Twelve Habits of Effective Briefing in Organizations

Bonus companion thread to ‘Principles of Effective Briefing in Organizations.’

1. Take mental responsibility for the outcome. Taking ownership of the outcome is the essence of the job and it’s the only way to anticipate the information needed to accomplish the mission.

2. Think like the boss. I don’t mean know a lot about the boss, I mean pretend you are the boss without ‘wearing the rank.’

3. Help the principal think and lead. You’re not briefing just one person; you’re helping one person brief an entire organization.

4. Wait and be patient (to a point). Most of the time it’s better to slow down and gather facts than it is to rush an incomplete picture to the boss.

5. Orient the principal. Unless the information is immediately intuitive (e.g. there’s been an earthquake in San Francisco), state the topic up front (e.g. I have an update for you on the situation in Syria.…).

6. Wait a beat, then continue. Give the principal a chance to detach from previous thoughts and focus on the incoming content. The best brief is not a brief at all, it’s a conversation, so it’s imperative to control the pace of information.

7. Put the Bottom Line Up Front. Don’t bury the lede under non-essential information. Secretary Panetta started most meetings with the single question, “What’s the headline?”

8. Be precise and don’t overreach. Don’t make a grab for insight; just state the obvious. Every sentence in a brief should either state a fact, provide context about the fact, or characterize the fact. (Addendum to 8. No information should interrupt the flow of factual information. The primary job of a briefer is to keep words out of a brief, not put them in.)

9. Bring solutions, not problems. I learned this habit in the Navy submarine force. State the situation, state what you’re already doing, state what you plan to do, and state what you recommend, including options if necessary.

10. Expect the principal to set clear expectations about the information he or she needs, as well as the right briefing rhythm to support effective decision-making and leadership. Be cognizant of your relationship with the principal and seek to develop trust.

11. Present information as it relates to the broader picture. The principal doesn’t just want to know what’s in the book – the principal wants to know what’s in the book, what you think about that information, and how you’d place it in context.

12. Don’t just listen, *record* key information in writing. You will always learn a lot more from reading your notes the next day. Because a brief is one part of a continuous process, a pen is a briefer’s most powerful tool.