Free from Board Director Institute
Claude Skills for Boardroom Prep
Board meetings that end in decisions.
23 free Claude skills for directors, chairs and future board members who want to bring sharper questions and clearer decisions to the table. Take one board decision from the first idea to the final vote.
Send Me All Claude Board SkillsFree. Instant download. No credit card.You've Sat Through the Updates and Skimmed the 90-Page Packet…
This Time, Your Board Meeting Ends in a Decision.
From: Michael Barrick
Dear board leader,
Boards exist to make decisions.
But most board meetings are built to share updates. The packet grows. The agenda fills up with reports.
And the one decision that really matters gets pushed to “next time.”
It doesn't have to work that way.
I've spent more than ten years studying what makes boards work, and I started Board Director Institute to teach directors and future directors how good boards actually work.
These 23 Claude skills put that thinking to work for you, so your next meeting starts with a clear decision and ends with one.
What Claude Skills for Boardroom Prep Are, and How They Work
23 standalone Claude skills that cover the full path of a board decision. Each skill is a small file you upload once. It teaches Claude to run one high-value board job the same careful way every time, from framing the decision to writing the final minutes.
The skills follow six stages: frame the decision, find the cause, choose, plan, present, and sit on the board to read, question, vote and minute it. Use them in order on a full board paper, or pull one skill for a single agenda item tonight.
Each skill asks for your facts first, uses a named method where one exists, marks anything you didn't give it as [needs data], and checks its own work before you see the answer. The Plan Your Board Prep Route skill picks the right ones for you.
Download all 23 skillsOne zip with one folder per skill, plus a one-page cheat sheet. Free.
What You Can Expect
From Claude Skills for Boardroom Prep
The skills follow the order a real board decision moves: frame it, find the cause, choose, plan and present, then sit on the board to read, question, vote and minute it. Every skill also works on its own for a single agenda item, paper or vote.
The board decision workflow
Start
Not Sure Where to Begin? Start Here
One skill reads what you have coming up, picks the right skills from the pack, runs them in order, and checks each step before moving on.
0Plan Your Board Prep Route
Skill file: 00-plan-your-board-prep-route
Use when
Before any board meeting, paper or vote, when you aren't sure which skill to start with
Output
Your seat and goal, the right skills in order, each result carried into the next
Skill 0 · Start
If you've ever thought…
“There's a board meeting coming and I don't know where to start.”
Send Me All Claude Board SkillsStage 1 · 4 skills
Frame the Decision Before Anyone Writes a Page
Start here. These four skills turn a vague request into one clear decision, a read of who will be in the room, a working answer to test, and an opening that lands on the ask. They lock the foundation before any paper or slide is built.
1.1Define the Board Decision
Skill file: 01-define-the-board-decision
Use when
At the start, when the ask is vague or an agenda item is a topic rather than a decision
Output
One yes-or-no decision, what a yes requires, success criteria, out-of-scope list
Skill 1 · Frame
If you've ever thought…
“What exactly are we asking the board to decide?”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills1.2Map Your Board Stakeholders
Skill file: 02-map-your-board-stakeholders
Use when
Before drafting, when you need to tailor the paper to who is in the room
Output
Stakeholder grid, deciders vs influencers, each director's likely question and worry
Skill 2 · Frame
If you've ever thought…
“I never know which director will push back, or on what.”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills1.3Write Your Working Answer First
Skill file: 20-write-your-working-answer
Use when
Right after the decision is set, before gathering data, so the work tests one clear answer instead of boiling the ocean
Output
A one-sentence working answer, what has to be true, the facts that prove it, what would change your mind
Skill 20 · Frame
If you've ever thought…
“We're collecting everything and still don't know where we're heading.”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills1.4Write the SCQA Opening
Skill file: 03-write-the-scqa-opening
Use when
When opening the paper or deck and directors need to see why the decision can't wait
Output
Situation, complication, question, a drafted opening paragraph
Skill 3 · Frame
If you've ever thought…
“Our board papers start with three pages of background.”
Send Me All Claude Board SkillsStage 2 · 3 skills
Find What's Really Going On, With Honest Numbers
Break the problem into parts, find the real driver, size it honestly, and turn the findings into a few clear insights, so the board debates facts instead of theories.
2.1Build an Issue and Driver Tree
Skill file: 04-build-an-issue-and-driver-tree
Use when
When a number is moving (revenue, margin, donations, costs) and you need the real cause, not the symptoms
Output
Issue tree, driver tree, likely root causes, what to check first
Skill 4 · Find the cause
If you've ever thought…
“Everyone has a theory and nobody has the answer.”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills2.2Size the Gap and Value at Stake
Skill file: 05-size-the-gap-and-value-at-stake
Use when
When you need to show in hard numbers how big the problem or opportunity is
Output
Today vs target, sized gap, value at stake, comparisons, written-out assumptions
Skill 5 · Find the cause
If you've ever thought…
“Is this a big problem or a small one?”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills2.3Turn Findings Into Board Insights
Skill file: 21-turn-findings-into-board-insights
Use when
After the analysis, when you have lots of findings but no clear story for the board
Output
3 to 5 so-what insights, the evidence behind each, one overall message, what cuts against your answer
Skill 21 · Find the cause
If you've ever thought…
“We have pages of data and no idea what the board should take from it.”
