Presentation by Zeinab Sabet at the AERC GDNet Policy Briefs Workshop - December 2013

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. 1.1 What is a policy brief?
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.

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. 2.2 Planning: Thinking about context
• 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?

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

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

14. How to best craft your messages?
• 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?

15. What does it take to make a message memorable?
• 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?’

16. Top tips for effective messaging
•
•
•
•
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

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

18. What does an effective message look like?
The 4Cs model:
1. Comprehension
2. Connection
“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.”
3. Credibility
4. Contagiousness
Make your messages pass the ‘Grandma Test’

19. The power of words is also very impressively reflected in
this short video which shows the power words have to
change radically your message, and their effect on the
world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wgi0t2ap-us

20. Remember
All great ideas are simple at heart!

21. Group work (based on the 4C’s)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Did you instantly understand what the brief is about?
Did it evoke an emotional response?
Was it or the messenger credible?
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)

22. Case of a Social Cash Transfer Program
Main Audience: Government of Ghana, MESW &
Min. of Finance, Donors
1. How do I get there?
2. Who else could I use to help me get there?
Intermediaries: UNICEF (interested in our cause)
DFID (have influence with gvt)
Champion: Director within Min of Finance

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

24. 4.1 Executive statement:
Top tip: Try to complete this paragraph…
.
• Tailored message
‘The objective of this policy brief is to ______ (action verb – like
• What needs to change
convince, inform) ______ (target audience(s) – e.g. Ministry of
• Target audience
Agriculture) that ______ (what should happen – e.g. they should
1. Executive
• Overarching recommendation
invest in road infrastructure) (ODI Rapid)
Statement

25. Executive statements Examples
Copper price and exchange rate dynamics in Zambia re-examined
Executive statement:
“ The objective of this policy brief is to inform the central bank and the Ministry of
Finance that changes in copper price have a significant bearing on the stability of the
kwacha exchange rate. Changes in copper price affect income and revenue from the
mining sector, and through spending, inflation and consequently the exchange rate.
Thus, an appropriate policy response is required to limit vulnerabilities to adverse
copper price movements and ensure maximum benefits are derived from copper
price booms.”

26. 4.2 Introduction:
Top Tip:
To frame this think about how: is your message important?
• Why
• Explore your recommendation
(1)The recommendations you are suggesting could have a
• Add context
positive effect on people’s lives, their environment and
2. Introduction
wellbeing.
(2) Add context to your work by relating it to news and events
that are prevalent within the media.

27. 4.3 Methodology
3. Methodology
• Less is more
• Remove jargon
• Put yourself in the policymakers
shoes

28. 4.4 Results and findings
4. Results/findings
• Details of your findings/evidence
• ‘Meat’ of argument
• Don’t include findings not relevant
to your core message

29. 4.5 Implications and Recommendations
• Recommendations: What
specifically do you think should
change? (Max 3)
• Implications: What general policy
5. Implications and changes/actions do the results
Recommendations point to?

30. 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.
Implication:
“Current limited access to youth-friendly sexual and reproductive services could lead to an
increase in the number of sexually transmitted infections among youth”
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”

31. 4.6 References
• Don’t include everything
• Choose those that most strongly
support your recommendations
6. References

32. 4.7 Be visual…
“”Effective
policy
entrepreneurs
– or champions
– will make the
most of
networks and
connections

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

34. •
•
•
•
•
•
•
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

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

36. 6. Surgery 2 guidelines:
• List your research findings
• Craft your main messages around your findings
 3-5 direct messages
 Each message should no longer be more than 35 words

37. 6. Surgery 3 guidelines:
• Start to develop your implications and/or
recommendations
 REMEMBER
• Policy implications refer to what would happen:
A. If the status quo remains
B. If the policy change your research pointed to is achieved
• Recommendations: What specifically do you think should
change? (Max 3)