Australian Corporate Lawyer - Autumn 2020

theAustraliancorporatelawyer
PowerPoint presentation slides that just contain shortened
statements are often requested to be used as part of
or attachment to a board paper. The risk of PowerPoint
presentation slides is that it is only when the slide is presented
that there is enough detail and clarity to explain the subject.
This makes it difficult for board members to understand the
matter fully and properly prepare in advance of the board
meeting.
The board must have proper oversight of the issue in order to
make an informed decision, so provide context for the paper,
setting out how the subject matter fits in to the landscape
and environment. Directors are not necessarily familiar with
all organisational issues, but, conversely, they do not need to
know every detail or everything you can think of about the
subject of the project, investment, negotiations or agreement.
12 | VOLUME 30, ISSUE 1 – AUTUMN 2020
7. Be concise
Most likely your company imposes a word or page limit
on the length of the paper as a hard and fast rule. This
encourages board paper authors to focus on explaining
the subject and the point of the information. You need to
prioritise information and highlight the salient points to
ensure the board receives information clearly and efficiently,
to steer the discussion to the right decision and not spend
board time focussing on less relevant information. If you have
lengthy paragraphs of written text or sentences, consider
using dot points, but no more than six dot points; otherwise,
the effect is lost.
Consider the detail and extent of the material required. You
may risk weakening the focus of your report or frustrate a
director by having them wade though information irrelevant
to the strategy or broader picture. It is often said ‘quality over