22 July 2000. Hironari Noda gives permission to reveal his name as source of this document. Mr. Noda is a former officer of Japan's Public Security Investigation Agency.
15 July 2000. Thanks to SK.
[8 pages.]
OFFICIAL USE ONLY
ANALYTIC THINKING AND PRESENTATION
FOR INTELLIGENCE PRODUCERS
Special Running for
Government Officials of Japan
30 August - 3 September 93
Conducted By
Office of Training and Education
OFFICIAL USE ONLY
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This training is designed to help participants gain added skill in analytic thinking and in written and oral presentation through rigorous study of the principles of effective argumentation, expository composition, and oral briefing, and intensive drill in applying these principles in practical problem-solving situations and other exercises that simulate the challenges that intelligence analysts face. Upon completion of the course, the participants will have improved their ability to:
-- Define the analytic mission, which has much to do with the way analysts need to think, write, and speak.-- Describe and use the "Conceptualization Process"-- a deliberate strategy by which analysts can crystallize, focus, and array effective lines of reasoning in all forms of finished intelligence.
-- Describe and use the expository writing style and explain the emphasis it places on structure, clarity, precision, brevity, vigor, and concreteness.
-- Produce drafts of selected finished intelligence items within specific time and format limits, using raw information.
-- Deliver analysis in a well-structured oral intelligence briefing.
-- Understand the role of Warning in intelligence and how it expands beyond analysts' regular interpretive and forecasting duties.
-- Understand our organization's standards and practices of personnel management and employee performance evaluation.
MONDAY, Day 1 | |
0830-0900 | Course Overview and Administration
The Course Director will discuss the course's scope, aims, content, and instructional method. |
0900-1000 | Orientation to the Organization |
1000-1015 | Break |
1015-1200 | Understanding the Analytic Mission
The nature of the intelligence analysis profession has much to do with the way analysts need to think and write. The instructor will seek to establish a clear and shared understanding of the analytic mission by examining the role of the analyst, the function of analysis, the concept of threshold, the substantive aim of finished intelligence, and the needs of policymakers and other consumers of finished intelligence. |
1200-1300 | Lunch |
1300-1400 | Conceptualizing and Crafting Intelligence
You will learn the conceptualization process -- a deliberate strategy by which to do analysis. This process allows you to crystallize, focus, and set forth cogent and compelling lines of reasoning. With this method you can "package" any intelligence product -- whether it's a paper you have to write or an oral briefing you have to give. You will practice the conceptualization process throughout the course. |
1400-1415 | Break |
1415-1530 | Communicating Through Analytic Writing
Expository writing is clear and concise communication that stresses above all else the importance of clear expressions and precise wording. The instructor will discuss these principles so that you can begin applying them in the course. |
1530-1630 | Focusing on What Consumers Need
Consumers of our products are busy people, and the time constraints they face influence the formats we use to present our analysis. We seek above all else to give our readers a bottom line -- one overall analytic message they can grasp quickly with no misunderstanding. We can speed the process by which we come up with this bottom line by using an approach called focusing. You will begin a series of exercises this afternoon to hone your ability to focus by making use of the conceptualization process and expository writing principles we have discussed today. |
TUESDAY, Day 2 | |
0830-1200 | Crafting Finished Intelligence: Part I
Beginning now and continuing until noon, the class as a group will work with the instructor to learn how to use a methodical approach to analytic thinking and writing that we call the conceptualization process to crystallize, focus, and array effective argumentation. Students during this segment will apply the method in the first of a series of increasingly complex exercises designed to simulate the analytic thinking and writing challenges that analysts face when seeking to craft well-reasoned and well-written finished intelligence. |
1200-1300 | Lunch |
1300-1630 | Crafting Finished Intelligence: Part II
Each student will use the concepts and methods learned in the class thus far to conceptualize and draft a short four-paragraph item based on an analysis of raw information. This segment is designed to continue adding to the students' analytic thinking and writing skills, with emphasis on focus, organization, clarity, precision, and brevity. |
WEDNESDAY, Day 3 | |
0830-0930 | Understanding the Structure of Analysis Publications
The instructor will discuss the shortform publication format for finished intelligence and explain how it exemplifies many of the features of the intermediate and longform formats. All three formats -- shortform, intermediate, and longform -- are the basis for structuring the full range of finished intelligence publications. |
0930-1000 | Preparing Topic-Sentence Outlines
Doing a topic-sentence outline saves you great amounts of time, effort, and frustration in preparing written drafts, The instructor will provide guidance on ways to use topic-sentence outlines to ensure orderly and logical presentation of material in finished intelligence products. |
1000-1015 | Break |
1015-1630 | Crafting Finished Intelligence: Part III
Beginning now and continuing through the rest of today, the students will use the concepts and methods learned in the class thus far to conceptualize and draft a shortform item based on an analysis of raw information. This segment is designed to continue adding to students' analytic thinking and writing skills by illustrating teaching points applicable to the planning and production of all forms of finished intelligence. (Students will break for lunch from 1200 to 1300) |
THURSDAY, Day 4 | |
0830-0900 | Review |
0900-1000 | Focusing Exercises |
1000-1015 | Break |
1015-1115 | Preparing and Delivering an Intelligence Briefing
We all need to make a point orally to someone or communicate our judgments and expertise to different audiences. This segment offers you principles and techniques for giving an effective oral presentation. |
1115-1130 | Break |
1130-1200 | Question and Discussion Session |
1200-1300 | Lunch |
1300-1630 | The Role of Warning in the Intelligence Mission
The speaker will lead the class in a discussion of the Warning function and examine how this builds upon and expands beyond analysts' regular interpretive and forecasting duties.[*] |
FRIDAY, Day 5 | |
[By hand] Mr. Martin Petersen ("Marty") senior manag[cropped] | |
0830-1030 | Personnel Management and Employee Performance Evaluation
The speaker will discuss the concepts and methods behind good supervisory practices as we define them and will examine the ways that supervisors assess employees' job performance and potential for professional growth. |
1030-1045 | Break |
1045-1200 | Doing "Opportunity Analysis" and Dealing With Uncertainty
The speaker will address these special features and challenges of the analysis profession. |
1200-1300 | Lunch |
1300-1400 | Ensuring Analytic Integrity
As intelligence analysts, we have to understand the need for objectivity and balance and know how to recognize and avoid bias. We have to broaden our analytic approach to problems, avoid analytic pitfalls we face in making judgments, and deal with implicit or explicit pressure to slant analysis for policy reasons. This segment will explore these issues and examine ways of coping with them. |
1400-1415 | Break |
1415-1430 | Recommendations for Further Study |
1430-1500 | Review and Concluding Remarks |
1500-1600 | Administration and Students' End-of-Course Evaluation |
Transcription and HTML by Cryptome.
From: "Allen Thomson" <thomsona@flash.net>
To: <intelforum@his.com>
Subject: Re: Warning Function
Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 14:32:29 -0500
John Young inquired,
What is "the Warning function?" The rest of the outline is understandable but this is not.
Basically a call that something bad, or at least important, is likely to happen in the near future. Warning of war is the most dramatic example, but a warning of an impending coup in an important country would qualify.
The information can come either from specific sources or from compiled information. In the US, there has been a National Intelligence Officer for Warning whose job was to coordinate various activities to try to avoid such embarrassments as Pearl Harbor -- I don't know whether the post still exists.
Intelligence Forum (http://www.intelforum.org) is sponsored by Intelligence
and National Security, a Frank Cass journal
(http://www.frankcass.com/jnls/ins.htm)