You will hear a radio interview with Donald White, the author of a book abou

You will hear a radio interview with Donald White, the author of a book about running board meetings.
For each question, 23-30, mark one letter(A, B or C)for the correct answer.
After you have listened once, replay the recording.
You have 45 seconds to read through the questions.
[pause]
Now listen, and mark A, B or C.
[pause]
Woman: Good afternoon, Donald. Your book, The Successful Board Meeting, will, I’m sure, soon be compulsory reading for directors. Please tell us first what you see as the chief role of the board meeting. Do people attending them really play the power games we see in TV dramas?
Man: That can happen, of course. Certainly, people who don’t attend them are often cynical about board meetings. The tendency is to see them as a place where fat cats congratulate each other on their success. But that public perception is false - they’re actually far more frequently used as the place where new strategic ideas are discussed.
Woman: So what advice would you give a company wanting to make board meetings more successful? Is it just a matter of making sure the right people are on the board?
Man: That’s certainly important. As well as having someone who is skilled at chairing meetings effectively. But, I’m with a chairman I heard about the other day - he cancelled a board meeting because the papers weren’t ready. It is no good inviting people to a meeting when they haven’t got time to consider the issues in advance.
Woman: Then the meeting will be more effective, won’t it?
Man: That’s right. It also saves time as the presenters at the meeting don’t have to formally present the conclusions of their report and can instead focus on fielding any questions that arise. This means there’ll be more time for the chair to lead a more productive discussion of any issues raised by the report in general.
Woman: You’ve mentioned the chair several times. Obviously the choice of chairperson is crucial to a board’s effectiveness. Who do you think makes the best chair?
Man: The role of the chair is to support the chief executive and help him do the best job possible but not to do it for him. Often an outgoing executive takes on the role of the chair, but they can find it a difficult part to play if they are not really ready yet to give up the reins - so I’d go for someone who’s heading for the top. An inexperienced business person, though, is a bit of a risk as the skills needed by a chair do have to be learnt.
Woman: What qualities and skills does the chair need then?
Man: It has to be someone who can resist the desire to impose his own will on the board. He must ensure all opinions are covered and must be able to keep people calm at stressful moments. He should be able to point out the strengths in any argument and help the board come to the best decision possible.
Woman: I suppose the agenda is another important factor in running a successful meeting?
Man: Yes, it’s extraordinary how little time is devoted to prioritising what goes on the agenda. It’s often drawn up by a secretary from a standard list because the people attending the meeting are supposedly spending their time focusing on more important matters. I think many senior executives think it’s an administrative matter that is beneath them.
Woman: So what’d you suggest?
Man: Well, for a start, it can be more sensible to think through agendas on an annual rather than an individual meeting basis so that routine issues are on the agenda for just a couple of the year’s meetings rather than for every one of them. A lot of routine points are there because they are always there and people then get bogged down discussing those with the result that there isn’t enough time to discuss what really needs to be talked through at this high level.
Woman: Any other key advice you’d give?
Man: Well, yes, I’d remind people that what happens after the meeting is of great importance too. A meeting is only as good as its follow-up. Ideally, minutes should be distributed within twenty-four hours of the meeting both to people who were at the meeting and those who were not able to attend. Otherwise people who were there won’t be able to check whether the minutes represent a true and accurate version of what was said. And they must be accurate so they can be signed off quickly at the next board meeting.
Woman: Thank you.