Glossary
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.
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.
How to write a good pre-read
- Open with the purpose. State in the first lines what you want from the reader: a decision, an opinion or a note for information.
- Write for reading, not for speaking. Nobody explains the slides, so each one needs a full-sentence action title and enough text to stand alone.
- Keep the main part short. Move detail into the appendix, so the reader can finish the main part in one sitting.
- Set a deadline for questions and name who receives them. This turns reading into a task.
- Send it in time for people to read it and prepare their questions.
- 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 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 can be the whole pre-read. A handout works the other way round: people take it away after the meeting.
FAQ
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.
Keep reading
Management reporting
- TemplateSteering committee
A steering committee presentation template with 8 slides: status headline, key figures, schedule, budget bridge, workstreams, risks and the decisions you need.
- GuideExecutive summary examples
Six fictional executive summaries, annotated: business plan, project report, proposal, annual report, consulting study and investor update, plus a checklist.
- GlossaryKPI
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- TemplateQuarterly business review
Plan a customer QBR on 6 slides: results, adoption, commitments, the plan for next quarter and the decisions you need from the customer. With an example deck.
- GlossaryRAG status
RAG status is a traffic-light rating: red, amber or green. Definition, what each color means and how to show it on a status slide so it can be trusted.
- TemplateExecutive summary
Lead with the recommendation, the one number that matters, the options compared and the decision you need. Template with an 8-slide example.
Where to go next
- ProductAI report generator
Tell the AI what the report must say, approve a page plan and get an A4 report or proposal.
- ConvertReport to presentation
Attach the PDF or Word report, lead with the summary and approve the page plan.
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