Building Board Decks

Board Deck Structure

Executive Summary

• Brief overview of the entire deck covering:

• Company performance highlights

• Key decisions that need to be made

• Request for help from the board

Financial Performance

• Revenue

• Expenses

• Profits

Strategic Goals

• Mission statement

• Vision statement

• Values

Company Operations

• Products

• Services

• Customers

Risks and Opportunities

• Competitive landscape

• Regulatory environment

• Technological advancements

Call to Action

• Clear statement of what the board of directors needs to do next

Visuals

• Charts

• Graphs

• Tables

Proofreading

• Check for accuracy

• Check for clarity and conciseness of visuals

Additional Tips

• Use clear and concise language.

• Keep the slides visually appealing and easy to understand.

• Make sure the deck is well-organized and flows logically.

• Be specific when asking for help from the board.

• Avoid asking the board how they think the quarter went, for help with reporting or data analysis, or what metrics to measure.

• Use a template by department to determine which slides are must-haves and which can be appendix slides.

Board Meeting Preparation

• Assign a board deck keeper.

• Start working on the deck well in advance of the meeting.

• Have a data one-pager readily available.

• Focus on the story and decisions that need to be made.

• Do a dry run with the team.

• Send out the deck well ahead of time.