# What is a pre-read? > **Pre-read:** A pre-read is a document that attendees read before a meeting, so that the meeting time goes to questions and decisions instead of to presenting the background. - Source: https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/pre-read/ - Updated: 21 October 2026 - Language: English - German version: https://ai-presentations.com/de/glossar/vorab-lektuere/ Also called: read-ahead, pre-read document A **pre-read** is a document that participants read before a meeting. It takes over the part of the meeting in which someone would otherwise explain the background, so the meeting time goes to questions, discussion and decisions. Boards, steering committees and executive teams often work with pre-reads. The document arrives with a clear request: read this, send questions by a set date, come ready to decide. ## Where a pre-read shows up A board deck is a typical case. The slide below closes a quarterly report with three numbered decisions and a line that tells the Board where to send questions: by 12 October, two days before the meeting on 14 October. That line is the pre-read at work. The Board reads the deck beforehand, the questions come in on time, and the meeting starts with the answers instead of a walk through the slides. *The closing slide names the decisions and the deadline for pre-read questions. Example with invented numbers.* 8. Two decisions and one item to note ## How to write a good pre-read 1. **Open with the purpose.** State in the first lines what you want from the reader: a decision, an opinion or a note for information. 2. **Write for reading, not for speaking.** Nobody explains the slides, so each one needs a full-sentence [action title](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/action-title/) and enough text to stand alone. 3. **Keep the main part short.** Move detail into the [appendix](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/appendix/), so the reader can finish the main part in one sitting. 4. **Set a deadline for questions** and name who receives them. This turns reading into a task. 5. **Send it in time** for people to read it and prepare their questions. 6. **Do not present it again.** Open the meeting with what people read: the questions you received and your answers. The guide on [presenting to executives](https://ai-presentations.com/guides/presenting-to-executives/) shows how to build the main story. ## Typical mistakes - **Sending the presentation deck unchanged.** Slides made for speaking carry too little text to be read alone, and slides made for reading are too dense to present. Decide which one you need. - **No stated decision or question.** - **No summary at the top** of a long document. - **Reading it aloud in the meeting,** which tells people they never needed to read it. - **Sending it late and still expecting questions.** If you cannot rely on people reading ahead, reserve the first minutes of the meeting for silent reading. For a short decision, a [one-pager](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/one-pager/) can be the whole pre-read. A [handout](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/handout/) works the other way round: people take it away after the meeting. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the purpose of a pre-read? A pre-read lets attendees arrive informed, so the meeting goes to questions and decisions and not to presenting the background. It also gives people time to think and to send questions ahead. ### How long should a pre-read be? Short enough to be finished in one sitting, with the key message and the requested decision on the first page. Put supporting data in an appendix that readers can skip. ### What is the difference between a pre-read and a presentation? A presentation is spoken, so the presenter carries the argument. A pre-read has to work without the presenter, so it needs full-sentence titles and enough text to stand alone. ### When should you send a pre-read? Early enough for people to read it and send questions, which for an executive meeting usually means a few days ahead. Name the deadline for questions in the cover note, so that reading becomes a task. ## Related pages - [Presenting to executives](https://ai-presentations.com/guides/presenting-to-executives/): How to present to executives and senior management: lead with the recommendation, plan for a shortened slot, keep detail in the appendix and send a pre-read. - [Action title](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/action-title/): An action title is a slide headline written as a full sentence that states the slide's conclusion. Definition, before-and-after examples and rules. - [Appendix](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/appendix/): The appendix is the backup section after the closing slide: data, methods and details you show only if someone asks. See what belongs in it and what does not. - [One-pager](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/one-pager/): A one-pager is a single-page document that summarizes a proposal, product, project or decision so the reader gets the point in a few minutes. See the structure. - [Handout](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/handout/): A handout is a document given to the audience to take away: a summary, the key slides or reference material. The types and how to design one that gets read. - [Board presentation](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/board-presentation/): A board presentation template with the 8 slides a quarterly board meeting needs: summary, KPIs, revenue, EBITDA bridge, initiatives, risks and decisions. --- ai-presentations.com is published by Slaide (https://www.slaide.de), a sole proprietorship run by Nathalie Scholl in Heilbronn, Germany. [How this site is written, checked and corrected](https://ai-presentations.com/editorial-policy/).