Debriefing: Two Minutes Well Spent

If you don’t raise these suggestions or concerns while they are fresh in your mind, they could be lost and the opportunity to improve the process or make something safer is passed.

This is where the value of the debrief becomes apparent. Learn to do more of what went well and avoid repeating what didn’t go quite so well.

Anticipating the cry from seafarers of “not another procedure or report to write”, debriefs do not need to be formal, lengthy or intrusive. Taking no more than two minutes to informally discuss the task or operation you and your team have just carried out, could prove to be time well spent.

Debriefing Principles

Debriefing is an important part of reviewing and improving performance. However, if it is done badly, it will become a box-ticking exercise which becomes another administrative burden.

The scope of a debrief and how it is conducted depends on the task. Routine tasks might only require a quick and informal debrief – as simple as “did that seem to go OK?” when having a tea break afterwards. The completion of a large project will require a somewhat more comprehensive and formal debrief.

Some points to consider when leading your debriefing sessions:

• Encourage open and constructive discussion – it’s good to talk as it helps build the team and people generally welcome the opportunity to be listened to and be involved
• Don’t dominate the session – this should be a discussion, not a lecture
• Do not use debriefs to blame an individual(s)
• Acknowledge good performance
• Don’t forget to reflect on your own performance
• Try to get everyone in a circle – a ‘round table’ format helps give everyone an equal voice and feel equal worth
• There will be extroverts and introverts in your group – try to encourage those who naturally shy away from speaking up in front of others
• Don’t openly ridicule a suggestion – it will discourage people from making suggestions in the future

Analysing the task

Here are some useful pointers to help you get the discussion going:

• Was communication clear?
• Is the work procedure or risk assessment for the task relevant and workable?
• Did everyone understand their roles and responsibilities?
• Was workload distribution fair?
• Did anyone ask for help and did they get it?
• Were any errors made or avoided? Any identified hazardous acts or conditions?
• Did anybody have a ‘what-if’ moment?
• Did everyone have the tools and resources they needed?
• What went well?
• What should improve?

Act on it

If there is useful feedback, act on it and record it. Just as importantly, let them know what action is being taken. It can be demoralising for someone who makes a suggestion and then later feel that it was a waste of their time. They will be much less likely to suggest anything again.

Good ideas and safety improvements should be spread – share the findings across the fleet.

Find out more

Thanks to the maritime consultancy Green-Jakobsen. Find out more at their website here.

Read more about North’s Safety Management 2.0 initiative here.