Team Briefings

• Team members know what the organization wants to achieve, so they're more likely to work to achieve it.
• The team knows what each team member is working on, so they can decide how best to prioritize and delegate work.
• Particularly with remote teams, team members get to know one another better, meaning that they work together more effectively.
• Team members understand the obstacles they're facing, so they have an opportunity to find solutions and prepare for change.
• The team leader maintains regular communication to ensure that what needs to be done is actually being done.
• The team leader reinforces his or her role – and creates trust, cooperation, and commitment as a result.

How to Conduct Team Briefings

Step 1: Commit to a Process

Make sure your team knows what to expect from team briefings, and get buy-in from the organization to support the process.

• Ensure that the briefers are briefed regularly themselves. Make sure team leaders know what's happening at the various levels, including team levels, throughout the organization.
• Provide training on how to give team briefings.
• Recognize and reward supervisors and managers for conducting regular team briefings.

Step 2: Establish Ground Rules

Think about the environment you want to create in these meetings. The team is gathered for information sharing, and you want them to have an opportunity to ask questions and express their views. Schedule a regular meeting time, and establish these guidelines:

• Make sure no one is left out of the briefing. If certain people can't attend in person, find a way to include them in the process.
• Ask participants to stay on topic, feed back their thoughts in "headlines", and don’t allow the meeting to lose its focus.
• Stress the importance of being open, honest and polite.
• If a team member continually interupts, objects or becomes angry during a briefing, defuse the situation by remaining calm, and responding in a direct, positive way. Invite them to discuss the issue immediately following the meeting or at a suitable later date, if appropriate.

Step 3: Determine Your Objectives

Make sure you know why you are running the briefing and what the objectives of the session are.

Although many of your team briefing sessions will be about communicating good news, such as the end of year results or the launch of a new product or service, you should also be prepared to communicate bad news to your team.

For example, you might need to tell them that the organization is downsizing or merging, or that your department is being re-organized, with the possibility of job losses.

You only have a short time to communication information. Use these questions to focus on what you need to achieve:

• What is the key message you need to deliver and discuss?
• What does the team already know?
• What background information does the team need to know?
• What actions do you expect from the team, and individual team members, as a result?
• How much direction do you need to provide?
• When do these actions need to be done?
• How will team members know they were successful?
• What action items from the last meeting must be addressed?
• Do attendees need to prepare information before the meeting?

Step 4: Prepare Your Presentation

Briefings usually follow the same pattern: the leader delivers the information, attendees ask questions, and the leader summarizes the meeting, including information gathered through questioning and feedback.

To make this process work smoothly, the leader should plan and prepare a briefing that meets the team's needs. Consider using the following framework to prepare your message:

• Address performance. Communicate the organization's progress and performance since the last briefing.
• Give updates on changes and amendments. Discuss policies and procedures that have been introduced or changed.
• Discuss personnel issues. Address issues related to staffing or people within the organization.
• Clarify action items. Describe the priorities for the next time period at a team and organizational level.

For each of these points, consider what information you need to present, but also what affects your team the most. This will help you prepare for questions during the briefing.

You don’t have to do everything yourself on the day. If you need notes from the meeting, arrange for someone else to take them and leave yourself free to concentrate on conducting the briefing.

Step 5: Deliver Your Information

At the beginning of the meeting explain your purpose, and outline the boundaries of the briefing. Cover the areas to be discussed, what time the meeting will finish and the opportunities for following up with people who have specific questions that you can't tackle in the meeting itself.

When you present your briefing, follow these tips to make sure the team understands the message and what they need to do as a result:

• Choose your presentation method. Think about how your team prefers to receive and digest information, and prepare your briefing to take advantage of that.
• Keep it interesting. Use language and examples that people will relate to.
• Remain positive. No matter what type of message you deliver, emphasize the positive elements, while being truthful.
• Own the message. Don't try to distance yourself from the information you present.

Step 6: Invite Questions

Share information as openly as you can. Give employees the opportunity to seek clarification and raise any concerns by leaving plenty of time for questions and feedback at the end of the formal briefing.

• Listen to the questions raised and acknowledge that people have understood. Make your replies clear, honest and concise. If you are not sure what to say in response to a particular question, say so, and make a commitment to finding the answer and responding to the individual at a later date.
• Depending on the question(s) asked, you might also consider throwing some question open to the whole group and asking the team to find their own answers.
• When people respond to your briefing, listen actively. This helps to reduce conflict as well as strengthening co-operation and fostering greater understanding.
• Encourage quieter people to get involved. Address them by name and ask for their thoughts and opinions. For example, ask "James, what do you think about this issue?" or, "Siham, do you have any thoughts on this point?"

For detailed tips on delivering more effective presentations, take the Mind Tools quiz How Good Are Your Presentation Skills? Your answers will lead you to more information on the specific areas where you can improve.

Step 7: Summarize and Follow Up

As the briefing comes to a close, summarize the main points, confirm what you've discussed and agreed, and make a commitment about what the next steps will be.

Decide who will take responsibility to deliver specific actions, and ensure that everyone is clear about their roles and the timescales involved. Arrange a date for a further meeting to follow up on any outstanding issues and discuss progress made.

Use the briefings as a way to improve overall communication, trust, and commitment within the team.

• Reinforce the messages. Think about ways to strengthen the messages you’ve covered, perhaps through email, your intranet, or messaging platform such as Teams or Slack.
• Review feedback. Consider the feedback you received in the briefing, and use it to improve your management and leadership style.
• Discuss relevant issues with your boss. Let your own manager know about what was asked in the meeting, what your team was most concerned about, and any questions you were unable to answer.
• Distribute briefing material to absentees. Ensure that those who weren't able to attend the meeting receive important information covered.