Writing about risk in a board paper

Writing about risk in a board paper

Directors care about risk because if things go wrong, the consequences can be dramatic and long-lasting. Just think about the impact of the Australian census website crashing on census night, and the fallout from VW’s emission failure. All organisations share some...
Writing a background section in a board paper

Writing a background section in a board paper

The background statement in a board paper is often seen as the easiest section of a paper to write because the information is factual and historical. But when you look more closely into what’s required in a background section, it’s not as easy as it seems. The main...
‘Concise’ is often over-emphasised in board reporting

‘Concise’ is often over-emphasised in board reporting

By Mary Morel | July 2016 Everyone wants to read concise board reports and papers, but lately I have noticed an over-emphasis on length as a criterion. For instance, I have heard about one board telling management to reduce its board pack by two-thirds, and another...

Taming Templates (Melbourne, 11 August)

So many secretariat teams waste their precious time formatting papers and correcting grammar and style issues. Why not refresh your templates and guidelines and push the responsibility back on writers to use them better? Good templates encourage writers to place key...