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Description

Oral Summarising: Selecting the Essentials, Structuring and Reporting Back in Minutes

Deliver in three minutes what took three hours of meetings or one hundred pages to produce

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

Reporting back on a large file or a long meeting exposes you to two pitfalls: saying everything and losing your audience, or summarising to the point of stripping the message of its substance. Under time pressure, the report becomes chronological and the key point arrives last.

Two days to acquire a method for rapidly sorting and structuring information, then to practise reporting back under time constraints. The exercises are based on real files brought by participants or provided during the programme.

Learning objectives

  • Identify the essential information in a file in relation to its recipient
  • Prioritise ideas according to a clear guiding thread
  • Build a three-minute and then a ten-minute oral report
  • Rephrase technical information for a non-specialist audience
  • Answer the questions that follow a report without getting lost in detail

What makes this programme different

Timed practice, reporting on the same file in several different durations
Work on files brought by the participants themselves
Listening grid used by the group to assess clarity and the hierarchy of ideas

Programme

1Reading Quickly and Spotting the Essentials

Sorting before speaking

  • Reading guided by the question asked
  • Identifying core ideas and secondary information
  • Structured note-taking during a meeting
  • Distinguishing facts, analysis and opinion

2Structuring Your Summary

A guiding thread that holds together

  • Choosing a structure suited to the recipient
  • Formulating the key message in a single sentence
  • Linking sections and building transitions
  • The place of figures and examples

3Reporting Back Under Time Pressure

Saying the essential first

  • Opening directly with the conclusion
  • Keeping to the allotted time and pacing markers
  • Speaking without reading from notes
  • Rephrasing technical content for a non-specialist

4Handling the Discussion After the Report

A summary does not end with the final full stop

  • Anticipating the recipient's questions
  • Giving a short answer then returning to the key message
  • How to state what you do not yet know
  • Leaving a short written record after the oral report

Who is it for

Managers, project leaders, executive assistants and anyone required to report orally on files, meetings or assignments to a decision-maker

Prerequisites

Professional experience of oral reporting or of writing meeting reports

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.