Reading an Executive Brief

In professional environments, decisions are rarely made based on full reports or lengthy research documents. More often, they are based on a short, dense text that summarises a problem, presents options, and recommends a course of action. That text is the executive brief, and knowing how to read one efficiently is a skill that separates strong communicators from the rest.

In this activity, you will read an executive brief written in professional English. You will practise skimming to identify the main purpose, scanning for key data and recommendations, and reading closely to understand the reasoning behind a proposed course of action. You will also work with vocabulary typical of professional reports and decision-making documents.

By the end of this activity, you will be able to read and interpret an executive brief in English at B2 level, identifying its structure, extracting key information efficiently, and evaluating the argument it presents.