5 Ideas for Better Board Decks

(Condensed from the June Boardroom INSIDER )

A "board deck" is a loose term covering the data, numbers and presentations sent to directors before the meeting, and is most often associated with startup and venture-backed companies. ?This is an important nuance – a board deck is more functional, compact and specific than a “board book” or “board meeting package.”?

[] A board deck functions as an operational update for boardroom investors who need to know this stuff, now.? It’s usually made up of the reports and dashboard indicators the founder and other members of the exec team use. Still, “I often see decks being very operational on intel,” says Niamh Corbett, of the Board Intelligence portal firm in the UK.? “It’s tempting to give the board in-the-weeds details.”? Smart use of graphics delivers both brevity and insight.

[] Since younger, growth company boards are often more involved, the CEO should shape the board deck with targeted deliverables in mind.? What has to be done (agree on a budget… set a product rollout schedule… several strategic goals for the next quarter).? And don’t just inform your meeting deck with these, but give the board a CEO intro that leads off with these “musts".

[] Set a meeting schedule and stick to it.? You’ve got smart people and owners in the room.? Why show a PowerPoint if the essential slides already went into the deck you sent out?? Why let tech, sales, development, or other staff present for half an hour just to show how valuable they are?? Your board members are extremely busy, so value every minute.? Show numbers, wins, losses, and upcoming vital business.? Cut anything that doesn’t add to that.

[] Board portals make shaping a digital deck hugely easier, but bring their own problems.? Paper costs money, while electrons cost next to nothing, so it’s tempting to overload.? “If I receive a 1000-page board deck, I assume that hides a multitude of sins,” says Corbett.? Also, if “management dumps something in an appendix, and that ends up as its own 20-page report.”

[] I’ve plugged this before, but Sequoia Capital offers a great board deck guide for early-stage companies, including a targeted board meeting agenda.?