Intervoce / Guide for internal meetings

Board meeting: aligning for the decision with Intervoce

When a board needs to finalize a difficult decision, it is rarely a counterparty that is the problem. The problem is that the same data carries different weight for different members. Intervoce follows the discussion, marks where you agree and what is still missing, and helps you formulate a decision you can defend externally.

Start a negotiation

A board meeting concerning an investment, an acquisition, or financing has an external party involved even when no outsider is present: the bank, investors, the buyer, or an owner who must give their approval. Select 'Internal strategy meeting' and enter who the decision is directed at. This way, objections in the room are treated as input for the decision, not as opposition to you.

01 / Prepare

Before the meeting: build a concrete briefing

Attach the supporting documentation as a PDF, Word document, or text—for example, a capitalization table, budget, board documents, or proposal—or paste the content directly. Distinguish between facts and assessments, and specify the intended recipient of the decision so the advice is tailored to your actual goal.

What we need to agree on: Write down what needs to be decided: which option you are weighing, what mandate the management should receive, and which conditions must be met before the deal is final. Also, note what is already formally decided and what is still under discussion.
My boundaries and priorities: Specify what you cannot support: maximum risk, minimum return, or conditions that make the decision impossible to defend externally. Describe what the company will do if the board does not reach an agreement, such as waiting, saving, or taking a smaller step.
Background information: Attach board documents, budget, cash flow forecast, contract drafts, and auditor comments. Mark what are assumptions and what is verified. Intervoce does not check the data and does not take mandatory corporate law rules into account.
External party: Describe the party who must say yes but is not present: the bank, an investor, a buyer, or an external owner. Write down what they require to agree and what questions they have asked previously.
The external party's likely objections: Prepare for what the external party is likely to object to, for example, borrowing, timing, valuation, or board representation, and what your response is. Note also which objections in the room are legitimate uncertainties and which lack supporting evidence.
The participants: Describe the participants: chairman, board members, CEO, and any advisors, as well as who has a connection to the matter. This makes it easier to see where a view comes from and what needs to be resolved before the decision.
Other relevant information: Note the timeline, how minutes should be kept, whether any conflict of interest exists for any member, and who communicates the decision externally. Keep the space for free discussion separate from what is to be documented.

02 / Negotiate

During the meeting: keep the discussion focused

Turn uncertainty into a list, not a fight

When two members have conflicting assessments, the discussion easily becomes personal. The advice helps you turn the question into what is missing: which figure, which investigative step, or which condition would settle it. Sometimes it turns out the difference is just the time horizon, not the assessment.

Distinguish between the decision and the negotiations

The board can decide on a direction without locking in the details that are negotiated with the bank or the buyer. Determine what is a mandate and what must be brought back. A mandate that is too broad gives management leeway no one actually intended, and one that is too narrow forces a new board meeting.

Write down why you chose as you did

A decision that needs to be defended before a bank, owners, or future stakeholders needs to retain its foundations: which alternatives were weighed, which assumptions were made, and what would make you change your mind. Intervoce can help you summarize this from the discussion, but the responsibility for the minutes is yours.

03 / Summarize

After the meeting: from discussion to the next step

The summary sorts the decision, remaining disagreements, and what needs to be done regarding the external party. Check it against the minutes and documents, and do not let it replace the official minutes. Decisions requiring formal requirements, voting, or changes to agreements still need their legal review.

Transcription and advice in your meeting

Intervoce transcribes the conversation continuously and labels voices with speaker numbers. Speaker labeling and words can be incorrect; check especially amounts, dates, and who made a commitment. With Pro or Poweruser, you also get strategic advice based on the conversation and your briefing. Basic is for transcription and summary, without live consulting.

For Teams, Meet, Zoom, and Webex: open the meeting in the browser on your computer and share the meeting tab with audio in Chrome or Edge. Installed meeting apps are not captured via tab sharing. Use a headset. In a physical meeting, you can use the microphone; overlapping speech and echo make interpretation less certain.

Inform the participants before the transcription and ensure that the processing is permitted; in several countries, the consent of all participants is required. Only attach material that you have the right to process and share with the service's providers. Read the privacy policy before using sensitive information.

The decisions are yours. AI can misinterpret both conversations and agreements and does not replace legal, financial, or other qualified advice. Intervoce does not automatically verify market prices, salary statistics, or the counterparty's finances; provide current sources in the briefing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Intervoce help us prepare the matter before the meeting?

Yes. Enter the matter, the options, and the external party into the briefing, and let the advice point out what is missing before you gather. The data still needs to be verified by you.

Does it work when the board is in different locations?

Yes, if the meeting is held in the browser and you share the meeting tab with audio in Chrome or Edge. Audio from video meetings is compressed, so some lines may end up with the wrong speaker. You can correct them by clicking on the voice label.

Who sees the meeting notes?

Only you and those who share your organization. No audio is saved. The transcript and summary remain in the meeting until you delete them. Read the privacy policy before processing sensitive information.