Backbriefings Made Simple

This book is about Backbriefings. It's the revised and updated 2024 edition.

A Backbriefing is a Plan of Action briefing you give your boss or client explaining how you intend to accomplish their objective by identifying all their expectations before starting work.

It was created for you and everyone in the workforce, regardless of your occupation, position, or level of authority, to help you achieve the effectiveness and success you deserve.

I created this series to give you the essential best practices and critical success skills needed to help you rise above the crowd, be the best at whatever you do, and stand out rather than just fit in.

How do you know if the work you’re about to do meets your boss’s or client’s expectations? Answer: You don’t unless you give them a Backbriefing explaining what you intend to do to meet their expectations.

No matter how talented you are, if you assume you already know what they want, you risk starting over or looking for a new job. Put yourself in their position. They want peace of mind that you understand what they want.

The main cause of business problems is failing to uncover all expectations before starting. But how do you avoid this? One way is to conduct a Backbriefing before starting work.

A Backbriefing doesn’t have to be a major theatrical production. It could be as simple as a one-on-one conversation over coffee. The only important thing to remember is to cover the six key topics you’ll learn here. This best practice is a great way to achieve a “meeting of the minds” before work begins.

Backbriefings enhance mutual understanding and trust by exchanging questions and answers to ensure no unmet expectations or hidden surprises appear later. And they also enhance your credibility, thus relieving the need for micromanagement.

Using Backbriefings in business helps improve communication, reduce errors, and ensure everyone is on the same page. If you fail to conduct a Backbriefing with your boss or client before starting work, do so at your peril.

I know that by learning, using, and sharing these actionable tactics, techniques, and tools, you’ll be well on your way to becoming the one who adds the greatest value to your team—making you essential.

Enjoy the book.

To your SUCCESS!