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Presentation

lastmod 2026-05-28created 2015-12-1820 edits

A presentation, or audiovisual briefing, refers to the act of presenting and explaining information, plans, or agenda items to an audience. In other words, it is a talk that makes use of audiovisual materials. It is also simply called a talk, and is sometimes abbreviated as PT.

Six elements of a briefing document

A briefing document is filled in the following order. Each item is usually written as one paragraph, and the whole fits on a single page.

Challenges
What situation are we in right now? State the problem or opportunity we are facing.
Undesired outcome
If this problem or opportunity is not handled properly, what unwanted situation could unfold?
Desired outcome
Present the positive and favorable outcome that can be achieved by responding appropriately to this challenge.
Propose solution
What we need to do to achieve the desired situation.
Risk remover
Explain the grounds on which the solution cannot fail and is bound to succeed.
Call to action
Urge a decision to carry out the solution.

If the situation is complex, each item can be explained in 2–3 paragraphs. Even so, it is best to avoid going beyond 3 pages. It is called a "briefing" document precisely because it is written briefly.

It is also best to print it on paper and hand it out where possible. The purpose of using a briefing document in a meeting is to get the attendees to focus together on the topic of discussion. If it is distributed as an electronic file, someone may get distracted scribbling emails.

PPT template for a startup's first board meeting

A summary of what a SaaS startup must include in its materials when it reports to the board for the first time after raising investment

Quarterly meeting agenda

CEO Update
What is going well / not going well
What we learned this quarter
Context Setter and KPIs
Runway, revenue growth (ARR/MRR), net revenue analysis, retention cohorts, DAU/MAU, capital efficiency (Burn Multiple, CAC)
Sales Update
Last quarter's results: ARR, closed deals, lost deals (why were they lost, a missing feature? what about competitors?)
Pipeline for the new quarter: forecast, major deals currently in progress, what changes are needed to hit the expected numbers
Team performance: ranking of sales reps by quota attainment, who is hitting or missing plan, how to make sales repeatable? plans to hire more reps?
Department updates
It is also good to have department heads report on each team's status
A one-page product roadmap and mockups
No need to cover every department; rotate teams each quarter or include only teams with important issues
Finance
Deeper discussion of finances, such as a new funding round and gross margin
Once the company grows, the CFO explains in detail
Startups need a lot of scenario planning because headcount and operating costs grow quickly
Team
Hiring needs and culture (board members are the helpers who can help most with hiring)
The ideal organizational structure, and what roles the team wants to hire
Administrative issues
Always keep this part short and at the end, and keep the board meeting focused on strategic matters

Scheduling and format

  • Frequency: quarterly by default; if you need to meet more often, hold a check-in session of about 1 hour mid-quarter. Holding a board meeting every month is unproductive
  • Meeting length: about 2 hours
  • When is best: right after the quarter closes, if sales matter for the company
  • Location: a private place (where employees cannot see or hear), doesn't matter if it's on Zoom
  • Materials: send them to board members 1–2 days before the board meeting.

Download

  • Developed together with Quaestor, so it can also be downloaded as a PPT template from the Quaestor site

Software

HTML5

The following is a list of web presentation tools that use HTML5.

Flash

Terminal

  • lookatme - A terminal-based Markdown presentation tool

AI-based

See also

Favorite site

author Zer0 sitemap