You don’t need us to tell you that presenting to a board is challenging. There are talking points to prepare, data to visualize, and audience needs and desires to assess, not to mention the unique nerves that arise when tasked with presenting to high-stakes corporate professionals.
Boards are generally comprised of smart, experienced professionals who have been to their fair share of presentations. That means you have the opportunity to wow a group of smart and savvy individuals with your ideas or bore them to death depending on how well you prepare and deliver. But as intimidating as it can feel, it’s actually not terribly difficult to put together a killer board presentation as long as you make sure to incorporate a few key ingredients.
Have a Strong Grasp of Your Primary Message
A lot of presenters make the mistake of trying to say too much about too many topics, which makes for a confusing delivery. To avoid that pitfall, distill your primary message into one sentence and refer back to it every so often during your presentation to ensure everything you’re saying is directly on target with the fundamental message or idea you’re trying to convey.
Pay Mind to Your Visuals
According to a Cornell University study, 97% of people will believe a claim if it’s backed by a chart or graph compared to only 68% who will believe it if it’s not. In other words, your data visualizations matter. A lot. Add compelling graphics, charts, and icons wherever you can to help simplify complicated concepts, better engage your audience, and legitimize the ideas you’re presenting.
Get to the Point
Board members tend to be busy individuals with a lot on their plate, which means they won’t have a ton of time or patience for long, meandering, drawn out presentations. Therefore, you want to be succinct and to the point with your presentation, only including details and explanations that are necessary to properly conveying your primary message. Save any lengthy explanations for a supplemental handout that members can review on their own time.
Rehearse, Don’t Memorize
It’s just as important to know how you’re going to say something as it is what you’re going to say, so give yourself ample time to rehearse your delivery. In addition to making your presentation better, taking yourself through a few rehearsals will reduce your nerves and increase your confidence considerably because it gives you better control over the situation. Also, make sure when you’re rehearsing that you make room for questions during key parts of the presentation.
Prepare for Anything
Because you’re presenting to a board of experienced professionals, you should expect tougher and more informed questions than you’d get from some other audiences. That means it’s critical that you know the ins and outs of every aspect of the message you’re delivering, and have a keen understanding of any data associated with it—even if that data didn’t make it into the presentation slides. If you get a question you don’t know the answer to, don’t panic! Rather than bumble through a made-up response, tell the audience you’re not sure but will follow-up with them on it; they’ll respect that a lot more than if they sense you’re making something up.
