Dressing as the Cookie Monster for a Board Meeting Should Have Terrified Me

Confidence and preparation are the keys to delivering a presentation that resonates with your board. Costume optional.

There I stood. Alone. In front of the board, sharing quarterly results, what worked and didn’t, and the impact those results had on what we were doing now and in the future. Sounds great, right? It was, except there I stood in a blue princess-type short dress, furry eyeball headband, blue eyelashes, and white boots. You see, our board meeting immediately followed our annual company Halloween party, and the exec team was all-in on costumes. I led the discussion that afternoon dressed as the Cookie Monster. I kid you not. My introverted soul would usually have stressed, but in this instance, I didn’t. Why? Because I was ready. I knew what the board wanted to see, was confident in my data, and my team was already crushing it based on the adjustments we were discussing in that meeting.

That moment reminded me of something important: when you’re confident in your strategy and prepared to share it, nothing can throw you off, even if you’re in a Cookie Monster costume. Do you think most marketing leaders could have done this? We’ll never know, but based on the regular requests I receive for marketing board deck examples and templates, I believe many marketing leaders struggle with board meetings. They aren’t sure what their board wants to see, and perhaps, they aren’t working with their CEO and the GTM team to map out the story they want to tell the board before building their slides. And that’s a problem. So today, I’m sharing what I’ve learned and how I got the confidence to stand in front of the board dressed like a Sesame Street character.

Speaking the Board’s Language

Board meetings are an essential part of executive teams' quarterly cadence. They are an opportunity for the CEO, management team, and board members to review the company’s performance, discuss strategic plans, and make decisions regarding the organization's future direction.

As marketers, we often get caught up in the tactical aspects of the campaigns, the new tools we’ve adopted, or the creative ideas we’re excited about. But boards care about the bottom line. They want to know how marketing contributes to business outcomes like growth, profitability, and sustainability.

So, how do we make sure we’re speaking their language? It all comes down to framing your marketing efforts in terms of business impact. Understanding the board’s key priorities—growth, ROI, and long-term value—is critical. If you can tie your marketing initiatives to those outcomes, it’ll be easier for the board to see how your strategies align with the company's larger goals.

What else should you consider as you frame your presentation?

Focus on Business Outcomes: When presenting to the board, frame your marketing efforts in terms of how they impact the company’s key business goals. Make clear how your marketing strategies drive tangible results, whether it’s increased market share, growing revenue, or improving customer retention.

Speak to ROI: Board members want to see a return on investment for every dollar spent. Be prepared to provide data demonstrating that you know and understand how marketing drives revenue, enhances customer loyalty, or lowers CAC. Highlight efficiency and effectiveness, both are critical in today’s market.

Know Your Audience: Boards often have members from different backgrounds. Tailor your language and examples to meet their perspectives. A board member with a finance background may be more interested in cost efficiency, while someone with a sales background might focus on pipeline management and conversion.

Structuring Your Presentation

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” This is absolutely true when it comes to board decks. The difference between a good and a poor session comes down to understanding your board and how prepared you are. Effective presentations to the board strike the right balance between detail and high-level strategy. You want to ensure the key points come across clearly without overwhelming your audience with too much data.

Your CEO is driving the agenda for the board meeting and should be working across the management team to outline the agenda items (within reason) and flesh out the story they want to tell. Your CEO will likely include departmental updates as part of the “Business Updates” portion of the meeting. The CEO may decide that they want to do a deep dive on a particular topic that is more strategic, like a new pricing strategy, entering a new market, or adding a new GTM motion. These are usually interactive discussions, separate from the standard marketing deck you would include.

I always recommend:

• Keep It High-Level and Data-Driven: Stick to the essentials. Focus on KPIs that demonstrate how marketing is driving business outcomes, such as customer lifetime value (LTV), ROI, and marketing-sourced revenue. Avoid getting into the weeds and save tactical details for follow-up conversations.

• Use Visuals Wisely: Simple, clear visuals like charts and graphs can help convey complex data at a glance. However, please don’t overdo it. Your slides should complement your narrative, not overwhelm it. Use visuals to tell a compelling story that reinforces your message.

