The purpose of briefing is to convey information in a manner the audience can best receive the information. This could be for support, funding, information, a decision or general knowledge. Regardless, your responsibility is to present the information in a way that sticks in the boss’ mind. The briefing is not about what you know, how the slides look or about what you say. It is always about how your boss receives the information.
Following are some tips to help you prepare better briefings to help your boss. These tips go beyond the administrative considerations of posture, speaking voice, etc. Each boss and organization is different, but the concepts below will help you be a better staff officer to advise the boss.
Eye on the Purpose
When asked to brief the boss, always ask “Why?” Briefing the boss is the task, but what is the purpose? The “why” is that purpose. What the boss will do with the information determines what you emphasize in the briefing and how you package it.
Your purpose affects your agenda and the specific information you need to provide. Knowing the why is vital to determine the right information to include, what to say and how to organize the briefing. Additionally, know what the boss expects from the briefing—a decision, a course of action, risk identification, other agencies’ concerns, etc. Finally, make sure to answer the task the boss provided.
Consider your audience. What does the boss already know about the topic? Chat with the staff to understand the boss’ level of knowledge, as that will help you know what you can briefly chat about or what is new to the boss to cover in more depth. Know the equities your boss has in the topic, meaning the areas of an issue that impact their responsibilities or actions. Do they have approval authority, risk acceptance, funding approval? Consider other leaders who might be in the room and their equities on the topic.
You will need to conduct intelligence preparation of the boss. What slide format and text font do they like? Are they colorblind? What meeting is scheduled before and after yours? Ask the boss’ assistant if the boss was able to review the advance reading packet. Watch someone else brief the boss to get an idea of how the boss receives and processes information. Watch their body language and actions in those briefings so you are attuned to them.
When briefing senior officials, it is important to have a “purpose slide” to remind them why you are briefing them—for a decision, guidance, information, preparation, etc. This provides the boss with a picture that will guide how they receive the information.
It also is prudent to have a visual and verbal reminder of why you are there. “Ma’am, today we will be updating you on ‘X’ topic to prepare you for your panel engagement at ‘Y’ event on ‘Z’ date.”
Use phrases and words the boss uses or in the guidance they gave when discussing the topic. This helps them mentally sort and organize the information.
Create an Agenda
The agenda is the framework to organize your boss’ reception. How you word the agenda is critical, as it frames the presentation and is the link between the information that follows and the purpose.
There are two cardinal sins when briefing an agenda: reading it or saying nothing. One technique is to determine the two or three main topics most important to the purpose. Then indicate these—draw a box around them, put them in distinct color, put them in bold or underline them. Say something like: “Boss, these are the topics we are covering today. The ones in bold are most critical for our purpose.” Then, the boss can decide to go to the next slide or to what you indicate is most important.
What you say is the art of briefing. The content is the puzzle pieces that link to the purpose. A briefing is not a class, and senior officials are not there to take notes. If a topic is important to the purpose, it needs to be on a slide. Generally, if you speak it—put it on the slide. Brief important points and know what to clarify in detail. When deciding what to brief, ask, “Is this information right for the level I am briefing?”
Subject-Matter Expert
Learning the art comes from observing the senior leader in briefings, talking to others who have briefed them and being confident in your presentation skills. You must understand more of the subject than is on the PowerPoint slides. As the briefer, you are seen as the expert. Do not be afraid to direct a question to someone else in the room: “Ma’am, I’ll defer to Mrs. Smith to answer that.”
It is OK to say, “I don’t have that information but will get back to you,” then set a deadline for getting back to them. Be flexible and pace the receiver. Watch their body language. Finally, tell the boss what they need to know, not what they want to hear.
Nothing is more important than context to create meaning from the information. Above all, context is what the boss needs most. When briefing numbers, statistics, etc., be sure to address the context to provide better information.
It is not enough to say, “We delivered 150,000 gallons of fuel” when the unit needed 500,000 gallons. The “so what” is just as important. What does the number mean? Two commanding generals I worked for had a “SO WHAT?” sign at the bottom of briefing screens to remind briefers. Saying, “The 150,000 moves the unit from four to 10 days of fuel” is more valuable.
On Time
Most events and programs have a timeline. Bosses really need to know four things about timelines:
1. Where you are on the timeline, so mark “Today.”
2. That everything is on track, and the plan if it is not. Who is responsible for getting issues back on track, and does it need leader involvement?
3. Where and when is their next touch point? I define this as where the boss needs to be to make a decision or be present, such as a meeting, news conference, rehearsal, etc., that only the boss can perform.
4. Address any areas in which the boss has previously expressed interest.
Identify the risks to force, mission and resources. Leaders are not put in high positions to make decisions. They are there to accept the risk of any decision. As a staff officer, identify those risks and ways to mitigate them. Know whether your boss has approval to accept that risk or if the decision must go higher.
Wrapping Up
Solidify the information. The last slide is challenging. If for a decision, have the key points and a statement requesting the decision. If preparing for an event, list the key takeaways for the purpose of that meeting. If for general knowledge, then provide the main points.
I recommend not using bullets or symbols—use numbers. This way, if the boss says, “Speak more to Line 5,” you quickly know which item to focus on. The last slide should have useful substance that clearly links to the purpose you started with.
Anticipate a shorter briefing time. Be prepared to shorten the briefing by five, 10 or 15 minutes. Often, a boss will arrive late from another meeting, so you might have to get them back on schedule. Have a plan for what to focus on.
Inform the boss what is available to them in backup material that they can review if needed. Know what meeting the boss has next and if your briefing must end at a certain time, or if the end time is flexible. Always be prepared to go to a specific slide if the boss says, “I read the read-ahead, so go to Slide 16.”
Rehearse with others to ensure you cover the key topics, stay on time, etc. Rehearse at least once in the room where you will be conducting the briefing to ensure graphics and colors appear as you want. War-game the brief with others to anticipate questions.
These tips will prepare you so your boss understands and retains the information better because you know the “why” of your briefing. Understand how the boss receives and processes the information of value for better decisions.
Col. James Kennedy, U.S. Army retired, is an associate professor at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He served 25 years in the Army, retiring in 2014 as contingency operations branch chief, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, U.S. Army, the Pentagon. He deployed to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and Pakistan. He has three master’s degrees: in education from George Mason University, Virginia; in business management from the Florida Institute of Technology; and in military art and science from the Command and General Staff College.