Writing board papers is a challenging task usually completed under pressure: pressure to submit a paper on time (any paper!) and pressure to do yourself and your argument justice.

The challenge is further complicated when we are too familiar with our content - and potentially too intimidated by our Board - to fully recognise what the Board needs from us.

While the Board's needs are superficially simple: a robust argument mapped out so that an insight-hungry, time-poor group of people can come to terms with the content quickly and use it as a basis for progressing the business, they are difficult to provide for any time, but particularly under pressure.

Having helped executives at hundreds of companies prepare board papers over the past 40+ years we have come to firmly believe that structured thinking techniques provide the best results. We have distilled this experience into providing you with a three-step process as well as a set of 22 example arguments to help guide your own board paper preparation.

This pack will help you clarify and present your argument to your Board by helping you
•  Understand your Board's requirements
•  Map your argument from the top down
•  Check that your argument works for your audience

This paper is prepared by teamneosi, a group of consultants who specialise in helping people clarify complex material and present it to demanding audiences.

Having begun their careers working as communication specialists for McKinsey & Company, teamneosi now serves corporate and consulting clients inside and outside Australia.