ADI Part 3 - Part 3 Briefings

Help and advice with the Part 3 Briefings

The briefings for Part 3 are nowhere near as important for your success in the DSA test as many ADI trainers would have you believe. The briefing gets your Part 3 off to a great start, but they are certainly not the most important part of the test. So many trainees spend hundreds of hours rehearsing the briefings, yet the truth is that this could be time better spent on learning the Core Competencies . . . read on

At the start of your part 3 test, no matter what the pst, the SE will expect you to give them a briefing

The briefing is a very important part of any driving lesson, because it allows the instructor to establish existing skills, sets the aims and objectives for the lesson, and gives the learner a clear picture of what they are trying to achieve and how there success will be measured

Now, although a constant theme of this site is that the part 3 test is exactly like a normal lesson, this is one of those little deviations that happen now and again!

The briefing is far more important on a lesson with a real learner than it is on part 3. Let me explain

On a real lesson with a real pupil it's vital that the learner knows what to expect, knows where you intend to take them, what they are supposed to be learning and how to measure their success. It's a fundamental principle of adult learning and training that adults learn best when they have set objectives, and that they know how those objectives fit in to the bigger scheme of the entire course

Part 3 is slightly different, in that the SE wants to see that you can deliver a good briefing, but will then often give you prompts to get you going if they are bored! We often hear of situations in which the trainee has missed important information in the briefing, but then covered it on the move. The SE found this entirely satisfactory. The simple truth is that the SE's know that you are nervous and do not expect you to be perfect

So, just what does the SE expect on a part 3 briefing?

First, let me start by saying that your trainer should give you plenty of practice at developing your briefings, but do not go overboard, as the briefing is actually quite unimportant when measured against the rest of the lesson and the sub skills you need to show

There is no need to spend hours and hours memorising briefings, so that you 'get everything in'. As I've said elsewhere, if the SE suspects that you've done this, they just might take you off the beaten track to test just how flexible you are. You have been warned

If you take a look at the SE's marking form for part 3, you'll find a box on the left hand side of some the forms for the SE to assess your performance in the briefing

The highest mark you can get is 'satisfactory'. Think about that. Not 'excellent' or even 'good'. Just 'satisfactory'

The reason is that the SE is far more concerned about your performance in the main developmental phase of the lesson and your use of the core competencies than they are in your performance on the briefing

Having said this, a good briefing can get your part 3 off to a great start. Rather than simply repeating a script about turning left or emerging or reversing, you can use the briefing to establish your level of instruction, demonstrate your control of the lesson and of the learner (this doesn't mean threatening them or tying them up!) and you can set the objectives, telling the SE exactly what to expect on your lesson

After all, you are in charge of the lesson, not the SE, so use the briefing to good advantage

All of the sub skills you'll find discussed in the part 3 area of this site will be very relevant to you on the briefing. Just because the wheels of the car aren't moving does not mean that the skills of good instruction go out of the window. After all, on the controls lesson, the car will hardly move, yet the SE can still assess you on the full range of sub skills. Again, just a point to think about

Just going back to the 'get everything in or you'll fail' myth, not only is this completely wrong, but it could lead to major problems for you on part 3

You don't have the time to talk about every detail of any specific lesson on part 3. Just stick to the main facts, and tell the SE only the main points of the subject

For instance, going back to the controls lesson you will need to talk about the seatbelts at some stage, but you don't need to explain all about the acts and sections of English law regarding seat belts . . . and that rally cars and racing cars have different types of seat belts . . . and that seat belts are made of special material that's really strong . . . and that etc etc etc

You simply need to teach the SE how to put it on correctly,deal with any faults the SE makes when using the seat belt, and explain that as a driver they are responsible for passengers under a certain age. That's all. Don't waste your valuable time going on about completely unnecessary detail

In conclusion, make sure that you do know your subject but don't spend hours memorising every little detail when you could be concentrating on the core competencies and instructional techniques that are vital to your success

Use the briefing to your advantage . . . set the scene, take control, establish your level of instruction and use good question and answer technique throughout

Incidentally, I said earlier that the briefing with a real learner is far more important than your part 3 briefing with the SE. The irony is that most trainees panic about the briefing for part 3, trying to make it as good as possible, but very few seem to continue this into their lessons with real learners. Much more on this subject to be added to the site in the future

ADIT Team