A committee report outlines important updates relative to the committee meeting. Learn how to write a committee report by following these tips.
Boards must navigate a variety of issues and opportunities. Executive leaders often appoint committees to investigate such matters and recommend the best action plan. To ensure the effectiveness in solving a particular issue during a committee meeting, a committee report is written to provide clear insights, findings, and guidance.
Whether you’re a committee secretary in a for-profit or nonprofit organization’s board, it’s critical to understand the fundamentals of writing a committee report. If you’re new to the topic, read on to learn valuable insights for writing a detailed and concise committee report.
What is a Committee Report?
A committee report is a document that details the findings and recommendations on a particular issue discussed by a board committee. Committee reports serve as guides to steering committees, summarizing the committee’s findings and recommendations.
There are several types of committee reports, including reports on the routine matters affecting a committee’s operations (such as a request for a deadline extension or consent to travel), reports following the completion of an inquiry, or a report on the implementation of a new idea.
A committee report is an integral tool for any board. The appointment of individuals to a committee is used to gather insights, facts, and data to make informed decisions on critical issues.
September 21 at 2:00 PM ET. August 17 at 2:00 PM ET. Leading this session will be Donna Hamlin, Ph.D. Dr. Hamlin is a corporate governance executive with thirty years of corporate governance and strategy consulting experience.
How to Write a Committee Report
Committee reports consist of a structured format that focuses on several key components. Consider these tips to write a committee meeting report you can present to the executive committee.
1. Take Detailed Notes During the Meeting
Taking meeting notes helps you understand the topics under discussion and makes it easier to recall the details later. Therefore, note the date, time, present committee members, their titles, and the length of the meeting. Additionally, list the agenda and any topics the committee postponed from the previous meeting.
Take note of the members who concurred, those who dissented (and why), and any other crucial issues discussed in the meeting. If the committee still needs to agree on a particular topic and postpone discussion, note the issue and when it’s scheduled for discussion.
2. Commit to Brevity
An effective committee report should be concise and clear, only detailing the most crucial information. Use simple language and logically structure your points for easy understanding. Make any necessary changes to the document before drafting the conclusive meeting report. Moreover, ensure the document is free of grammatical errors and compare it to your meeting notes before presenting it to the steering committee.
3. Outline Action Items
Make sure to specify the action items and any recommendations the committee makes, including the number of members who concurred versus those who dissented. Do the same for each item on the agenda. Depending on the committee and the reason for the meeting, you may be required to add supporting information, such as statistics, data, and other insights to back up the claims listed in the report.
4. Proofread the Report
Proofreading a committee report before submission helps you identify any errors or areas that need clarification. You can proofread the document yourself or ask another member of the committee. Having multiple people proofread the report ensures the document is as error-free and accurate as possible.
5. Leverage Board Meeting Technology
Board technology streamlines the processes leaders use to govern committee meetings. Board management software enables you to create a report, make edits if necessary, and quickly change any information on the report before presenting it to the executive committee. Leveraging technology also alleviates the need to print out hard copies or addendums. Additionally, a committee meeting management platform allows a board finance committee, for example, to discuss issues while taking notes in the cloud.
Adopting board meeting software provides several benefits, including:
- Quick access to critical board information
- Improved board member engagement
- Enhanced security and data protection
- Streamlined board administration
- Reduced board administration costs
OnBoard Drives Committee Effectiveness
Considering the critical matters committees discuss, you want to ensure committee meetings run as efficiently as possible.
OnBoard offers a user-friendly platform that enables you to streamline your governance practices for effective meetings and committee reporting. With features such as task management, Zoom integration, minutes builder, messenger, voting and approvals, and engagement analytics, our board management software ensures your meetings run effectively and securely.
Ready to learn more? Reach out for a free demo and make sure to download our new board meeting minutes template!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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About The Author
- Josh Palmer serves as OnBoard's Head of Content. An experienced content creator, his previous roles have spanned numerous industries including B2C and B2B home improvement, healthcare, and software-as-a-service (SaaS). An Indianapolis native and graduate of Indiana University, Palmer currently resides in Fishers, Ind.
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