Advising and Briefing Workshop (Virtual)

Please note that you must have a defra.gov.uk or Defra ALB email address to book. Bookings that are not from a Defra/ALB ID will be automatically cancelled.

Advising, Briefing and Drafting workshop has now been split into two separate courses (Advising & Briefing workshop and Drafting Masterclass).

Joining Instructions and a link to MS Teams will be sent via Outlook in advance of this workshop taking place.

Overview

As a civil servant, your role may involve helping ministers and senior officials shape and deliver policy that achieves the government’s objectives. You may also be tasked with providing or contributing to written briefings for ministers and senior officials to enable effective decision making.

This course seeks to develop the key skills that will enable you to advise and brief effectively to the required standard. Throughout this training, you will be introduced to different scenarios and case studies and be able to practise your advisory and briefing skills.

Learning outcomes

• recognise the role of civil servants in advising and briefing ministers and senior officials and know the standards expected.
• have a better understanding of the pressures that ministers and senior officials face and the factors that influence their approach to decision making.
• recognise when to engage with private office to ensure that ministers and senior officials needs are met.
• generate information and policy options for ministers and senior officials taking account of audience, purpose, desired outcomes and the wider strategic and political landscape.
• sift and present information and advice in a form that helps ministers and senior officials grasp the important points and make informed and balanced decisions based on the facts and say the right things about it.
• prepare and deliver an effective oral briefing.