How to make sure your board presentation is a success

Executives can prepare by scoping out the members of the board, and perhaps asking the company secretary what meetings are normally like. But controlling a boardroom is more art than science, as few directors appreciate being told what to do by executives.

Garland McLellan offers some tips:

• To control the flow of discussion, if someone asks a question you don’t want to answer immediately, write it down on a blackboard and come back to it. The blackboard shows them you won’t forget it, allowing them to focus on something else.
• Work through the chair, trying to sit next to him or her if possible. If the board looks tired, ask the chair if they’d like a break.
• If two directors start talking to each other, listen to them and try to include them in what you’re saying. “Everyone on the board will probably rather listen to the other board members than you anyway,” Garland McLellan says.
• Avoid arguments and don’t get defensive. Present your case, but be totally upfront about the costs and weaknesses of your proposal.

Executives should also be aware of where on the agenda their proposal or briefing is. If you can, avoid presenting at the start or the end. “Directors need time to settle down,” Garland McLellan says. “If you’re speaking at the start, drag your presentation out to give people time to focus. By the end they’re exhausted, so if you’re speaking last, go fast and hope you wrote a good briefing paper.”

Good briefing papers are important because many boards hate receiving anything new at a meeting.

But it’s not just what happens before and during the meeting you have to worry about. Garland McLellan says she’s seen many executives nail a presentation, and then be promptly forgotten about because they didn’t follow through once they left the room.

“A thank-you note never goes astray,” she says. “Neither does an offer to come in again and go over anything that still needs work, or to respond to directors who have questions or concerns individually.”

It’s also important to consider the minutes, which are the ultimate record of what was discussed and decided on. “Whoever writes the minutes runs the company. So propose a resolution to the company secretary,” Garland McLellan says. “They’ll love you for it.”

Proposing the resolution also allows executives to summarise the agreement, and outline the next steps for a proposal in the minutes.

Julie Garland McLellan was speaking in Melbourne at an information session for perspective MBA students hosted by European business school IE.

Myriam Robin is a journalist with LeadingCompany. You can follow her on Twitter at @myriamrobin This article first appeared on LeadingCompany.