How to Debrief

Learn how to debrief from leadership training experts, with over 250 leadership teams trained. What do the Navy SEALS, New England Patriots, Blue Angels, FBI SWAT, and Mayo Clinic surgical teams all have in common… They Debrief their Performance! All elite, high-performance teams are deeply committed to debriefing their performance. Debriefing is an indispensable activity for any person or organization that wants to rapidly improve. It is the engine that drives organizations from “good” to “great.” How to Debrief In our debriefing sessions, we asked these three questions: 1. What went well? 2. How can we improve our performance? 3. How, specifically, will we make that happen? Step 1. Ask, “What went well?” We always started the debrief session on a positive note by asking ourselves, “What went well?” The key learning principle here is that behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated. By emphasizing exceptional performance we ensured we’d see that level of excellence again. The key to success is to insist on specifics. Don’t allow the team to hide behind general, non-specific, non-observable comments. Step 2. Ask, “How can we improve?” Next, we analyzed where performance could have been improved. The key here is to allow each person to analyze their own performance (self-assessment) before offering input to one another. Step 3. Ask, “How can we make it happen?” In this step, we forced ourselves to be very explicit and specific on exactly what actions must be taken to improve. This step is where the real learning occurs. By verbalizing our action steps for next time we triggered a pattern of electrical signals through our neurons, increasing the speed and strength of the signal through the neural pathways. Don’t Poison the Well The team leader or person leading the debrief always asks for input from others before offering their own opinion about what went well or what can be improved. Team leaders that offer their own performance assessment prior to seeking the input of others will taint the quality of the input that is received and cripple the effectiveness of the feedback session. Recap the Action Items The most effective way to do this is to recap the debrief with a brief discussion about “Who does What by When?” Debriefing Works in Healthcare! A recent study showed that debriefing in the surgical suite reduced the proportion of surgical cases with reported defects, was associated with a significant reduction in the 30-day unadjusted surgical mortality, lowered costs by substantial gains in efficiency and productivity, and led to a better workforce safety climate. The need to increase value in health care is more urgent than ever. Debriefing is an effective method of producing more efficient, error-free health care and should be in the tool kit, and part of the culture, of every high performing healthcare leader and organization. Links: