Include in your kitbag of ready answers a well-worn phrase that will save you the pain and agony of a flummoxed or incorrect response to unexpected questions: “I don’t know, ma’am (or sir), but I’ll get you an answer.”
style. My chain of command led me through the process from preparation through execution, and I’m happy to report that the briefing, which was critically important to my program, was successful. I took notes, added some lessons learned from steps in the process that didn’t go perfectly, and codified the “12-step program” below. I’m hoping that it will help captains and majors new to the Acquisition Corps avoid my mistakes.
Although that briefing to the AAE went very well, a few weeks afterward, I delivered another briefing to the PEO and skipped a few of these steps—with unfortunate results. I recognize now that I will never fully graduate from this 12-step program. Tose of us who are new to the acquisition workforce need to prepare ourselves methodically and deliberately to communicate with senior acquisition professionals as we learn processes and ter- minology that are foreign to us. So, as much as I want to share my ordeal with my fellow majors and captains, I also wanted to write this for myself. I will always be a recovering terrible briefer. But I have confidence that if I use this process as a guide and prepare myself thoroughly, I can deliver a professional briefing to anyone, communicate decisively and give myself better than even odds at getting a favorable decision—and so can you.
STEP 1: ADMIT THAT YOU HAVE A PROBLEM. Have you ever wondered after a briefing if you communicated well or not? If the person you briefed really understood what you were trying to say? If the other staff officers in the room deliberately avoided eye contact because your briefing style was so bad that you embarrassed yourself? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” odds are that the briefing was not good, and you did in fact embarrass yourself. If you suspect that you’re not a good briefer, you’re probably not. If your chain
of command tells you that you need to work on your brief- ing skills, you have a bigger problem than you thought. Skip the denial, anger, bargaining and depression and go straight to acceptance. Once you’ve come to terms with the fact that you need to work on your briefing skills, get better. Tis process helped me to improve.
STEP 2: FIGURE OUT WHAT YOUR MESSAGE IS, WHAT DECISIONS
YOU
WANT
AND WHAT THE “ARC” OF THE BRIEF SHOULD BE. Ten build the draft slides. Te first movement of a symphony follows a standard format: exposition, develop- ment and recapitulation. Te theme
is presented up front, explored thoroughly in the middle, and repeated at the end. While I recognize that briefings are not exactly Beethoven, the same logical structure applies. Figure out what the central message (theme) and supporting points are and state them up front along with any decisions you want (exposi- tion). Show the data supporting the message and decision in the middle, and then repeat the message and ask for the decision at the end (recapitulation). Build a breadcrumb trail of logic from the introduction through the data to the conclusion. Figure out what you want to say first, then create some initial rudimentary slides to allow you to adjust fire. Print the slides and lay them out and, with the help of your chain of command, put them in a logical order. Bring in a contrarian—someone to play the red team—to find holes. Finally, build on the rudimentary slides to create a suitable initial draft.
STEP 3: COORDINATE THE SLIDE DECK WITH STAKE- HOLDERS, THEN COMPLETE THE DECK. Who else has a stake in what you’re briefing? Te capabil- ity developer? Te Army Test and Evaluation
Command (ATEC)?
Te Army Contracting Command? Once your chain of command
has approved the draft slides for release, send them out for comment to the appropriate stakeholders. After you have adjudicated the stakeholders’ comments, complete the deck, ensure that it’s visually appealing, and get the chain of com- mand’s approval. Be sure to highlight any areas of dissent and explain why, in your considered opinion and based on the relevant facts, the decision should be made anyway.
ASC.ARMY.MIL 111
COMMENTARY
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