CONFERENCE AND BRIEFING

TECHNIQUES

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

A.Introduction to Conference/Briefings

Effective briefing skills require the ability to

handle face to face meetings and briefings
with confidence.

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

1. Key Elements to Effective

Presentation
Effective briefing skills require the ability to handle face to
face meetings and briefings with confidence

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

Content
Content deals with the substance of the presentation.
Thus, concepts and information should be original and
significant. To do this:

• Conduct researches and reference those sources as needed;

• Offer a clear analysis that’s comprehensive and concise at the
same time – strive for the right amount of information for the
audience’s needs and the allotted presentation time;
• Make sure that content is relevant to the audience, so that they
understand immediately why they should pay attention to the
presentation.

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

According to the book 

Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery
(Reynolds 2012), the characteristics of presentation content which called
SUCCES(s): 

 Simplicity – reduce information to key points and essential meanings

 Unexpectedness – pose questions, offer interesting statistics, “make the
audience aware that they have a gap in their knowledge and then fill that
gap”
 Concreteness – use specific language, provide real-life examples
 Credibility – use sources, facts, statistics to back up your content; deliver
information confidently; know your information well
 Emotions – engage your audience to feel something about your content
 Stories – use examples and illustrations to create a “story element” to the
presentation

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

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Organization
Good organization requires a clear beginning, middle, and
end. Link ideas logically throughout the presentation to
lead to an ending that resolves the problem or summarizes
the situation presented at the start. Strive for clear
transitions between individual points, slides, and topics.

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

Delivery

Delivery involves a range of factors from body language

and word choice to vocal variety. A good presenter has a
passion for the subject and an ability to convey and
perhaps elicit that emotion in the audience.

Delivery also deals with the confidence and

professionalism with which the speaker delivers the
presentation.

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

2. Analysis of Audience
 
Audience analysis is the process of gathering information
about the people in your audience so that you can
understand their needs, expectations, beliefs, values,
attitudes, and likely opinions. It is important to adapt the
speech according to the types of audiences to generate a
better response.

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

Importance of Analyzing the Audience

a. Analyzing different types of audiences will lead the

speaker to crucial insights that can help in creating a
positive bond with the audience.
b. Audience analysis prevents the speaker from delivering
an incorrect or offensive message. It will also warn
against delivering a message that can be easily
misinterpreted. It will help in speaking to the audience
in the language they understand and appreciate.

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

Types of Audience Analysis

a. Demographic Analysis. This includes taking in factors
such as age, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, marital
status, socio-economic conditions, education,
occupation, etc.

b. Psychographic Analysis. It covers understanding the

attitudes, beliefs, values and thinking patterns of your
audience.

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

c. Situational Analysis. This includes factors such as

audience size, the occasion, the room layout, the stage
layout, motivation, or interest level of the audience.

d. Multicultural Analysis. The content of the speech should

acknowledge the diversity of the audience.

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

3. Purpose and Briefing Preparation Checklist

A briefing is intended to provide information quickly and

effectively about an issue. This is often used to influence
decisions or offer solutions. Thus, learning superior
briefing skills does not only benefit organizations but also
helps personal development and career enhancement.

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

Preparing an Effective Briefing

 
Consider the following issues when putting a briefing
together:
a. What is the purpose of the briefing?

b. What points do you need to cover?

 Clarify the constituent parts of the issue and may also be required
to make recommendations on how to proceed
 Provide some insights into the key points and considerations so
that the decision-makers are best placed to come to a conclusion
 Point out areas of potential controversy and suggest the likely
impact of any anticipated actions
If making a recommendation, explore a range of solutions before
making a persuasive case for your chosen one

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

c. Who is going to read/listen to it?

 
d. What do they need to know?
 Not all detail is appropriate for all audiences; consider
who you are writing for.
 Do not bore them with ‘irrelevant’ information, or prevent
them from making a decision (or answering others’
questions) because they are missing a crucial piece of
background detail.
 
 What do they already know?
 What do you need to explain to them?
 What affects them?
 What interests them?

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 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

e. How will you structure the information?

 
 Purpose – a statement of the issue or problem in one or
two lines, clearly explaining the purpose of the briefing
 Main Body – information on the background, current
situation and options available to move forward. The
information given should be concise, factual, clear,
substantiated and unbiased.
 Conclusion/Recommendations – this summarizes what
you’ve already said and should include no new
information.

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 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

f. What will it look like?

 
 Short – preferably no more than 2 pages
 Clear – has a clear purpose, easy to follow, no jargon
Concise – well edited, not too wordy
 Reliable – information is accurate, with notification of
missing information
 Professional – Proof read for errors, good use of white
space to look inviting. If your company or department
has a house style, it should be followed.

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

A. Briefing Types

Military Briefs are designed to present selected information

to commanders, staffs and other audiences in a clear,
concise and expedient manner. The types of military briefs
are dictated by purpose.

Although there are elements, which are common to all

four, each type of brief is distinct in that it is designed to
accomplish a specific purpose.

