Plan for a pre-read
Directors usually read the pack before the meeting, without a presenter. Write each page so it makes sense on its own, with a heading that states the point and enough context to follow it.
General BusinessContent Creator
Board deck: a pack directors can read before the meeting
A board deck is the pack a management team prepares for its board, and its job is to let directors make decisions after reading it before the meeting. The key judgement is to lead with the decisions required and the variances that need explaining, because a pack that reports every activity leaves directors to work out what they are being asked to do.
Format notes
Build it to be read, not presented
Check the format your board requires
Some boards expect a slide file or a PDF pack, and some have a required template. Content Creator makes one self-contained HTML page, not slides. Produce the formal pack in your presentation software, and use an HTML page for a shareable written summary.
Put the financial summary in one table
One table with actual, budget and variance for each line, plus its period and source, is easier to question than the same figures spread across several charts. Give the table a plain heading and a note on what is unaudited.
Number the pages and paragraphs
Directors refer to a page in the meeting. Numbered pages and numbered decisions let the minutes point to exactly what was discussed.
Section outline
The order that a board decision needs
Cover and purpose
The meeting date, the pack version and one line on what the board is asked to do at this meeting.
40 wordsExecutive summary
The decisions required, the two or three messages that matter most and any issue the board must hear about first. A director who reads only this page should know what to vote on.
150 wordsPerformance against plan
Four to six measures with actual, target and trend. Each measure states its definition in a footnote, so the number cannot be argued from a different meaning.
250 wordsStrategic progress
The status of each strategic priority, the milestones met or missed, and what is needed to get back on track.
200 wordsRisks and mitigations
The three to five most significant risks, each with an owner, a rating, the action under way and the point at which the board should be told.
200 wordsFinancial summary
Results for the period against budget, the main variances with their causes, and the cash position in summary form. Label any figure that is not yet reviewed.
200 wordsDecisions and approvals
Each item that needs a vote, the recommendation, and the page of the supporting paper where the detail sits.
120 wordsAppendix
Detailed tables and supporting data, kept out of the main sequence so the body stays focused on decisions and risks.
60 words
Total: 1220 words
Weak and strong wording
Write the sentence the board needs
Weak: Sales performance update
Strong: Sales are behind plan for the quarter, and the gap sits in the two regions opened this year.
A heading that states the finding lets a director see the issue without opening the page.
Weak: We continue to monitor the risks.
Strong: The largest risk is one supplier for the controller board. Management will bring a second supplier option to the November meeting.
Naming the risk and the dated next step gives the board something to challenge.
Weak: The board is asked to note the report.
Strong: Decision requested: approve the revised hiring plan for the operations team, as set out on page 6.
A decision stated as a request, with a page reference, can be minuted accurately.
Weak: Several initiatives are in progress.
Strong: Three of five priorities are on track. The warehouse consolidation is two months late because the lease was delayed.
Counting the items and giving the cause of the delay replaces a vague sense of activity with status.
Mistakes to avoid
Where board packs lose the room
Reporting everything and deciding nothing
A pack that shows every activity leaves directors to find the decisions for themselves. Put the decisions at the front, and move routine reporting into the appendix.
Showing results without the plan
A month that looks good in isolation invites questions about the rest of the period. Show actual, target and variance together, so the comparison is visible without a request.
Leaving variances unexplained
A variance with no cause starts a discussion the meeting cannot finish. Give one sentence on the cause and one on what management is doing about it.
Changing numbers between drafts without a note
Directors compare packs. When a figure changes, mark the change and its reason on the page where the figure appears, so no one has to find the difference by hand.
Share the finished page
Send the pack in its final form
Team link
Send the pack to directors by team link on the date it is due, with the meeting date in the title. Keep the draft for management review on a separate link, so no unfinished page reaches the board.
Public link
A board pack is rarely meant for the public. Publish a summary only when the board has approved it for release, and remove confidential items before the page goes live.
HTML download
Download the HTML file of the copy that was sent, named with the meeting date. That file is the record of what directors received, and the minutes can refer to it.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free board deck template?
A template can set the order of the sections, and the outline above is a sound starting point. What makes a pack useful is the decisions and the variances, which only management can explain. Write those first, then place them in the template.
Can I make a board deck in PowerPoint or as a PDF?
Content Creator is not a slide tool and returns no PowerPoint or PDF file. The page it produces is written HTML, shared by link or downloaded as HTML. If your board requires a slide or PDF pack, make that version in your presentation software.
What is the difference between a board deck and board minutes?
The deck is what the board reads before the meeting. The minutes record what was discussed and decided during it. Keep the deck as the pre-read, and have the minutes refer to the page numbers and decision numbers that were discussed.
How long should a board deck be?
Long enough to support the decisions and short enough to read in one sitting before the meeting. Detail belongs in the appendix, so the body stays focused on what the board must decide and the risks it must understand.
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How to build it
Follow the eight-step wizard: type, assets and description, images, branding, contact and call to action, Atty Suggestions, blueprint, and generate. Atty generates one HTML page in the background. Review it, then publish and share the page link or download the HTML file.
