I’m now a Company CO, but I’ve been at BN, BDE, and DIV HQs. Universally, the meetings rely on prep by the XO/CoS and the people who owe him the data. Make sure your info is current and correct and get it to him on the standardized PPT slide or whatever format he wants, and be ready to answer any questions about from where the data came.

At the company level I admit my time on staff has influenced my meetings to be a bit more formal than the company is used to, but I try to keep the floor open and discussion honest. I’ve seen generals not get the whole picture because majors and captains were afraid to correct their interpretation of data, and I don’t want that happening to me. The hard part now is making sure my PLs, XO, and others at the meeting either get me the data I need or take down the info I put out.

If the data you put out won’t change anyone’s course of action or affect the battle, it’s useless. Don’t present a problem unless you propose two solutions with it. Understand what the senior officer is wanting out of the meeting and tailor your part of the meeting to it. If you’re the S2, for example, the weather brief is there to see how it affects the operation. Will rain impede dismounted movement? Is the illumination going to make our NODs more effective? Will winds scrub the jump or make the proposed smoke screen ineffective? Is CAS no longer coming in because of fog? Everything has 2nd/3rd order effects and commanders want to see how the data affects the operation. If they just wanted a weather report they’d go to Google.

Also, possibly most importantly, if you use PPT it is a bulleted note, NOT a script to be read out loud. Speak to the audience and not the wall. Have a pointer stick or laser. Make your information easy to read, especially for old COLs and GOs. Know your information, and if you’re just starting out have your NCO nearby to spoon feed you the nitpicky answers the brass always wants.