I was recently interviewed for an article that appeared in BoardRoom Insider on Better Board Presentations. If each issue is as good as this excellent piece, you might want to consider subscribing.
I want to thank Ralph Ward for providing me with a copy and permission to share it.
The primary point in the issue is that management needs to give the board the information they need, when they need it.
Rather than massive volumes of data that may or may not be information, and rather than trying to sell the board on what they want, management needs to understand what the board members actually need.
Board Intelligence is a software company with products for the board. Its newsletter, to which I subscribe, has good content. In its latest issue, it says:
As a board’s remit grows, so too do its board papers — with the average board pack now well over 250 pages, according to our research.
The company also tells us:
“Don’t tell me everything you know. Tell me what I need to know.” This is the key to a great board paper. And boards rely on high-quality information to drive high-quality decisions.
The information provided to the board has to be concise, clear, and (especially) objective rather than biased towards the decision management wants the board to make.
I like what Ralph says about PowerPoint…
