Introduction: Models of debriefing

There is significant conceptual and definitional confusion in the use of the term debriefing. The word ‘debriefing’ is in very common usage, its popular meaning being that of ‘telling about what has happened’. There is also a sense of reviewing or going over an experience or set of actions, to achieve some sort of order or meaning concerning them. Being debriefed implies being enabled or assisted to achieve such a review.

Debriefing as a technical term, implying a specific and active intervention process, has developed with more formal meanings. Foremost there has been the concept of ‘operational debriefing’. This is a structured process following an exercise or event that reviews the actions taken, the contribution of various workers or participants, and the degree of success or otherwise of the operation. The purpose of this review is to learn from the experience, and so further develop skills to deal with similar or related events in the future. Operational debriefing is usually a formal process occurring some time after the action or event and may deal with equipment, activities, fulfilment of functions and roles, and so forth. It is at times also carried out more informally, as part of an operational team's activities, led by a designated person. It has often been recognized that such discussion has clarified the experience for those involved. It has also been suggested that it may have promoted a sense of mastery of the situation and team morale through the review of achievements.