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

a. Information Brief. It is designed to merely provide

information to an audience. An information brief deals
only with facts.

The basic format for the presentation of an information

brief is as follows:
 Introduction
 Body
 Conclusion

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

b. Decision Brief. This is designed to be presented to a

commander in order to elicit a decision.
 The outcome is usually the manner in which a unit will
execute a pending mission.
 After being presented and considering the strengths and
weaknesses of each COA, the commander can make
an educated decision.
 The format for a Decision Brief is built upon the
Information Brief.
 Introduction
 Body
 Conclusion

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

Staff Briefing. The staff briefing is the most widely used

military briefing and is used at every level of command. It
is used to secure a coordinated or unified effort. The staff
briefing is designed for the rapid, oral dissemination of
information.

• In peacetime, staff briefings are normally conducted on

a scheduled basis. In combat, they are held as often as
the situation requires.

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

• At the battalion level, the executive officer usually presides

over the staff briefing, but the commander may elect to do so
if he desires. The individual presiding normally begins by
identifying the purpose of the briefing and may review the
mission of the next higher headquarters.
 Staff representatives present matters that might pertain to,
be of interest to, or require coordination action by other staff
sections.

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

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• The format for presentations by each staff member during the

staff briefing varies and is dependent upon the commander’s
guidance.

d. Mission Brief. These are used under operational

conditions to impart information or to give specific
instructions for accomplishment of the mission.

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

C. Preparing a Brief
 
The preparation or creation of a brief involves several steps. A briefer
must have a thorough knowledge of the subject to be presented.
Knowledge is gained through research.

a. Analysis
 Determine the purpose of the briefing
 Consider your audience
 Consider the time and schedule contingencies
 Consider the requirement for equipment and facilities. Size,
comfort, accessibility, acoustics of the facility, and freedom
from

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

b. Research Topic/Write Outline

 Tailor topic(s) to meet time restraints/constraints
 Collect authoritative material to support your position.
Examples include statistics, surveys, and interviews
 Determine main ideas to form the foundation of your brief
 Sequence main ideas in logical order
 Write an outline
 
c. Write the Briefing

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

d. Rehearse. It is the best way to alleviate excessive

nervousness. Complexity of the briefing and time available to present
it will govern the amount of time you devote to rehearsals.

e. Prepare a Briefing Packet. An effective packet helps to guide

an audience through the brief.

Effective packets serve as a “tour guide” and follow the following

guidelines:
 
 Synchronized with presentation to prevent constant page
turning
 Simple, large – bulleted format
 Contains only essential information.

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

 Items incorporated in a briefing packet include, but are

not limited to, the following:
 
 Title Page
 Orientation Tab
 Situation
 Request For Information & Assumptions
 Mission
 Commander’s Intent
 Execution
 Timeline

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 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

 Administration
 Logistics
 Command and Signal
 Conclusion
 Questions
 
f. Use of Notes
g. Use of Media
h. Use of Visual Aids
i. Use of Pointers

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

D. Delivery of the Briefing

 
1. A military brief is a highly specialized type of speech. It is
characterized, more than any other type of speech, by conciseness,
objectivity and accuracy. A successful brief depends, not only on
organized content, but also on how the briefer presents it. A confident,
precise and forceful delivery, based on in-depth subject knowledge
and the following, will succeed:
 
 Present the subject as directed and ensure it is understood
 Conclusions and recommendations must be logical
 Need for brevity precludes a lengthy introduction and/or
summary

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

2. Communication Techniques. Effective verbal

communication involves the effective use of each of the
following techniques:
 
 Volume. Volume is vital in holding listeners’ attention
 Inflection. Inflection is directly related to volume
 Rate. Rate is the speed of delivery
 Force. Force is used to emphasize a particular syllable,
word or point

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

 Pause. Pauses are used to accomplish the following:

allow the listener to absorb information; provide
punctuation; provide the listener an opportunity to
prepare for the upcoming topic.
 Grammar. Grammar is the correct use of the written
language. Always use proper grammar in front of any
audience
 Pronunciation. Pronunciation is defined as speaking
individual words properly, without deviation. Regional
accents are acceptable if words are spoken clearly and
distinctly
 Articulation. Articulation refers to the clarity of spoken
words

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3. Interruptions. Interruptions and/or questions can

occur at any point throughout the course of a brief. (
 
4. Bad Mannerisms. Avoid the following:
 
 Generalities and “scoop words”
 Sarcasm
 Do not slouch
 Lack of eye contact
 Do not remain motionless for an inordinate period of time
 Pacing. While you should avoid appearing statuesque,
excessive pacing also suggests nervousness
 Do not use acronyms, abbreviations or special jargon
before determining the audience understands and can
decipher them without effort
 Nervous “fiddling”

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

5. Characteristics of an Effective Briefer

 
 Has an orderly mind
 Evaluates the purpose of the brief
 Is prepared
 Varies rate and inflection
 Recognizes and responds to audience feedback
 Is BRIEF

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course

 Module 3 – Conference and Briefing Techniques

END OF PRESENTATION

Public Safety Officers Candidate Course