The Art of the Debrief

I have long been interested in teaching others. Going way back to high school days when I’d volunteer as a tutor in the inner city of Chicago and teach gymnastics to K-8 grade kids on the weekends. I had no idea this interest in teaching and training would persist over time, into my professional life. Had I known, I would have learned more about what I would call the Art of the Debrief.

I have had the great pleasure of designing and facilitating kick-off retreats for research teams starting a new project or revitalizing an existing one, conferences focused on maximizing interactions that yield substantive outputs and outcomes, and workshops that introduce new skills for collaborating effectively. The most satisfying part of all these ventures is seeing the proverbial lightbulbs go off as people explore, discover, and learn together.

The more I have planned events and executed them over time, the more aware I have become of the art of the debrief. Initially, I would save a few minutes to ask a couple questions at the end of an exercise or after a section of a workshop. To be honest, I didn’t really think much about those questions initially – they were more of a way to transition to the next topic. But as I continued developing strategies for and designing events, I started to realize I was doing something without my conscious volition. I was extending the debrief times. What was leading me to do that?

Looking back at my sessions, I could see that I was whittling back the amount of time I spent telling, explaining, or sharing, to its absolute core. I was devoting more and more time to having the participants talk to each other, engage in exercises, and work through questions. And the time devoted to debriefing those experiences was getting longer too.  With this awareness I realized that this was the purpose of many events I was designing. To maximizing participant learning and let them figuring out how to integrate it into their work and their lives.

So, what makes the debrief so powerful? Why resist skimping on it?

• It slows everything down and gives people a chance to reflect – reflecting on experiences, conversations, and reactions is where learning occurs

• It encourages people to think about what they are thinking about – not something everyone is trained to do

• There is an opportunity, for those who wish to, to share their thoughts with others, which often sparks reactions such as agreement, expansion of ideas, or a new thought

• They can spark actions such as follow-up meetings, discussions, and next steps

• It helps people reflect on their own feeling and behaviors – and gives them a chance to consider whether those approaches are working for them, or not – and if not, to make a commitment to doing something differently

My philosophical approach to debriefing comes from my coaching training. The debrief is not a time for me to do the heavy lifting. Instead, it is a time for the participants to assimilate, share, and teach each other. Some of the most powerful debriefs ever have happened when I have a feeling that a someone has more in their head than they just shared and I ask something like “Are you willing to share a bit more about that?” The person starts speaking again, the room becomes fully engaged, insightful discussion emerges, and we go way over time. Sometimes what is being discussed is far more important than trying to get to the next thing on the agenda.

Here are a few of my ‘go to’ debrief questions:

• What occurred to you during that exercise that has never occurred to you before?

• Did anything surprising happen during that interaction?

• What was your reaction to ….?

• Does anyone have any thoughts about [what we just did]?

• Having just practiced [this], can you think of any recent experiences that could have benefited from this approach?