Normally, it is Franziska who does briefings rather than I, but recently I was asked to debrief a relatively large team that had just completed leading a course together. I made an interesting observation in the process, one that applies to many if not all programmes or events that need to be evaluated at the end with participants and the leading team.
Let’s assume the programme went very well. Let’s say “very well” means 98% was somewhere between good and excellent and 2% was not good. People have an incredibly strong need to talk about that 2% and express themselves. They have to share the one or two things they found truly difficult, unfair, etc. In contrast, much of the 98% can remain unspoken – as far as they are concerned.
The net effect of this is that a group debriefing tends to focus on negative aspects. This can be quite hard for the team or the leader(s) who led the programme, especially since this often comes at a point of increased vulnerability due to tiredness. In most cases people will be heading home shortly after the debriefing. There is therefore no opportunity to leave a day or two for at least basic physical recuperation. This leaves those on the receiving end with a concentrated dose of criticism that would be hard to digest even on the best of days.
It may not be possible to avoid this entirely, but there are ways to mitigate it. Perhaps it is possible to process some of the critical feedback in small groups and capture it in writing. This may not be sufficient, because people may well feel the need to express their point in the larger group, but it may help.
Especially helpful in a situation like this is to end the debriefing with a time of affirmation of the team or the leaders. They need to hear what they did well, how their efforts were appreciated, and how they themselves as people are appreciated.
Provide some balance for the 2% that needs improvement!
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