1. Creating messages for policy: The art of
the policy brief
Andrew Clappison and Zeinab Sabet

2. Ambition for the session:
What is a
policy
brief?
Planning
for policy
influence
Messaging
Structure
and
design
Wrap-up Surgery

3. Policy briefs are short documents that present the findings and
recommendations of a research project to a non-specialist
readership. They are often recommended as a key tool for
communicating research findings to policy actors [who often do
not have the time to read long technical research documents]
(Young and Quinn, 2007)
In simple terms…
A policy brief is a clear message tailored for a policy audience.
1.1 What is a policy brief?

4. 2. Why are policy briefs a useful tool?

5. 1.3 Obstacles to the uptake of scientific information

6. 2. Planning for policy Influence

7. 2.1 Planning: Thinking about your audience
• Who are your readers?
• How knowledgeable are they about
the subject?
• How open are they to the message?
• What are their interests & concerns?

8. • Policy makers are not a
homogenous group
• Needs differ by sector, ministry etc.
• Level of position (national vs sub-national)
• Role in policy-making process (level of
power)
• Political and media context:
opportunities?
2.2 Planning: Thinking about context

9. 2.3 Planning: The evidence
• “How legitimate and credible are my
findings?”
• Building credibility
– Make sure your figures are correct and verifiable
– Present your research clearly and convincingly
– Look for stakeholder/local involvement
– Collaborate with other researchers

10. 2.4 Planning: Your links and engagement
Be pro-active…
“Effective policy entrepreneurs – or champions – will make the most
of networks but will also use
connections or negotiating skills, be persistent, develop ideas,
proposals and expertise well in
advance of policy ‘windows’”.
– Neilson, S. (2001), IDRC

11. 3. The art of creating an effective
message

12. Good research merits good communication
Qualityofresearch
Quality of communication
Communicating Food Policy Research, IFPRI (March 2005)

13. When communicating your research, you need to respond to
the following questions:
• Who?
• Why?
• How?
• What?
 But what does “key messages” stand for?
Developing effective messages

14. • List your key findings and policy recommendations
• Think about the following questions:
1. What is the objective of your message?
2. Why is this important?
3. Who are your target audiences?
4. What do you want them to do?
5. How exactly should they do it?
How to best craft your messages?

15. The 4Cs model:
1. Comprehension
2. Connection
3. Credibility
4. Contagiousness
What does an effective message look like?
“The 4Cs model is a useful
tool for objectively
evaluating the effectiveness
of many forms of
communication: what’s
working, what isn’t working,
and why.”

16. • What do you want to say, how and to whom?
 Messages should be designed with audiences in mind
and tailored to fit their needs – identify your audience
 Messages should be memorable, engaging and limited
in number – KISS!!
 Messages should be simple – avoid jargon and
scientific terminologies
 Messages may need to answer the question: ‘why do I
care?’
What does it take to make a message memorable?

17. • A Attract the attention of the audience
• I Raise the interest in the message or evidence
• D Encourage a desire to act or to know more
• A Prompt action and present a solution
Make your messages pass the ‘Grandma Test’

18. Message pyramid
Communicating Food Policy Research, IFPRI (March 2005)

19. All great ideas are simple at heart!
Remember

20. 1. Did you instantly understand what the brief is about?
2. Did it evoke an emotional response?
3. Was it or the messenger credible?
4. Did you feel the message “stuck” and made you want to react in some
way?
Apply each of these questions to the policy brief handed to your group and
report back during plenary. Also try to rate how well each of the briefs does
against these questions on a scale of 1-10 (i.e. On a scale of 1-10 say how
well the policy brief was able to convey the messenger as credible)
(20 minutes)
Group work (based on the 4C’s)

21. 4. Policy brief structure
1. Executive
Statement
2. Introduction
3. Methodology
4. Results and
Conclusions
5. Implicationsand
Recommendations
6. References

22. 4.1 Executive statement:
.
1. Executive
Statement
• Tailored message
• What needs to change
• Target audience
• Overarching recommendation
Top tip: Try to complete this paragraph…
‘The objective of this policy brief is to ______ (action verb – like
convince, inform) ______ (target audience(s) – e.g. Ministry of
Agriculture) that ______ (what should happen – e.g. they should
invest in road infrastructure) (ODI Rapid)

23. 4.2 Introduction:
2. Introduction
• Why is your message important?
• Explore your recommendation
• Add context
Top Tip:
To frame this think about how:
(1)The recommendations you are suggesting could have a
positive effect on people’s lives, their environment and
wellbeing.
(2) Add context to your work by relating it to news and events
that are prevalent within the media.

24. 4.3 Methodology
3. Methodology
• Less is more
• Remove jargon
• Put yourself in the policymakers
shoes

25. 4.4 Results and Conclusions
4. Results and
Conclusions
• Details of your findings/evidence
• ‘Meat’ of argument
• Don’t include findings not relevant
to your core message

26. 4.5 Implications and Recommendations
5. Implications and
Recommendations
• Recommendations: What
specifically do you think should
change? (Max 3)
• Implications: What general policy
changes/actions do the results
point to?

27. Implication and Recommendation Examples
The objective for this policy brief is to convince policymakers at the State Ministries of Health of
the need to increase adolescents and young people ’s (AY P) access to youth-friendly sexual
and reproductive health (SRH) services.
Recommendation:
“Policymakers at the State Ministries of Health should create an enabling environment to increase
AYP’s access to youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services by increasing the
number of youth friendly SRH service points available to youth in their states, training existing
health care providers to be able to deliver youth friendly SRH services and by increasing the
awareness of AYPs about the availability and location of youth friendly services”
Implication:
Establishing auto-mechanic villages
“Provision of auto mechanic villages would reduce environmental pollution due to abandoned
vehicles, littering of road sides with metal scraps, pouring of spent oil on open places etc”

28. 4.6 References
6. References
• Don’t include everything
• Choose those that most strongly
support your recommendations

29. 4.7 Be visual…
“”Effective
policy
entrepreneurs
– or champions
– will make the
most of
networks and
connections

30. 5. Wrap-up: What we have covered
What is
a policy
brief?
Planning
for
policy
influence
Messaging
Structure
and
design
Wrap-up Surgery

31. 5. Common policy brief pitfalls to beware of
• Complicated tables and graphs (that no one
understands)
• No visuals – pictures can add context and interest
• Recommendations not included
• Text heavy and too much jargon – keep it simple
• Lacks clear message from the beginning
• Too much focus on methodology
• Policy brief not seen as an opportunity to engage
with policy audiences

32. 6. Surgery guidelines:
• Identify your target audience and the primary message of
your research for policy (Day 1)
• Identify the overarching implications of your research for
policy (Day 1)
• Use the above two tasks to help you develop the
executive statement of your policy brief (Day 1)
• Think about how you can add context and human
interest to the core messages within your brief that you
can use in your introduction (Day 2)
• Start to develop your implications and/or
recommendations (Day 2)