How to write a good board report

How to write a good board report

Boards and committees rely on regular monthly or quarterly reports, e.g. finance, risk, and safety, to keep them informed. These reports will either reassure them that the organisation is on track or alert them to any ill winds blowing their way. Sounds...
Tips to improve board and committee papers

Tips to improve board and committee papers

  Many writers struggle with what to put in and what to leave out of a board or committee paper. Part of the difficulty is that board papers have to be SO concise these days. Gone are the days when you could write 10 pages. Now most boards want two-to-four pages...
Writing board and executive papers

Writing board and executive papers

How to write board papers when your organisation doesn’t have executive papers I’ve worked for a few organisations this year, large and small, that don’t have executive papers. The problem with not having executive papers is that writers produce board papers that read...
‘Directors don’t read their board papers’

‘Directors don’t read their board papers’

‘We know they don’t read their board papers because they ask questions that are addressed in the papers.’ I hear this complaint often from people who write and present to boards. Write so directors can recall the content I am sure there are some...
Writing board papers

Writing board papers

This article first appeared in LexisNexis’s journal, Inhouse Counsel. Board papers are a bit like dirty dishes — once you’ve finished one lot, the next lot has piled up, and the board paper round begins again. So how can you make the process simpler for...