The three-minute decision brief
This is a sample practice activity. Choose a low-stakes decision, such as changing a weekly meeting format or improving a shared filing system. Your audience is a colleague who must understand the proposal and decide on a next step.
- Opening: explain the decision you want the audience to make.
- Context: describe the current difficulty with one concrete example.
- Proposal: explain your recommended change and its practical implications.
- Close: state the next action, who would own it and what still needs checking.
Prepare a few speaking notes. If you use slides, give each slide one clear purpose and make any figures readable from the back of the room. Keep supporting detail available for questions instead of trying to say everything in the opening.
Turn a vague opening into a useful one
First draft: “Today I’m going to talk about our meetings and some ideas we have been discussing.”
More specific: “I’d like us to try a 15-minute Monday planning meeting for two weeks. I’ll explain the current overlap, the proposed agenda and how we can check whether the change helps.”
The second version gives the audience a decision and a structure. It also makes the proposed trial clear without claiming a benefit that has not been measured.
Give feedback on observable behaviour
Ask an observer to make notes on these five questions. Avoid broad labels such as “confident” or “boring”; describe the moment that helped or confused you.
- Could I explain the requested decision after the opening?
- Was the example relevant to the people in the room?
- Could I follow the order of the ideas without guessing?
- Were the voice, pace and visual material easy to follow?
- Did the ending make the next action clear?
Useful feedback sounds like “I understood the proposal when you gave the agenda example; moving that earlier would help.” Ask the presenter what they were trying to achieve before suggesting a change.
Repeat once, changing one thing
Choose the most useful adjustment and deliver the brief again. Changing the opening, reducing one crowded slide or pausing after a key point is easier to evaluate than changing everything at once. Have the observer use the same checklist on both attempts.
Download the practice brief and feedback sheet (.txt)
What to look for in presentation skills training
Ask how much individual presentation time the programme includes, how feedback is given, and whether participants can practise a relevant workplace topic. If the main difficulty is everyday listening or team conversations, a communication programme may be a better fit.
Welingtons’ two-day Presentation Skills course includes presenting, receiving feedback and presenting again. Meet facilitator Kamine Kethieswaranathan, compare the outline with Workplace Communication, or discuss an in-house workshop for your team.