"The course is a sensible, structured and interactive approach to dealing with the challenges of distilling complex topics and issues into clear and concise briefing notes."

P.C., Director

"This session was extremely well organized and presented. The real world experience and extensive knowledge of the instructor made him a valuable resource we should all have access to. The course was extremely well priced for the value it provided. I would recommend it to anyone."

K.S., Content Review Analyst

More Testimonials

 

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:

• The pre-workshop exercise takes three to four hours.

• The workshop itself lasts two days, running from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

• The post-workshop exercise takes from two to four hours.
  
  

Briefing Notes Format

The format that we normally teach is shown here. Its key elements are:

• purpose line

• subject

• summary

• issue

• background

• considerations

• 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:

• our unique step-by-step model and how to use it

• 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

• group discussions

• written exercises

• oral exercises

• 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.

 

 

Writing a briefing note can seem like a bewildering challenge at times.  As Henry Ford said, however, “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.”  The model above does just that for briefing notes.  It sets out the tasks that we all deal with — consciously or not — in any briefing note.  The model helps us to address those tasks methodically and with sound reasoning.

The step-by-step model is a tool, not a rule.  No two people will use it entirely alike.  In theory, you should first write a frame of reference, then develop the content, then select the medium, and finally prepare the message itself.  In practice, you will probably find yourself jumping back and forth from one stage to another.  Even so, the model provides important insights into what to think about, when to think about it and how to think about it.

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What Is Included

Your registration fee includes:

• two days of workshop instruction, discussion and practice

• personal feedback on the pre-workshop exercise and the post-workshop exercise

• a 250-page workshop manual

• a handy 24-page quick-reference guide that provides:
  • the classic format of a briefing note, along with pointers on its content
  • tips on how to write efficiently and effectively
  • advice on how to plan the foundation of a briefing note to help avoid problems before they happen
  • an outline of the strategic thinking that underlies a sound briefing note

• tasty lunch and refreshments on both days

You will also have:

• online access to a 390-page easy-to-read reference manual

• online access to over 274 templates (each in MS Word and WordPerfect) for briefing notes, briefing books, memos and letters

   

Revised March 11, 2016