The word “debriefing” refers to a review process that takes place after a task or experience, to assess what went well and what went wrong. It seems that it began in the United States in the military field and later moved to the business world, but progressively it has also been applied to everyday life situations. Debriefing is extremely important to develop good leadership and managing teams well.
“Debriefing” is generally explained as “after the action” or “after the task,” and is used to describe a meeting in which the results of a task or project are discussed, with the goal of learning from each experience and improving in the future. The term “after-action analysis” or simply “review” can also be used. For me, debriefing is one of the simplest actions, but also very useful to improve the results of any activity. I have been using it for years to improve the performance of my students and to improve the performance of projects (both personal and professional) in which I participate. As Amy Cuddy, an American psychologist and writer, says, “Debriefing allows us to reflect on our successes and failures, and helps us become more aware of our strengths and weaknesses.”
There are many ways to do a good debriefing. I usually use just 3 POWERFUL QUESTIONS, WHICH HELP ME TO ACHIEVE BETTER RESULTS.
- What went right? This question identifies things that went well during the task or experience. The goal is to acknowledge successes and strengthen positive aspects for future assignments or experiences. I always like to start with the positive because it fosters good dynamics and facilitates improvement processes.
- WHAT WENT WRONG? This question identifies things that did not work during the task or experience. The objective is to identify areas for improvement and opportunities to correct errors and avoid their repetition in the future. This point must be treated “with love” because talking about the negative can sometimes annoy, offend, or even demotivate. Be firm in identifying what went wrong but choose your words well to explain it.
- WHAT WILL WE DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME? This question focuses on identifying specific actions that can be implemented in the future to improve performance. The goal is to learn from the experience and develop an action plan for future tasks or experiences. I always like to give the initiative to the students or to the people who participate in the project so that they themselves are the ones to identify what needs to be improved and how they are going to do it. In this way, greater involvement and commitment are generated in this process of change and improvement. However, at your discretion, you must also be clear about what should be done differently next time. And discuss it with them in case they haven’t identified these ideas themselves.
In short, I recommend that you incorporate the debriefing technique into your main activities, both personally and professionally. They will surely help you achieve better results. I finish with a quote from Sharon Salzberg – an American writer – that perfectly summarizes the concept of debriefing and its importance: “Reflection is an essential part of learning. Debriefing after any experience is key to personal and professional growth.”
