From: Christian E. Weller, Assoc. Professor, Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs, University of Massachusetts Boston, and Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
Date: November 11, 2007
Re: Writing for policy audiences
Writing for policy audiences carries its own challenges and rewards and differs in significant aspects from writing for news papers or for academic publications. Those familiar with other writings will find writing for policy audiences sometimes formulaic, but while the overall structure seems somewhat formulaic, each writer will introduce her or his own style and that of their institution to any written policy product.
The following tips can give those considering writing for a policy audience a first sense of what to keep in mind. The list compiled here is a short-hand summary of some of the important aspects of policy writings. It is, though, not an exhaustive list of all issues that arise with writing for policy audiences.
1)Tell a story.A convincing story lays out a clear argument why policy intervention is needed, puts the policy analysis and the development of solutions into the broader political, cultural, social, and policy context, and points the direction for policy solutions. Depending on the particular product, discussion of policy design will be more or less involved. A policy product is primarily not a laundry list of the “150 greatest ideas on how to fix the potholes” – that would be a summary of a policy product – and it is not a data dump of the “200 best data tables on chocolate production in Switzerland” – that would be a fact sheet, which also needs to be placed in a larger context and story line.
2)Write for a lay audience. Most experts are lay people outside their field of expertise. Practically speaking, the less jargon is used, the easier the material will be to understand. It helps to think of this writing as “slowing down” compared to, for instance, academic writings, where complex concepts and issues can be quickly introduced because people are familiar with them.
3)Get quickly to the point. Most policy audiences will have little time for anything of substantial length. Even lengthy reports need to have easily accessible, short summaries. A communications person once referred to policy writing as “writing with crayons” – write succinctly since it is often complex. In materials that highlight policy problems (issue briefs, briefing papers, reports, monographs) quickly and succinctly highlight the main problems that require policy attention. In materials that highlight policy solutions (policy briefs and policy proposals), identify the most important and most innovative policy ideas first.
4)Be judicious in selecting your main points. Policy sections are much more usefulif they highlight a few well-thought out ideas instead of a laundry listof the 100 greatest ideas to ever come across the writer’s desk.
5)Make your main points early. The type of your product will determine how substantive you can be. However, the main points should be introduced early in the introduction and, if necessary, again in an executive summary. A good rule-of-thumb is that briefing materials, such as issue briefs, policy briefs, and briefing papers typically have about three main points. These should be introduced in a one-page summary. For longer materials, such as reports and monographs, authors should try to limit themselves to fewer than 10 points, which are summarized in an executive summary of about two pages. Remember that many of your key audiences will not read beyond the summary or introduction.
6)Repeat your main points often. The primary points made in the introduction or summary should be repeated at least in the body of the text and in the conclusion. It helps readers to follow a policy argument if the order of the main point is kept throughout the paper.
7)Identify policy goals based on the problem descriptions. Your policy goals need to match your analysis of the problem, whether it is based in scientific research or on values/principles/ideology. Here is an example: “Becauseconsumption was debt driven instead of income driven since March 2001, aclear policy goal is to stimulate income growth.” Thisis often the hardest part for policy writers - to establish a clear link between policy goals and identified problems without letting personal opinion cloud the writing.
8)The proposed solutions should match the goals.Here is an example: "One way ofraising income growth for middle class families is to make it easier forpeople to join a union". Less applicable would be "A higher minimum wage is thesurest way to boost income growth for middle-income families". Theminimum wage would have to be raised to an extraordinary amount to makethis statement true. The overarching point is that the solution that you proposed should be best suited to solve the problem that you outlined. This will also requires mustering as much evidence as possible to support the effectiveness of your proposed solutions.
9)Summarize by arguing the counterfactual. Using the earlier example: “If these policies areenacted, middle-income Americans would see faster income growth thanthey have in the past and thus would have to rely less on debt to fueltheir consumption. As a result, economic growth will be more stable.”This is the place to connect everything and to bring the big pictureback into play.
10)Do your homework. Make sure that you checked all relevantorganizations for their ideas, critiques, expertise, and research. Also,make sure that you know what is going through Congress with respect toyour ideas. Make sure that you give proper credit and play up the roleof friends in this debate. Remember that there are no truly new ideas -just new extensions or applications of existing ideas.
11)Have a sense of history. A good policy writer should have a sense of history in theirresearch. There is typically a high likelihood that your idea or something like it has been proposed in the past. What happened then?What has changed to make this time different? This part will require a substantial amount of research.
12)Avoid negatives. It builds trust and is less confusing, when you state things in a positive voice. Instead of saying “not raising the minimum wage will leave millions of workers in poverty” say “raising the minimum wage will lift millions of workers out of poverty”. This should be a general rule for designing a policy product. It will be much more successful if it can stand on its own merits – what it is – and doesn’t rely on the contrast with an alternative view – what it is not.
13)Don’t give props to your opponents. Your policy products exist to highlight your ideas. They are not meant to repeat and debunk your opponents’ views and arguments, although some of this may be unavoidable. In my own personal view, it seems counterproductive to generate “fact vs. fiction” products. Audiences seem to have a hard time distinguishing between fact and fiction and may become confused at best and believing fiction as fact at worst.
14)Share drafts judiciously.There is a very fine line between sharing too little and too much. Sharing a draft with too many people too early can hurt your reputation. Sharing a draft with too few people too late can alienate important allies. Thebest approach is to have a set of very close, trusted friends, with whom
you share your first drafts, discuss ideas, and so on. This group istypically not larger than 2-3 people. When you have accounted for all oftheir comments and concerns, share the draft with a wider, but stillfriendly and trustworthy group. These would be your colleagues andfriends at other organizations. Your generally looking for about 5-6people. Finally, when you have had enough time for feedback and toaddress concerns, it makes sense to share drafts with groups, such asHill staffers. Set clear expectations, though, e.g. “I want to let you know what I am working on and to hear from youwhat additional research/policy developments you think would be a helpful.” Don’t give the impression that you are seeking people’s input, when you are not.
15)Truth in advertising.Readers should know from the beginning what they will get. An issue brief, for instance, is meant to highlight policy issues that deserve policy attention, give the rationale for policy intervention, and identify the relevant policy goals. Including a comprehensive discussion of policy solutions would make the product unwieldy. It is often easier to separate policy issues and policy solutions separate. A policy brief summarizes existing policy proposals and gives the audience a sense of what is currently on the table. In comparison, a policy proposal uses existing research to identify policy goals and the research on existing policies to lay the basis for the development of new ideas, which make up the heart of the written product.
1