Any changes that are made to the evaluation by the chain of command above you should be discussed with the division officer. As always, stay informed! COMMUNICATION The chief petty officer is often called upon to provide briefings, write messages, and prepare naval correspondence. You may at some point be asked to perform these functions also. This section should provide you with a knowledge base from which you can build your communication skills. THE MILITARY BRIEFING An additional administrative duty you may have as a CPO is to prepare a briefing. The primary purpose of a briefing is to inform, but it also may have other purposes: first, to ensure the listener’s understanding of a particular mission, operation, or concept; second, to enable the listener to perform a specific procedure; and third, to provide the listener with information on which to base decisions. Often several people participate in a briefing. In a briefing for an operational plan, for instance, one group may cover the administrative, tactical, logistical, and operational phases; and another group may explain the mission. To enable the listeners to grasp all this information as a unit, each briefer must give only the essential information in as few words and as few minutes as completeness and clarity will permit. In preparing to brief others, you must analyze a mass of data, choose the really significant facts, and organize them carefully. Your explanation should be simple, precise, and factual. Jokes and anecdotes rarely have a place in a briefing. The listeners are ready for a serious talk. They want to hear the vital information on a specific subject presented as clearly as possible. If you are able, however, you may occasionally use humor to help you make a point or clarify a problem. When you give a briefing, you are likely to face a captive audience.    Analyze the rank and experience of the people you are to brief, and try to determine what your best approach will be. You cannot always say what your listeners want to hear, but you can try to speak in the manner they will most easily understand. Another thing to consider, which is almost as important as the content, is the technical aspects of the presentation itself. Your visual aids should be as good as you can make them and, above all, they should be correct. Slides containing errors in spelling, grammar, and computations distract your audience and undermine your credibility. Speak clearly and distinctly to your audience. If you do all these things and have your briefing well organized, you will be successful. Organization of a Briefing The special requirements of a briefing impose certain limitations upon the speaker. The traditional  plan  of  organization,  with  an introduction, a body, and a conclusion, is adaptable to the clarity, accuracy, and brevity necessary in a good briefing. INTRODUCTION. —Since your listeners need and want to know about your subject, you will not need time-consuming, attention-getting devices. If another speaker introduces you and your subject, you need only give a quick overview of the subject and proceed immediately to the main points. If you are not introduced, you might simply say,  “Good morning. I’m Chief Petty  Officer  Jones;  I’ll  be  briefing  you on _____________ .” BODY. —The information for the body of your briefing requires careful consideration from the standpoint of content as well as delivery. If possible, present only the facts. Your facts should be provable, and you should have the proof with you in case your listeners ask for it. Because you must be brief, you may have to omit many details from your talk. This can cause you to oversimplify a difficult subject. One way to avoid over- simplification is to prepare a folder of’ “documen- tation” for your listeners to refer to after you finish the briefing. In your opening remarks, tell them it is available. You gain in several ways from letting your listeners know at the outset that they will have access to complete information on your subject. First, your listeners are more apt to accept the validity of your information because they know they can check your evidence. Second, they are less likely to ask needless questions or to interrupt for other reasons. And third, they will go along with very simple visual aids because they know they can get more detailed information if they need it. Another way is to prepare “backup” slides that present detailed information on specific 4-33