Whiteboards, or dry-erase boards are useful communication tools for meetings and presentations. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your whiteboard.

Placement:

The first thing you will want to do, of course, is to make sure that everyone in the room will be able to see your whiteboard during your presentation. If the the board is on wheels, see if you can get access to the meeting room some time before your presentation and plan out the best location for your whiteboard. Some of the more advanced boards have the ability to be hooked up to digital projectors and screens. This can be essential for larger rooms, such as auditoriums. Once you have found what you believe to be a good spot for your board, don't be afraid to ask if everyone in your audience can see it.

Writing:

To the extent that you are able, you should take some time before your presentation to carefully draw and charts and graphs that you will be using. Some of the better presentation boards have several different slates upon which you can place your information. Whether or not you have one of these boards, make sure to use markers that are dark enough to be seen from everywhere in the room. Bright colors are great, but sometimes they can appear a little bit light for writing. Use the brighter colors, then for graphs and such and write your text in black or blue letters. Also when writing text, block letters are more easily read than cursive, so take some time and practice, or write out what you can beforehand.

Accessories:

A pointer is never a bad idea, as it helps to keep your audience on track, and lets them know where you are in your presentation at any given point. Whether you use a physical pointer or a laser unit is entirely up to you. Make sure that you have a nice clean eraser, and it wouldn't hurt to have some cleaner spray on hand in case the board is a little older and doesn't erase as well as it should.