Send Me All Claude Board SkillsStage 3 · 2 skills
Turn Real Options Into a Motion the Board Can Vote On
Give the board genuine choices, including doing nothing, then commit to one recommendation written as a motion with a precise ask.
3.1Compare Options and Trade-offs
Skill file: 06-compare-options-and-trade-offs
Use when
When the board needs real choices, not one plan with two straw men
Output
3 to 5 options including do nothing, 2x2 screen, weighted scorecard, stress test, what each gives up
Skill 6 · Choose
If you've ever thought…
“We only ever bring the board one option.”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills3.2Draft the Recommendation and Motion
Skill file: 07-draft-the-recommendation-and-motion
Use when
When the analysis is done and the paper must commit to one recommendation
Output
Recommendation, 2 to 3 reasons, the exact ask, conditions and confidence, a draft board motion
Skill 7 · Choose
If you've ever thought…
“The paper explains everything except what we want approved.”
Send Me All Claude Board SkillsStage 4 · 2 skills
Show the Board Exactly How It Gets Done
Make the recommendation real: steps, owners, dates and money on one page, plus the risks the board will ask about and who watches each one.
4.1Build the Implementation Plan
Skill file: 08-build-the-implementation-plan
Use when
When the board asks what the plan is, who owns it, what it costs and how you'll know it's working
Output
Phases and milestones, owners, cost and payback, measures with targets and review dates
Skill 8 · Plan
If you've ever thought…
“The board said yes. Now they want to know how.”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills4.2Build the Risk Register
Skill file: 09-build-the-risk-register
Use when
When you need to show the board the downside is understood before directors ask
Output
Risk register, likelihood and impact, early warnings, mitigations and owners, top 3 risks
Skill 9 · Plan
If you've ever thought…
“I don't want the board to find the risk before I do.”
Send Me All Claude Board SkillsStage 5 · 3 skills
Build a Board Packet Directors Actually Read
Package the argument so it lands: a storyline that leads with the ask, headline titles, a one-page summary with the decision up front, and a rehearsal for the toughest questions.
5.1Map the Board Paper Storyline
Skill file: 22-map-the-board-paper-storyline
Use when
Before building the deck or paper, so every headline leads to the ask
Output
Every headline in order, the evidence under each, a read-through test, what moves to the appendix
Skill 22 · Present
If you've ever thought…
“Our deck jumps around and the ask is on the last slide.”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills5.2Build the Board Packet
Skill file: 10-build-the-board-packet
Use when
When turning your work into the board deck, board pack or pre-read
Output
One-page summary led by the ask, headline slide titles, one number per slide, cover memo
Skill 10 · Present
If you've ever thought…
“Our board packet is 90 pages and nobody reads it.”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills5.3Rehearse the Hard Board Questions
Skill file: 11-rehearse-the-hard-board-questions
Use when
Before the meeting, to prepare for the hardest questions
Output
Likely questions per director, short evidence-backed answers, in-deck vs Q&A split, backup slides
Skill 11 · Present
If you've ever thought…
“I'm dreading the questions at next week's meeting.”
Send Me All Claude Board SkillsStage 6 · 8 skills
Read, Question, Vote and Minute Like the Best Director in the Room
For directors, chairs and whoever takes the minutes: read a packet fast, ask sharp questions, catch red flags, check before you vote, and leave with clean minutes and action items.
