Short course: Writing to achieve policy impact

Publications are one of the most important products produced by think tanks. While communication techniques are evolving and many organisations now use a mix of social media, data visualisation, podcasts, and events to help expose their research, the existence of a solid and well-written research report is a prerequisite.

Though publications come in different shapes and sizes (reports, background papers, policy briefs, books), there are a basic set of good practices that every researcher and communications professional should follow when developing written outputs. This short course offers the opportunity to learn about these by looking specifically at how to write policy briefs and blogs.

Aims

This short course is for researchers who have a responsibility for developing communication outputs, as well as for communications staff who want to effectively support researchers to produce publications that have policy impact. Participants should have a policy brief or blog in mind so that the training is as relevant as possible and results in a concrete output.

Specifically, the module aims to help participants:

• Gain an understanding of the different types of publications being produced by think tanks;
• Tell a better story about their research in order to get the attention of readers;
• Develop the ability to write in plain English in order to communicate arguments and key messages as clearly as possible;
• Understand how to use design tricks to highlight key elements of your publication; and
• Draft and design a publication (either a policy brief or blog).

Access

This is a past course, but the resources and webinars can be accessed. To do so please register your information in this link (and subscribe to the OTT newsletter), after registration you will receive the password to access the course. Thank you!