The purpose of this guide is to explain how to read and interpret the i4 Neuroleader™ Report for Practitioners to conduct a successful debrief session.
As an i4 Practitioner, having this knowledge will assist you in providing a clear explanation to your client and conduct the debrief session in a safe and supportive manner.
You will also be able to fully understand how the report works, the purpose of the graphs and how to read the results with proficiency. In the articles of this section, we have included tips and hints that have been suggested by various Practitioners who have experienced debriefing the i4 Neuroleader™ Report as well as the set up process before conducting the debrief session.
Tips & Hints for the Debrief
When debriefing the i4 Neuroleader™ Report, it is the Practitioner’s duty of care to create a safe environment to deal with any emotional reactions that the client may experience.
Providing unbiased and objective commentary is important for a good debrief. It is possible that people manifest a range of emotions if the results differ from what they expected. The best way to deal with this is to help them focus on the bigger picture, major themes and positive actions that they can undertake.
In the case of rater feedback, be aware that the results may be very different to how clients perceive themselves. Keep in mind that perception is ‘reality’ for the raters and their feedback is based on their interactions, impressions and experiences of the participant at the moment of completing the assessment.
It’s essential to keep in mind the clients’ current situation and how they were feeling at the time of completing the assessment. An explanation of the ‘Iceberg Model’ (Goodman 2002) can be useful to review before exploring the results with the client.
The recommended debrief sequence is:
- Create rapport with your client & determine the main aim of the session (i.e. leadership development, personal growth).
- Explain the i4 Neuroleader™ Model, examine together the overall report, benchmark graphs and the meaning of the scores. Explore the person’s views of these results.
- Examine the results for each competency.
- Get the participant to make meaning of the results.
- Conduct an initial exploration of what he/she would like to improve (outcome). Encourage him/her to take notes as a reminder, for future reflection.
- Consider strengths and limitations (per competency/per pillar).
- Recommend the client to look back on his/her notes in their personal time.
- Encourage him/her to choose two Pillars to work on, as a starting point. Help the participant find these Pillars in the online i4 Neuroleader™ Course before the session ends. If you have purchased the printed ‘Leadership is Upside Down’ book, you can use this resource as well, or guide your participant to the eBook version.
- Commit the client to next steps & schedule follow up actions as appropriate.
Best format to debrief the results
As per the Practitioner License Agreement, the i4 Neuroleader™ Assessment is always best delivered by conducting a 1:1 debrief session by a certified Practitioner before the results are released to the client.
We recommend using a computer or tablet to show the digital or PDF download version of the i4 Neuroleader™ Report. Alternatively, you can print the report in colour.
When conducting a debrief by video call, we suggest you ‘share screen’ to walk your clients through the results and pace the session accordingly.
If the debrief is being conducted over the phone, the results should be released to the client as soon as the session commences by sending the client an email with the report attached. This will prevent the client looking at the results without your guidance, which is essential to manage any emotional responses due to misinterpretations.
Please note that this is a debrief and not a coaching session. The purpose of a debrief is to help the client understand the results and encourage further exploration. Coaching sessions can be suggested as a recommended next step.