How to Brief your Boss on the Spot

October 7, 2019 Sarah Gershman

Sarah Gershman, Executive Speech Coach and Presentation Skills Trainer in Washington, D.C. offers tips to brief your boss on the Spot
One of the challenges every employee faces almost on daily basis is getting caught unawares when your boss asks for a quick brief or status update on a current project or assignment. Many a time we stumble and do not know how to answer succinctly and feel insecure, incompetent and all over the place.
Sarah states that when asked for on the spot update the next time we must use the following tips. Begin your sentence with the words “One of.” As in:

“One of the things I’m working this week is…” or
“One of the most important things I’m working on is…” or
“One of the most important new developments is…” or
“One of the things I’m most proud of is…” or
“One of the challenges we have right now is…”, etc.

Sarah points out that when we use the words “one of,” you force your brain to focus on one thing. This is far easier – and far more effective – than trying to summarize a whole month’s worth of work on the spot. “One of” lets your boss focus on just one piece of information and at the same time – indicates that there are other things happening as well. Those two simple words would help show your decisiveness, focus, and clarity.

So the next time you are asked to brief on the spot, start your sentence with “One of.” Your brain will focus, your nerves will calm, and your supervisor will be grateful