As a business owner or executive, you understand the critical role that your board of directors plays in the success of your business or company. The board makes crucial decisions that impact your company's overall performance and direction. Regular meetings with your company's BoDs are a great chance to display your leadership capabilities and demonstrate your business knowledge. However, pitching before your board can be daunting, especially if there are big initiatives afoot. To make meaningful and engaging presentations, you need to cultivate an executive presence that commands the room while inspiring those around you.
This blog discusses four easy ways to wow your BoDs in the next meeting.
Be prepared
Savvy business owners understand that a vital element of a successful board meeting is ensuring no surprises. This is why you need to be well-prepared for all your BoD engagements. Do your homework well and consider all possible scenarios from potential questions, concerns, and needs your board may have. Preparation builds confidence which ultimately builds your executive presence. Generally, how well you conduct pre-meeting preparations determines whether the meeting will be effective or not. Here are a few tips for preparing for your next board meeting:
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Collect and organize all board materials on time
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Send all board documents a week before the meeting
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Set up meeting equipment ahead of time. If your meeting is virtual, ensure you have all the conference equipment ready at least one day before the meeting
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Approve the final meeting agenda
Leverage the co-working space's meeting rooms
You probably know by now that first impressions matter in any business meeting. However, if you are a small business, a start-up, or a remote-based business, you may not have the resources to hire high-end conference rooms at prestigious hotels whenever you need to engage with your board. Although you can set up board meetings in your home or local coffee shops, this will likely leave a wrong impression in the minds of those present. Co-working spaces like Quest Workspaces may be the perfect solution for any small business looking for professional meeting rooms for hire at affordable rates. Co-working spaces offer a dedicated and professional space for members to conduct meetings, collaborate and brainstorm at a fraction of the cost of a full commercial office lease. The following are a few features of meeting rooms in co-working spaces:
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Professional environment: Meeting rooms offer a professional set-up and decorated meeting environment. You can use these spaces to host board meetings and convey a more polished image of your business.
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Privacy and confidentiality:BoD meetings require a lot of privacy. Co-working spaces offer secure and private meeting rooms to allow you to discuss confidential and sensitive topics without worry of interruptions or eavesdropping.
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Technology and amenities: Meeting rooms in co-working spaces are equipped with all the technological tools you need to have productive meetings, whether physical or virtual. These include high-speed internet, audio and visual equipment, refreshments, and reception services. This will leave a good impression and further enhance the meeting experience.
Dress for success
Studies reveal that wearing nice clothes during work hours affects how people perceive you while boosting your self-confidence and self-esteem. In addition, being well put together before any board meeting makes you feel more powerful, which leads to better creativity. When you take the time, effort, and pride in dressing for success, you will undeniably radiate an image of self-worth and self-respect. Dressing sharply is the first and easy step to attracting and keeping your board's attention in your next meeting.
Mind your body language
A great board presentation is about much more than just content. Body language can make all the difference between an engaging presentation and a dull, non-inspiring one. Facial expressions, eye contact, body posture, and gestures may seem like small details, but they have a massive impact on how your presentation comes across. When your body language works hand in hand with other aspects of your presentation, like content and tonal variation, you will build a great rapport and win over your audience easily. Here are a few tips to help you look and sound good during your next BoD presentations:
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Make eye contact but avoid being creepy: Aim to move around and look at everyone in the room at least once. If you are nervous about locking your eye contact, look just above people's eyes.
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Use hand gestures: Intentional, well-timed, and well-executed hand gestures show your audience that you are a knowledgeable and effective communicator. Use welcoming and positive gestures to engage your audience and invite them to answer questions.
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Use the right body posture: A poor posture, like slouching, gives an impression that you are neither confident nor interested in the topic under discussion. Using an upright and open body posture can help you look and feel more confident.
Leverage Quest Workspaces meeting rooms for all your business meetings
Board meeting presentations are undoubtedly some of the most anxious experiences for even the most seasoned entrepreneur. Being well-prepared for the meetings and leveraging the right presentation approaches can help you deliver on your mandate. Remember, your meeting spaces can greatly impact how the board and other partners perceive your professionalism.
If you need a well-set-up private meeting room to wow your board and create a good positive impression, contact Quest Workspaces today. We provide perfect meeting spaces for teams to discuss and engage with one another so that they can achieve success.
Contact us today to view a location near you.