6.1Read a Board Packet in 20 Minutes
Skill file: 12-read-a-board-packet-in-20-minutes
Use when
When a thick board pack lands and the meeting is soon
Output
The ask, what's missing, what's buried, numbers that don't tie out, a one-page reading note
Skill 12 · Sit on the board
If you've ever thought…
“The packet just landed and the meeting is tomorrow.”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills6.2Prepare Director Oversight Questions
Skill file: 13-prepare-director-oversight-questions
Use when
Before a meeting, when you want to ask oversight questions instead of managing details
Output
Questions by area (strategy, money, risk, people, mission), your top 3 to ask
Skill 13 · Sit on the board
If you've ever thought…
“I want to add value in the meeting, not just nod.”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills6.3Run a Red-Flag Check
Skill file: 14-run-a-red-flag-check
Use when
When something in the board pack feels off
Output
Warning signs, what to ask, when to call your lawyer or auditor
Skill 14 · Sit on the board
If you've ever thought…
“Something in these numbers doesn't feel right.”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills6.4Read the Financials in Plain Words
Skill file: 15-read-the-financials-in-plain-words
Use when
When the finance report confuses you or a budget vote is coming
Output
Budget vs actual, cash and runway, reserves, what moved and why, restricted vs unrestricted funds
Skill 15 · Sit on the board
If you've ever thought…
“I'm not a finance person and these statements lose me.”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills6.5Run the Pre-Vote Check
Skill file: 16-run-the-pre-vote-check
Use when
Before any board vote or approval
Output
Enough-to-decide check, when to defer or add conditions, motion wording review, how to record a no vote
Skill 16 · Sit on the board
If you've ever thought…
“Am I really ready to vote on this today?”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills6.6Draft Minutes and Action Items
Skill file: 17-draft-minutes-and-action-items
Use when
After a board or committee meeting, when you have rough notes
Output
Clean minutes with motions and votes, action list with owners and due dates
Skill 17 · Sit on the board
If you've ever thought…
“I have three pages of notes and the minutes are due.”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills6.7Apply the Nonprofit Board Lens
Skill file: 18-apply-the-nonprofit-board-lens
Use when
When a nonprofit board faces a big decision, a merger or the annual 990 review
Output
Mission fit, restricted gifts and donor promises, private-benefit flags, Form 990 items
Skill 18 · Sit on the board
If you've ever thought…
“Our nonprofit board has rules a company board doesn't.”
Send Me All Claude Board Skills6.8Build a Decision-Focused Agenda
Skill file: 19-build-a-decision-focused-agenda
Use when
When planning the next meeting, or when meetings run long and decide little
Output
Agenda labeled decision, discussion or information, consent agenda, timings, pre-read deadline
Skill 19 · Sit on the board
If you've ever thought…
“Our meetings are all updates and no decisions.”
Send Me All Claude Board SkillsWhich Claude Skill Fits Your Board Meeting Question?
Match the question you're asking right now to the skill built for it. Each one maps to a step a board decision moves through.
Set Up Claude Skills for Board Meetings in 5 Minutes
- Download the skills pack.One zip with all 23 skills, one folder per skill, plus the cheat sheet. Keep the whole set or pull out only the skills for the stage you're working on.
- Turn on code execution in Claude.In claude.ai, open Settings → Capabilities and switch on code execution and file creation. On Team and Enterprise plans, your admin controls this.
- Upload the skills.Go to Customize → Skills, click +, then Create skill → Upload a skill. Start with 00-plan-your-board-prep-route, then add as many as you like. Using ChatGPT or another AI? Paste a skill's text into the chat instead.
- Ask in plain words.Paste in your notes, report or packet and say what you need. Claude applies the skill's method to your facts.
The Quality Bar Every Boardroom Prep Skill Meets
Every skill pushes Claude toward answers that hold up in a real board meeting, not generic AI filler.
Questions Board Administrators and Directors Ask About Claude Skills
What does this pack help me do?
It helps you prepare and run a board meeting that ends in a decision: frame the ask, build the paper and packet, rehearse the questions, then read, question, vote on and minute it.
Do I have to use all 23 skills every time?
No. Each skill stands on its own. Run them in order for a full board paper, or pull one skill when you only need an agenda, a motion or the minutes.
How do the skills get into Claude?
Each skill is one folder with a single file. Upload the ones you need in Customize → Skills, then ask in plain words or name the skill in your prompt.
I run the meetings but I'm not on the board. Is this for me?
Yes. Building the agenda, the packet and the minutes is exactly what Build the Board Packet, Draft Minutes and Action Items, and Build a Decision-Focused Agenda do. Plan Your Board Prep Route picks the rest for you.
Do I need a paid Claude plan?
No. Skills work on Claude's free plan. Longer jobs, like a whole board packet, run more smoothly on a paid plan.
Will the output sound like AI to my board?
Much less so. The skills ask for your facts, use named methods instead of filler, refuse to invent numbers, and write in plain, decision-first sentences.
Is it safe to use with board papers?
Only in an AI tool your organization has approved. Every skill reminds you of that. If in doubt, remove names and figures first.
Is there a course that shows me how to use them?
Yes. Board-Ready Skills for Claude is a short Board Director Institute course. It shows you what to type, how to answer Claude's questions and how to fix what comes back, on two real board decisions, and ends with a Certificate of Completion.
Is this legal advice?
No. It's general education. Where the law matters, the skills tell you what to check with your lawyer or in your bylaws.
Learn Every Skill, Step by Step, in the Course
Board-Ready Skills for Claude · the course
Run Board Meetings That End in Decisions
Your board doesn't need longer meetings. It needs a clear decision, a packet people read, and minutes the same day.
Board Director Institute is a company Michael Barrick founded. Claude is a product of Anthropic; Claude Skills for Boardroom Prep is not made or endorsed by Anthropic. General education, not legal advice.