Briefing vs. Debriefing

Have you heard the terms 'briefing' and 'debriefing' before? Well, I'm gonna tell you everything there is about them. Join me.

What Is Their Main Difference?

Both of these words refer to a kind of meeting in which information is being exchanged. However, in a 'briefing', you gain important information or instructions, but in a 'debriefing', you are being questioned.

Differences

As stated above, the main difference between these two words is that 'briefing' refers to a kind of meeting in which people gain useful information or instructions. Look:

A three-hour briefing on literary analysis is the name of the event.

Did you attend the company's artificial intelligence briefing last year?

'Debriefing' is a meeting in which authority figures investigate and question someone they deem suspicious and they look for information. Look at the following examples:

Lana was too tired of all the debriefing that she wanted to sleep and never wake again.

Post-attack debriefings are still going on in the US.

Similarities

As stated above, both of these refer to a kind of meeting in which information is exchanged. Check out the following examples:

In our previous briefing, we analyzed Kristeva's literary theories thoroughly.

The FBI are still conducting debriefings in several parts of the city.

Are They Interchangeable?

Despite the fact that they both refer to a meeting, they are completely different. So, we cannot use them interchangeably. Compare:

✓ Are you going to attend this week's briefing on 'social skills'?

X Are you going to attend this week's debriefing on 'social skills'?

Here, we cannot use 'debriefing' because 'debriefing' is an interrogative session.

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