4.3 Your writing style
You should try to avoid writing in an ‘official style’ that is common in academic publications and other sectors. This language tends to be obscure, confusing and long-winded. Instead, you should think about the message you want to get across, and how you can most clearly and concisely state it.
According to Bennett (2017), good writing is:
- logical, direct and unambiguous, and so it does not lead to misinterpretation
- a story that engages the reader’s attention
- well-structured, breaking down complex messages or large amounts of information so that they can be easily understood
- written with familiar words, wherever possible, avoiding any jargon that most readers will not understand.
Make your document as short as possible without sacrificing clarity. Try to write short sentences, which are easier to understand. Keep to one issue or topic for each paragraph. Don’t be afraid to leave things out – not everything will be important to your readers. Make sure that each word or phrase adds something relevant, and look for the shortest way to express something.
Use language that readers will understand. If jargon or technical wording is important, explain what it means and, if appropriate, include a glossary or appendix. Cite sources and references clearly and consistently. Some readers will wish to follow these up, so make it easy for them to do so (Bennett, 2017).
Activity 7: Avoiding mistakes
Watch Video 5, which looks at the top 10 mistakes that academics make when engaging policy-makers. These mistakes have also been listed after the video, and you should use the space below to make notes on how they can be avoided.
(You should also think about how each of these points might apply in your own situation.)
- Talking too much about the science and too little about what it means for policy.
- Saving your conclusion for the end.
- Too much information.
- Using academic jargon.
- Preaching to the choir.
- Starting without a strategy.
- Choosing an unpersuasive frame.
- Not having a clear ask.
- Thinking that communication is just one-way or done one time.
- Moving at academic cycle times.
Discussion
Here are some possible responses:
- Talking too much about the science and too little about what it means for policy: Policy-makers will generally trust that your research was done well, so you don’t need to go into detail about how you carried out your research. They want the ‘So what?’ of your findings; that is, what does the research actually tell us?
- Saving your conclusion for the end: When presenting to a policy audience, it is a good idea to put your bottom line at the beginning. Summarise your recommendations for policy-makers in the first 30 seconds.
- Too much information: You should condense your findings and recommendations down to a single page at most. Ideally you want to leave your audience with a soundbite that captures your main point.
- Using academic jargon: Many of the terms that are used by academics or in scientific writing are unnecessarily difficult to understand, and some can have different meanings when used in other contexts. Jargon will confuse people, so speak using plain language.
- Preaching to the choir: A common mistake is to look for policy-makers whose way of thinking is most similar to your own, rather than looking for the people with the most influence on a particular issue. Focus on the people that are both influential and persuadable.
- Starting without a strategy: At the start of any outreach activity, think about the strategy you want to have and start from there. Be strategic and think about the method of communication that you use to influence policy-makers.
- Choosing an unpersuasive frame: Not all policy-makers will be persuaded by the same arguments, but they might agree on the same policies. Choose the argument that will persuade them, even if it is not the one that would persuade you.
- Not having a clear ask: Policy-makers are constantly being asked to take or not take specific actions. If you don’t make an explicit request of them, policy-makers will assume that there isn’t one. If you make an ambiguous or vague request, they won’t know what to do.
- Thinking that communication is just one-way or done one time: Your meetings with policy-makers are an opportunity to share distilled information and to ask for something, but they are also an opportunity to listen. In most cases, the best results will come from building relationships with people who can then reach out to you when they have questions. Policy windows that are currenlty closed will eventually open up; if you are already in contact with these policy-makers, you will be able to get your idea through when the time is right.
- Moving at academic cycle times: Once you have formed a relationship with a policy-maker, you need to be able to respond at their pace. You can’t wait to return a call until after you’ve finished all your work for the week.
4.2 Writing a policy brief
