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Description

Summarising Skills: Filtering Information, Structuring It and Getting to the Point

Produce a note that fits on one page and an oral message that fits into three minutes

  • 3 days — 21 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

Files keep growing, meeting reports pile up and the key message ends up diluted. Many professionals know their subject inside out but present their thought process instead of delivering the conclusion. The reader disengages before page two and the decision-maker rules without having seen the deciding element.

Three days to rebuild the entire chain: selecting information according to what the recipient will actually do with it, ranking ideas by importance, writing concisely without weakening the substance and speaking up by starting with the essentials. The exercises are based on your own files.

Learning objectives

  • Identify the purpose and the recipient of a document before starting to write
  • Select the relevant information within a large volume of documentation
  • Rank ideas within a structure that is legible at first glance
  • Write a one-page summary note from multiple sources
  • Build a three-minute oral presentation focused on the key message
  • Rephrase technical content for a non-specialist audience

What makes this programme different

Your own files serve as raw material from the first half-day
A timed oral delivery exercise repeated every day
A personal review checklist built during the programme and reusable on the job

Programme

1Clarifying the Brief Before Producing Anything

Purpose determines format

  • Questions to ask the requester
  • Identifying the recipient and the decision at stake
  • Distinguishing between meeting report, note and summary
  • Choosing the level of detail according to the reader
  • Framing length and deadline

2Reading Fast and Extracting Accurately

Extracting without rereading everything

  • Identifying the structure of a document
  • Selective reading techniques
  • Note-taking guided by the question asked
  • Handling contradictory sources
  • Sorting the information retained

3Structuring Your Message

The outline comes before the sentence

  • Formulating the core message in one sentence
  • Standard outlines and issue-based outlines
  • Building one guiding idea per section
  • Logical sequencing and transitions
  • Stress-testing the outline

4Writing Short and Clear

Saying more with fewer words

  • Informative headings and opening lines
  • Short sentences and active voice
  • Removing empty phrases and redundancies
  • Using lists, tables and call-out boxes
  • Reviewing to cut length

5Summarising Orally

Three minutes to convince

  • An opening that states the conclusion
  • Visual support reduced to the essentials
  • Managing speaking time
  • Concise answers to questions
  • Impromptu presentation of a file read the day before

Who is it for

Anyone required to write notes, meeting reports or summaries and to present files orally.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.