Approach to Teaching
An Energetic and Rewarding Learning Environment
Each workshop is limited to 15 participants.
Henry Ford once said, “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.” This workshop does just that for briefing notes, using the innovative step-by-step model shown below.
Time Commitment
To obtain optimal learning results, this in-depth program asks for a significant time commitment from participants:
Briefing Notes Format
The format that we normally teach is shown here. Its key elements are:
- conclusion or recommendation(s)
We believe there is much merit in this format. It economizes on space while providing headings that accommodate any need that could arise.
Pre-Workshop Exercise: Research Paper
Two weeks before the workshop, we send participants a 20-page research paper by e-mail. They spend about three hours reading the research paper and doing an exercise with it before the workshop starts.
Workshop Lesson Plan and Techniques
The workshop’s two-day lesson plan is built around three streams of learning:
- a challenging case study (based on the pre-workshop exercise), in which participants progressively apply the techniques learned from the step-by-step model to develop a full briefing note in point form
- writing in a clear and crisp style
During the workshop, we use diverse techniques and tools to create an optimal learning environment:
- lectures with slide presentations
- the case study, in which participants work in small groups to plan, develop, organize and format the content of a full briefing note in point form
- a hard-copy manual of 245 pages, complemented by answer sheets for the exercises
Post-Workshop Exercise: Final Briefing Note
At the end of the workshop, the instructor asks participants to complete a post-workshop exercise. In it, each participant develops the case study into a final-form briefing note. We provide a template for this in Microsoft Word format.
Within two weeks of the close of the workshop, each participant submits his or her final briefing note for the instructor’s review, sending it by e-mail in a Microsoft Word file. The instructor then responds with comments, edits and and his own version of the final briefing note.
We believe we are unique in offering this measure of personal feedback.
Certificate of Achievement
Participants receive a certificate of achievement if they:
1. complete and submit the pre-workshop exercise 24 hours before the workshop starts; and
2. attend at least 12 hours of the workshop itself; and
3. complete the post-workshop exercise within two weeks of the close of the session; and
4. complete an evaluation of the workshop after receiving feedback on the post-workshop exercise.