There is a famous line that says "I would gladly have written you a shorter note if I only had the time." It is hard to be both concise and thorough, and it takes a lot of editing and challenging every word. Creating the pre-meeting board package is typically a group effort for the executive team, with the CEO as the managing editor. Everybody has something to say, and most executives view it as an opportunity to put their best foot forward. The problem is that not everything needs to be said, and not everything is relevant or important to the board.
A good rule of thumb for the CEO is to test every statement in the write-up by asking the question "so what?" If an executive includes a fact or a status in their communique to the board, it must be accompanied by the answer to the "so what?" question. If the answer is weak, or doesn't seem to rise to the level of importance that is appropriate for the board, then the CEO-editor has to eliminate the content from the book, or require that it be recast in a more meaningful way.
The book should contain priority content that communicates facts along with management's judgement, recommendations and plans. It should demonstrate that management has considered the implications of the facts by clearly answering the "so what?" question. There also needs to be a clear understanding of what management would like the board to do with the information - what is "the ask." Board members should not be left trying to figure out "why do I care?" or "what does this mean to the business?"
The more concise the board book becomes, the more it will focus on topics that matter. Board members have a limited amount of time to prepare for each meeting, and the pre-meeting materials need to speak to the board members in a clear and concise manner. Extraneous content, or minor issues become distractions that will consume board time that could be better spent on important matters.