5 Tips for Better Board Reports

Do you want to impress your board of directors with better board reports?   Support them better?

Provide a concise, clear and insightful document that directors can quickly read and understand what is important for the business.

Tips on how to do it ➡

#1         Purpose of the Report

#2         Key Message

#3         Be Insightful

#4         Bring a Board Perspective

#5         Cut it Back

Tip #1: Focus directors on the purpose of the report.

Why?  It helps the board understand what management is looking for.

How? State the main purpose of the report.

📗 For Information
📘 For Discussion
📙 For Decision

Bonus:  Include information that supports that main purpose.  For example:
📗 For Information – Tie it back to a prior board conversation or the organization’s strategy.
📘 For Discussion - Include background information and suggest potential topics for discussion.
📙 For Decision - Include draft wording of a resolution, or key elements of a requested decision.

Tip #2: Clearly and quickly convey your key message.

Why?  The reader (and report drafter) immediately focuses on the most important information.

How?   Start the report with the most important point first.

✔️ Clearly mention the most important takeaway(s).

✔️ Put it into an executive summary or overview section.

Bonus:  Limit the executive summary to 1-2 paragraphs so that it is focused and clear, and to avoid repeating the content of the report.

Tip #3: Be insightful.

Why?   Directors want to know if the information is important or just interesting.

How?  Support your key message with insightful information.

💡 Include key assumptions, data, scenarios, trends & comparative information.

💡 Focus on the most informative & persuasive information.

💡 Say why it matters and what it means.

Bonus:  Explain how the information moves the strategy or ties into other critical business issues. 

Tip #4: Bring a Board Perspective

Why?   This demonstrates your understanding of director responsibilities and areas of concern. 

How?   Connect your message and information to your board’s focus areas.

Examples:
🔎 Strategy, goals and budget
🔎 Material risks
🔎 Organizational capacity and resiliency
🔎 Stakeholder perspective

Bonus:   Directors want to have a discussion on key issues, not just listen to management report out.  Create a conversation – i.e. “Do you have any concerns that I haven’t addressed?”

Tip #5: Cut it Back

Why?  Aim for concise and clear.  A common director complaint is board books are too long.  Research also shows that too much information can dilute the message and undermine credibility.

How?
🔆 Remove wordiness, vagueness and repetition.
🔆 Avoid including unnecessary operational details.
🔆 Leave out the background story (steps taken, who was involved) if not important.

Bonus:  Save some details for the meeting.  It will give you something to mention - and then avoid reading the board materials to the directors.