Skip to Main Content
You are now in the main content area

How to write an effective policy brief

Date
November 15, 2024
Time
9:00 AM EST - 12:30 PM EST
Location
Online via Zoom
Register  (external link) 
About the workshop:

Policy briefs are becoming increasingly relied upon by policy makers to help them canvas a wide range of perspectives and evidence to inform their decisions. They are also an important tool to help researchers share their insights and evidence with a broader community and build a reputation as an expert. Ultimately, policy briefs are a critical step in making research results known so that the work will have impact in the wider world. Not all briefs are effective, however. Writing concise and persuasive briefs, and knowing how to best present the evidence, takes knowledge and practice. In this workshop, participants will review the audiences for policy briefs and their information needs, and will explore the best practices in writing and distributing the policy brief.   

In this workshop, participants learned:   

  • What is the role of policy briefs in the policy decision-making process?
  • Who is the audience of a policy brief and what do we need to know about them?
  • What are the key components of effective policy briefs?
  • How do we best present evidence?
  • What are the steps to writing a policy brief?

How this workshop will be delivered:

The interactive workshop is a combined lecture presentation and group discussion with time allocated for group and individual exercises. Materials will be shared in advance and will form the basis for group discussions and individual work.

Workshop Overview

9–10:05 AM – Introduction and Understanding the policy process and the audiences for a policy

  • What is a policy brief?
  • Who is a policy brief for?
  • The role of the policy brief in policy decision making
  • Different types of recipients of policy briefs, their context and how we reach them
  • The elements of an effective policy brief, including the importance of visualizing the data being used as evidence, and crafting recommendations 
  • The challenges and pitfalls confronting academic writers

10:05-10:20 AM – Group Exercise #1 

10:35-11 AM – Steps to get started

Organizing the structure and identifying the primary focus and data to support the key messages, taking into account language and graphics  

11-11:50 AM – Group Exercise #2

12:20–12:30 PM – Wrap-Up

  • Feedback on group work
  • Discussion on how to put our finished brief in the hands of policy makers
About the workshop leaders:

Naomi Alboim is a Senior Policy Fellow at CERC Migration, Toronto Metropolitan University and a Distinguished Fellow at the School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University. Naomi has worked at senior levels in the Canadian federal and Ontario provincial governments for twenty-five years. She held the post of Deputy Minister for eight years in three different portfolios, which included immigration. Naomi is an active public policy consultant and has advised governments and NGOs across Canada, in Europe, the Caribbean, Vietnam, Indonesia, Ghana, Kenya and South Korea.

 

Our workshops are often oversubscribed and we maintain a waiting list. We ask that you please cancel your registration if you are no longer able to attend. We appreciate your understanding.