• Tell a Story: Numbers alone won’t make your case. Provide a narrative around the data. Show how a particular marketing initiative contributed to strategic objectives. For example, instead of stating that a campaign involved demand gen, explain how it addressed a specific market need and the long-term value it created for the business.

• Be Concise and Focused: Time is often limited in board meetings, so keep your presentation focused. Highlight the key points that matter most and remove the fluff. Don’t try to present everything you’ve done; focus on what’s aligned with the company’s core goals and strategy. Be prepared for questions.

Managing Questions and Objections

If you ever present to the board and they don’t have follow-up questions or push against your assumptions, that’s a yellow flag. Boards usually have tough questions, and being ready to handle them confidently is key to maintaining credibility.

Anticipate Tough Questions: Expect questions about spending, resource allocation, and ROI. Be prepared to justify your decisions with clear, data-backed answers. You'll build trust and demonstrate strategic thinking if you can show how your marketing aligns with business priorities.

Don’t Over-Promise: This is a big one. While it’s essential to highlight success, don’t sugarcoat challenges. Be honest about what’s working and what’s not, and present a plan for addressing areas of improvement. Acknowledging challenges and offering concrete solutions will earn you respect as a transparent and accountable leader.

Prepare for the “Why” Questions: One of the most common questions I received from the board is, “Why this strategy?” Always be ready to explain why you chose a particular strategy or approach. Whether it’s a campaign tactic or budget allocation, tie every decision back to a specific business need or market insight. Make it clear that your decisions are rooted in strategy, not guesswork. And keep your answer concise.

Building Trust and Credibility

Your role as a CMO is about more than simply delivering results. It’s about building trust and credibility with the board. To do this, I recommend you:

• Highlight Cross-Functional Collaboration: Boards want to know that marketing isn’t operating in isolation. This is why having a concise GTM story for the meeting is critical. Demonstrate how marketing collaborates with other teams across the organization.

• Show Your Impact: Concrete examples of marketing impact are essential. Share specific success stories that highlight campaigns' ROI (and have the Sales leader tell the same story).

• Demonstrate Agility: Boards appreciate leadership that can adapt to changing circumstances. The world is a bit crazy right now, so it's important to show that you can pivot or adjust strategy based on market conditions. Showcase your ability to stay agile and responsive.

Things to Remember

• Details Matter: With the board, you cannot “fake it until you make it”. Assess what’s working and what's not. Know the details.

• Tell a Story: The board expects the deck to tell a story. How does the marketing portion fit in with everything else? Does it support the story, add meaningfully, or sound like a different story altogether?

• Proofread Your Deck: Typos matter. Footnotes should be included. Make sure branding is consistent between sections. I kid you not, but I’ve seen different PPT templates used by team members one and two. Do the final QC check as a team before the PDF is sent to the board. Nothing says “independent work” more than different templates and a disjointed story.

• Slide Count Doesn’t Equate to Depth of Knowledge: Being with the board is an honor. Be concise. I spent the last nine years working for a private equity firm that does majority investments (buyouts) and saw more board decks than I can count. Without question, the more marketing slides = the higher the chance the marketing leader didn’t really know if what they were doing was working or how to pivot if needed. The board is looking for insights, lessons learned, and impact, not a million slides.

• Don’t Spring New Issues: The meeting isn’t the time to raise an issue you haven’t already discussed with your CEO. You’re telling a cohesive story to the board, and if you’re springing new information, you and the CEO look bad.

Dressing up as the Cookie Monster for a board meeting isn't usually a “how to succeed” lesson. But confidence and preparation are. You're setting yourself up for success when you understand the board's priorities, align your marketing efforts with business outcomes, and present your strategy with clarity and focus. Presenting to the board isn’t about impressing them with flashy slides or complex data; it’s about telling a cohesive story highlighting the value marketing brings to the company’s growth. So, the next time you’re preparing for a board meeting, remember: when you’re ready, you can face any challenge—even if you’re in a Cookie Monster costume.