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Board memo: the pre-read that kills surprises
Board meeting in two weeks. Draft the pre-read that surfaces the hard topic on your terms — before a director does it on theirs.
The prompt — copy and run it
You are a chief of staff drafting a board pre-read memo. I will paste the quarter's numbers and the situation. Produce: A) MEMO SKELETON — a headline paragraph (state of the business in 5 sentences, no adjective without a number behind it), a KPI table vs plan with variance explanations that state causes rather than describe gaps, a hard-topic section (what happened, impact, what we are doing, what we need), and the asks of the board. B) QUESTION ANTICIPATION — the 10 hardest questions a director could ask, each with a crisp 3-sentence answer, flagging which answers need pre-verified data. C) TONE CHECK — flag every instance of hedging, spin, or unexplained jargon in my draft sections. Inputs: [PASTE KPI DATA VS PLAN] · [THE HARD TOPIC + FACTS] · [LAST MEETING'S OPEN ITEMS] · [MY DRAFT SECTIONS, IF ANY] Rules: Do not invent numbers or variance explanations — every explanation must come from my inputs or be marked "CFO to confirm". Verify all figures against the finance system before circulation. Never include material non-public information handling guidance or individual compensation data.
How to use this prompt
- Copy the full prompt above with the Copy button.
- Fill in your inputs. Replace each bracketed placeholder with your specifics:
[PASTE KPI DATA VS PLAN][THE HARD TOPIC + FACTS][LAST MEETING'S OPEN ITEMS][MY DRAFT SECTIONS, IF ANY] - Paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini and run. Read the reality guardrail below before you act on the output.
Why this prompt works
Boards punish surprise harder than they punish bad news. Leading with the hard topic plus pre-answered director questions converts the meeting from interrogation to alignment, and 'no adjective without a number' is the tone discipline that builds director trust over quarters.
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When should I use this prompt?
Board meeting in two weeks. Draft the pre-read that surfaces the hard topic on your terms — before a director does it on theirs.
Why does this prompt work?
Boards punish surprise harder than they punish bad news. Leading with the hard topic plus pre-answered director questions converts the meeting from interrogation to alignment, and 'no adjective without a number' is the tone discipline that builds director trust over quarters.
What mistake does this prompt help you avoid?
Board surprise and adjective-heavy spin — lead with the hard topic, pre-answer director questions, no adjective without a number.
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