Stripes and Bars AMAURY MURGADO
BRIEFING SKILLS Effectively providing information in a briefing requires choosing the right presentation method for a given audience. BRIEFINGS are an essential part of life in law enforcement. addition, you should look for a framework for organizing Briefings are conducted at many different levels and for dif- your information that includes a chronological order, cause ferent reasons. Sometimes they are necessary and some- and effect, problem and solution, categories, or in a straight times they are just for show. Either way, you will have to do forward question and answer format. It's always a good idea to cover a timeline. Present any them, so you might as well do them well. Information given out before the start of a shift is the most background information that is necessary to bring the aucommon type of briefing. After that, briefings involve oper- dience up to present day. Break down any large pieces of ations or special events. Every supervisor must possess ef- information into usable chunks. If possible, organize your fective briefing skills that include an array of delivery tech- briefing by position, groups, or individual missions. That niques, the ability to communicate clearly and concisely, way those being briefed don't get lost in information that doesn't apply to them. and a way to prepare for audience needs and questions. Always be prepared to handle questions. Anyone being Before you can pick your delivery method, you must first briefed expects you to have the answers. Also, determine the purpose of your briefing. Is it BRIEFINGS BY don't allow anyone to take over your briefing. merely to present the facts, or to give instructions, or are you proposing a solution to some NATURE ARE There always seems to be one person in every type of problem? The purpose of your briefing SUPPOSED TO briefing who either has a million questions or tries to poke holes in your information. If after forms the basis for your presentation. BE BRIEF. a few questions they won't stop, tell them you Your next step is to define your audience. will speak with them afterwards to discuss You must answer who is being briefed, what their concerns. their roles are, and what you anticipate they Audience prep goes beyond just identifying your audiwill expect from you. If you fail to identify your audience ence. You need to dig deeper to find out the best ways to reach correctly, your briefing will fall on deaf ears. The third step is to find out where you will be giving the them. There is a theory that suggests where you sit is where briefing. The location will dictate what type of equipment and you stand, so audience perspective becomes what drives presentation aids you might use. If it's a conference room or the train. For example, the way you brief a road patrol squad classroom, it may already be prepared for the use of laptops, will be much different than how you would brief members Smart Boards, or other technologies. On the other hand, if of your command staff. An officer is usually interested in you are briefing in a parking lot, right before you stage, a ver- how things will affect them and the way they do their job. On the other hand, command staff are usually focused on how bal briefing with a paper handout may be your only option. Let me give you one strong word of warning here. Don't things will affect the agency. Do your homework and present doom your briefing to death by PowerPoint. PowerPoint is the right information, in the right way, to the right people. The reason people hate briefings is the same reason they a great tool but it shouldn't be your briefing. It should only help you highlight important facts, locations, or pictures. hate meetings; they feel they can be a waste of time and No one wants to sit through 60 slides of fluff while you read they tend to run long. Briefings by nature are supposed to be brief. As a presenter, one way to ensure effective and coneach one. The principles of effective speaking apply to briefings. It cise briefings is to focus on who, what, when, where, why, doesn't matter whether it's an informal or formal briefing. and how. You should only brief when there is a need to do so. Be clear and concise. You don't want to waste anyone's time, Don't be afraid to question whether conducting a briefing so limit yourself to facts, the minimum amount of infor- is the best method. Sometimes an email, memo, or face-tomation needed to get your point across, or a specific set of face meeting with a few key players to answer specific questions will serve you better. instructions. Whatever presentation method you use, remember to structure your briefing by way of an introduction, body, and Amaury Murgado retired a senior lieutenant from the Osceola conclusion, and include a question and answer period. In County (FL) Sheriff's Office with over 29 years of experience.
J
6
POLICE JULY 2017
freeinfo.policemag.com/754408
Train Your Team Find in-person and online courses on FirstForward®
FirstForward has hundreds of courses you can assign to your officers and track for free. If you need to manage more, FirstForward also has PRO tools to: • Create a private course catalog • Manage training records • Issue and track certifications
• Assign policy documents • Evaluate performance • Fill open positions
The only place to find the NCP catalog.
Learn more at info.firstforward.com/PRO
freeinfo.policemag.com/770248