Belfer Center Senior Fellow Beth Sanner Teaches Students the Art of Briefing

What are the secrets to effective briefing, whether you are briefing a corporate decision-maker or the President of the United States? On April 2, 2025, Harvard Kennedy School students had the opportunity to learn from former Presidential Daily Briefer Beth Sanner, who over the course of an hour shared key tips and strategies for clearly conveying actionable information to decision-makers. 

Central to all good briefings is: knowing your audience. Beth drew on her expertise briefing high-level decision-makers with different priorities, emphasizing the importance of building trust, understanding their priorities, and reading the room. 

Student participants were divided into groups and brainstormed how they would brief on specific prompts, with the key being giving the audience the tools and information to ultimately make their own decision. 

A key focus of Beth's talk was on the practical aspects of effective briefing, including structure, practice, preparation, and the art of crafting a briefing to capture the audience's interest, clearly conveying why they should listen and how it will give them key insights with which to achieve their goals.