Crafting an impactful policy brief, explained

Writing a policy brief is hard. Why else would there be so much information out there about how to do it? It’s an important document — a policy briefing often includes a recommendation that could make a tangible difference in people’s lives. Ultimately, there’s no better way to learn about writing a policy brief than by hearing from those who have done it, and done it well.

Ask yourself: If I were put under pressure, what points would I make?

That’s why we recently hosted an event on Crafting an impactful policy brief. It covered the key elements of a well-crafted brief, as well as formatting and stylistic approaches that can enhance their readability. We’ve condensed the Q&A part of the event into a short article you can keep with you while working on your next policy brief.

What’s your top tip for someone writing a policy briefing?

Brevity! Consider the audience and the weight of the evidence. The most important things to focus on are the issue you’re exploring and the approach you’re proposing.

Would you recommend using a briefing template? Can they hinder getting your message across?

Templates are useful! First of all, they help you just get something down on paper. If you have a structure, then you can start by filling in the gaps. That way, you know what you still need to find answers to.

If your organisation has a template, use it. There’s probably a reason for it existing in the first place. If a minister is going through all the different briefs that have come their way over the course of the day, they need to know how to quickly get to the information they need. They may know the template so well that they find it easier to work with.

If your organisation doesn’t have a template, here’s what you should do:

1. Put yourself in your minister's shoes. The first thing they need to know is what this bit of paper they’re holding is about, and what the purpose of it is.
2. Make sure there’s a recommendation included in what you’ve written. The minister should understand what you’re asking them to agree to.
3. If it’s urgent, make sure to include the timing.
4. Only once you’ve made sure your brief covers purpose, provides a recommendation and considers timing should you start thinking about the background detail.
5. Consider if there’s anything your minister should know about presenting the recommendation. Note anything they should be mindful of when talking about it with the public or their colleagues.
6. Don’t bury the risk — make sure that your minister has the whole picture of the policy proposal you’re briefing on.

Bottom line: Get the key points up front!

How do you know what to add and what not to add to a briefing?

This is definitely the hardest part of writing a policy briefing. Ask yourself: If I were put under pressure, what points would I make? That’s what you know you definitely need to include. Everything else you can probably leave out. Make sure you don’t fill your annexe up with all the information you have. Annexes can be really useful, especially with regard to financial information, but they should not overwhelm your reader.

To get better at figuring out what you do and don’t want to add, spend time practising distilling something long into something short. Take a news report and bring it down to a third of its original length, while still keeping the substance in it. If you can train your brain to be able to do that, then you’ll be well prepared for writing a brief.

Sometimes, don’t be afraid to break the rules. Maybe you don’t need to write a full policy brief all the time. Maybe the minister was just thinking out loud and what they really wanted was a quick email. Check in with what your instincts are telling you.

How should I approach writing about data in policy briefings?

Try to understand your audience. Learn how much data your minister would like to see, and then respond accordingly.

It’s useful to be able to convert your lengthy account of data into a sentence that begins with: “What this means is…” Then, you should finish that sentence off with something that’s tangible in the real world.

Another exercise you can do to practice is to ask yourself: How would I explain this idea in three different ways? You could use a visual, some data, a story, etc. Then you can use whichever explanation works best whenever you need.

Any tips for making a policy brief compelling without appearing biased?

It depends on what you mean by bias. As a civil servant, you might want to be biased, but in a good way. If you’re advising a minister on a recommended option, you do need to pick one. The minister might not agree because they have the other piece of the jigsaw, and you need to be able to accept that.

A good policy brief will include a bit of emotion because it’ll explain the nature of a problem and why people are concerned about it. Ministers like a bit of narrative and they want to know how policies impact people and what difference can be made in their lives.

How do you know you’ve found the right people for a second opinion and how do you reconcile very opposing points of view?

Ultimately, you don’t know ahead of time who’s going to have useful information or who has great insight, which is why you need to cast the net quite widely. The closer you can get to people who understand what’s going on in people’s lives and can advise on possible solutions, the better.

It’s important to set the terms of engagement in any discussions so that people understand that you’re giving them a voice but the final decision has to be taken according to whatever set of criteria you’ve got. In the end, you’ll need to communicate very clearly why you’ve taken the decisions you have at the end.

Are there any skills you should work on that will help you write good policy briefs?

Brevity really is vital. So is argumentation. Don’t fear battling things out in a back-and-forth with a colleague — it can really help you.

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