Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your Board Reports
Your board’s report is crucial to keeping your board members up-to-date with all the significant events that have occurred since the last board meeting. A well-crafted and concise report on your board will improve the overall performance of your business and allow you to achieve the best possible results for your customers.
Making a top-performing board report that your stakeholders will appreciate is a daunting task for many businesses. A poorly written report could cause confusion, ineffective decision making, and a lack of clarity about the direction of your company. To ensure that your reports to the board are effective and efficient, there are a few common mistakes to avoid.
An executive summary that is thorough is an essential component of your board report. It provides details and key takeaways from each slide in your board report, allowing your board to easily understand and take in the information you’ve presented.
Presenting only good news: Showing only good news in your board reports will confuse the board and affect their Board resolutions decision-making in a significant way. A great report on the board should always be clear and transparent, and will include both successes and failures for an objective, balanced assessment.
Failing to include committee reports The inclusion of the status of various committees in your report will allow your board members to stay informed about the latest progress and any issues that may be emerging.
Visuals are crucial The board members will be more enthused in your report if it include infographics, pictures, and tables. The human brain is better able to process visual information than text by itself, so be sure to incorporate some type of visualization into your board reports.