#27 - Balancing succinct briefing with the need for accuracy!
4 Sep 24
Briefings should be both accurate and succinct.
It is a critical skillset to master. Too much information presented and the key points are buried. This results in additional questions being asked to elicit the information required.
Too little information and accuracy is sacrificed and things appear better than they actually are. This leads everyone into a false sense of security.
Striking a correct balance between the two is a skill that takes time to master.
But it is achievable!
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#27 - Balancing succinct briefing with the need for accuracy!
What?
We have probably all experienced receiving a brief from one of our team members which is ridiculously long-winded, takes forever to be delivered, and which gets right down into the weeds. Most people lose the will to live!
But equally, we have probably had scant briefs where excessive 'filtering' has taken place. This results in a rosier picture being painted than expected outlining a situation which you know is a lot worse than is being briefed!
Or, alternatively this can lure you into a false sense of security thinking things are better than they actually are.
Striking a balance between the two is a key skill which all leaders must master, and pass on to their teams.
Why?
The detailed brief takes up too much of the leader's valuable time, consuming bandwidth and exposing unnecessary detail. This results in the message being lost.
It will be lost for two reasons; the leader will lose the will to live and just shut down and stop listening. Or, the real nuggets of information will be buried within the padding and nugatory information that is being presented. This results in the briefer being asked lots of questions to elicit the information required
In both situations, the whole rationale for the briefing is lost.
How?
So what is the best way to overcome this? How do you ensure that you present just the right amount of information, but not too much so that the messaging is lost?
The best way to approach this is to use the acronym 'PERT'.
'PERT' stands for:
- P - What is the PROBLEM? What is the nub of the issue that you want to discuss?
- E - What EFFECT is this problem having? What can't you do anymore? What is the impact caused by the problem?
- R - What is your RECOMMENDATION or RECOMMENDED course of action to resolve the issue and return things to normal? This is briefed to provide your line manager with the opportunity to veto your intended action, or to signal that they support it.
- T - What is the TIMESCALE to achieve resolution of the issue? Is it hours days or weeks? This provides your line manager with an indication of how long they have to live with the issue.
Adoption of the acronym above ensures not only that you cover all the main bases required of a succinct brief, but also keeps it short and to the point.
Don't get a reputation that you are paid by the word, keep it brief and keep it accurate!
Your boss will thank you for it!
In Summary
I hope that you enjoyed reading this newsletter and that it has given you food for thought.
The ability to brief accurately and succinctly is a critical skill. It takes practice to perfect.
But once you master this skill, the number of clarifying questions that you are likely too be asked reduces considerably, and your life gets easier as a result.
Have a great week!
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