During the planning process and briefing, leaders must

• A. Ask questions of their troops; encourage interaction; ensure their teams understand the plan
• B. Deliver a flawless one-way briefing without questions
• C. Focus only on technical details and skip discussion
• D. Delegate briefing to subordinates entirely

Answer: (A)

Active engagement and making sure everyone understands the plan are essential in planning and briefing. The best approach is for leaders to invite questions, encourage interaction, and verify that the team clearly understands what needs to be done, by whom, and when. This two-way communication helps surface uncertainties, align expectations, and build a shared mental model so execution is coordinated and confident. In a long-term care setting, that means staff know their specific roles, the sequence of actions, and how to handle unexpected changes, which reduces errors and improves resident care.

Briefings that are one-directional, with no questions, often miss gaps in understanding and fail to address practical concerns. Focusing only on technical details while skipping discussion can leave important context and frontline insights out. Delegating the briefing entirely to others removes leadership accountability and can result in misalignment across the team. By contrast, a briefing that invites questions and confirms comprehension ensures everyone is on the same page and ready to act together.