Debriefing: A practical guide

Debriefing is the most important part of a simulation. That is why this is a key chapter in this book. The chapter contains several sections, each one offering insights, guidance and stories for debriefers. The central sections of this chapter look at various aspects of debriefing, such as what it is and when, why and how we should conduct it. Each section looks at debriefing, not from a theoretical stance, but from a practical, down-to-Earth perspective. The appendix contains a number of ready-to-use examples of materials to use for debriefing and also suggestions of courses or curriculums that use larger-scale simulation and thus that must employ and deploy debriefing in a judiciously managed fashion. Having developed and conducted debriefs and trained trainers in debriefing for many years, I have written this chapter from a personal angle, sometimes offering short vignettes or stories of my own experience.