Get to the point
When Webb begins to construct his board presentation, he thinks to himself "How do I get my point across so board members understand in the first thirty seconds?" Day is not big on PowerPoint presentations and strives to keep her presentations concise. She uses bullet points and makes sure not to get into the weeds on any one topic.
"I approach my presentations as building blocks -- first I lay the foundation and then in future meetings, I move forward with more of an 'update' format," says Day. O'Hare also abides by the 'less is more' sentiment. He uses an executive summary at the beginning to grab the board's attention and then shares supporting information, depending on the questions asked and details needed.
West advises that presenters focus on only the top five things that matter and articulate the metrics for each of the five. Keep it to a 10 minute discussion, he suggests, and be aware of when you've successfully made your point. "Understand when you've closed the sale--and then shut up!" says West.
Profitability is the end-goal
The most important thing in any board communication is to tie it to profitability and business value. "CIOs really have to think like a CEO and investors when presenting to the board," says O'Hare. "For example, it's not IT cutting costs; it's about how this cost savings idea fits into the overall cost model and positively contributes to competitive margin." This is what board members want to hear about. At past employers, O'Hare has sent customized versions of his company-wide IT quarterly reports to the board. The document profiles technology objectives and successes and ties them back to business value.
Extend board-level thinking to your team
As a career development tool, O'Hare regularly involves senior members of his team (director-level and up) in prepping for board meetings and providing input on the presentation. One of O'Hare's senior vice presidents commented that he has learned more in one year of such high-level involvement than he has in 5-10 year spans of his career.
"My philosophy is that if they need to come off the bench, they need exposure so they are ready," O'Hare says. "Focusing on the thought behind the message and how to position it in the right way to the board is a skill that will give my team a head start on future strategic positions."
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