You slave over your documents. You may put your heart and soul, along with everything you know about the topic, into your writing.
Do you ever wonder if anyone really reads your work?
The general principle is that communication is what is heard, not what is said. You may think you have a lot of important information you want to tell your audience (how much research you did; how many people you consulted; how many other options you rejected in the development process) but this may not be of any interest to your readers.
Who are your readers? Let’s think about this article. We first wrote a version of this for our Public Policy Masterclass. Many different people attend it: people with expertise in a wide range of technical areas but who are new to policy; people who have worked in policy for 10+ years; emergent and existing leaders, and many more. We assumed that what they—and now you—wanted was something that was pretty easy to read, made sense and that you could apply.
So get really clear on who you are writing for. Think about their contexts and what they need.
Ministers
Extremely pressed for time. Likely to read quickly, so the message needs to be very clear. Individual interests will vary. Common questions include:
- Is this advice or proposal valid and publicly defensible?
- Does it respond to the issues I want to progress?
- Will it set off alarm bells anywhere and, if so, how can that be managed?
- Can we afford it?
- Can I persuade my Cabinet colleagues of its value?
Executive
Again, pressed for time. Message must be clear. Common concerns include:
- Is the material accurate and valid? This is particularly important to guarantee that the Minister is given accurate information (remember the Minister can be sacked for misleading Parliament).
- Did your process provide for effective consultation? Were relevant stakeholders engaged? Does your advice respond to stakeholder input appropriately? (You may not agree or have accepted the stakeholder input, but you need to demonstrate that you have considered it and responded.)
- Is the suggested approach is able to be implemented?
Government stakeholders
Focused on how your initiative will affect their responsibilities. Considerations include:
- Does the content of your document impinge or enable their areas’s objectives
- How do initiatives fit together?
- How was their feedback from the last consultation used?
Peaks and advocacy bodies
Advocacy bodies are tasked with keeping policy development honest and connected to the relevant constituency. This means they will often be sensitive, critical readers. Key concerns include:
- Hidden messages or areas where their key asks have been ignored
- Where services may be disrupted or ceased
- Where their constituents (whether community or industry) will be worse off.
Service providers
Likely to be thinking about how the issue will affect them. Interested in a compelling reason for change, but with a greater focus on the implications for them (this is where we hear statements like the devil is in the detail). Considerations may include:
- Impairing or enhancing their ability to support clients
- Reducing (or increasing) their income.
Public
‘What’s in it for me?’. A clear message about what is different for them. What they can or can’t do, how they can access the program or get the support; the question of why this is a good policy solution or a description of the process of how it came to be are secondary concerns.
