We have a system of "Team Brief" in our organization, which has run very successfully for many years, helping to scotch the grapevine rumour machine by being there with the "real" news first.
But things have moved on, some of what we do now is very different to how it was when Team Brief began. I have been asked research the subject and see if we can improve what we have, so I wondered if anybody had been in the same situation, or indeed had just started Team Brief in hteir organization, and what ideas there were for content and delivery/presentation that might refresh our tired old thing.
All thoughts/answers gratefully received.
Andy Tattersall
3 Responses
team brief
Dear Andy
I think it depends what business you’re in, and what you hope to do with the OUTPUT (not the imput) but things which might help “refresh” the team brief:
– High and low points of the previous week/month/quarter to share, celebrate and improve
– competitor watch; what’s going on outside and what can be stolen/ borrowed and absolutely avoided
– city news – if you’re a quoted company, what’s happening to the share price and an idea of why
Could suggest lots of stuff, but without an idea of why you do the team brief,and what industry you’re in, it’s a bit difficult.
Happy to chat further.
Team Briefing
Andy
I have been involved with Team Briefing for several decades, and if I had a wish-list, it would be:
– consistent ‘core briefing’ for all, no variations, within 24-48 hours dependent upon the number of sites and shifts, by trained mangers/briefers with full senior management support
– relevant ‘local briefing’ consistent with reality and what folk wanted to know (ask them?)
– and above all, a feedback mechanism to go back UP the management chain with integrity (very rare!).
The last is the most challenging perhaps, and where the most work needs to be nowadays?
I might also add, if it is not common practice already, the briefing MUST include the ‘bad’ news with the ‘good’ for credibility; help in understanding the implications of agreed messages is critical; and ‘senior managers’ MUST be committed to the process and sensitive to both their colleague’s information needs and their likely sensitivities – and understand that their feedback is just as important as the messages they wanted to communicate…
All obvious I know. I just wish I didn’t keep on meeting management teams who ‘daren’t’ tell their colleagues ‘the full story’.
If ‘you’ don’t trust ‘me’, why should ‘I’ trust ‘you’!
Best wishes
Jeremy
Team Briefing
I have used a technique I have branded as TalkBack. It is in the style of a press conference. You can vary the exact format but it works something like this:
• Three to five members of the Management team hold a Press Conference style forum
• Broad topic area is publicised at least 3 days in advance
• All staff are invited to attend
• Questions can be submitted to a nominated person in advance (these questions can be asked by a volunteer on the day or by the person raising the question)
• Questions can also be asked spontaneously on the day
• Minute taker makes a note of the response
• Questions and answers are publicised on the intranet the next day
• Where the question cannot be answered immediately it should be noted and the answer publicised later
• Ideal duration 10-20 minutes. Fast. Friendly. Frank.
• Alternative 1: have someone in the chair (Question Time format)
• Alternative 2: have Chief Executive/a Manager in the hot seat (MasterMind format)
Good luck!
Graham