspect of business; or) provide context and data that allows them to go further into a particular topic to aid in making strategic decisions.
Board members have a lot on their plate, from juggling their own roles and responsibilities to helping to ensure the success of the company. It’s not expected of them to haveh out every detail of every report or project — and that’s perfectly acceptable! Board meetings are about big-picture discussions that will affect the organization’s long-term goals and their value.
This knowledge can assist you to move beyond shallow or repetitive reporting and into powerful storytelling that can lead to useful discussions and important decisions. It’s also important to ensure that your audience understands the language you employ. For example If they have no or little knowledge of a particular field or strategy, then it is recommended to not use any jargon.
You might consider incorporating humor into your slides prior to the presentation. It’s essential to consider the room and not roll out any jokes that might not land — especially in the case of topics like budget cuts or redundancies. Remember to be aware of the body language you see in the room, since 70% to 90 percent of communication is non-verbal.
