In typical use, a briefing paper is provided to politicians and other high-ranking policymakers to help them pinpoint an issue without dwelling on many complications. A briefing paper helps them focus their concentration on a significant issue by filling in all the necessary details to analyse the issue.

It then moves on to propose any valuable and relevant solutions and recommendations. An ideal briefing paper should be able to highlight all the necessary facts and figures concisely. However, before understanding how to write a briefing paper, several other aspects need to be discussed first.

What is included in a briefing paper?

Though briefing papers come in many forms, most of them follow a general outline and are around two pages long. Therefore, before starting, ask yourself the following questions:

• Who will be the primary audience?
• What is the purpose of the briefing paper? What do you need to inform the reader?
• What information should be included?
• What is the purpose of writing the briefing paper?
• What format should it follow?

Format of a briefing paper

To learn how to write a briefing paper, we first need to start with the format.

• Name: The identification of the audience for the paper
• Date of writing
• Contact for briefing note: Include your mobile number and email id.
• Issue: A short statement to signify the issue or subject.
• Background: Provide information and context to any past events and if any previous action has been taken.
• Present status: Explain the present scenario. Mention the ones involved and the decision made for and against the situation and other relevant details.
• Essential information: Provide an unbiased summary of the developments, facts and key considerations.
• Recommendations/options: provide evidence-based reactions and state the pros and cons.
• Conclusion: Reinforce the issue of the briefing document.

Determine the scope carefully

The breadth and depth of your paper should be included in your scope. Developing the scope is essential if you want to learn how to write a briefing paper since the scope will determine the detail you want to include. Also, which and how many issues/topics will you be covering? All this depends on two factors. First is the information you could manage to find, and second is how much information you think is enough to write the briefing paper. It is a driving force while you make choices throughout the paper.

Identify the audience

One of the critical aspects to understand is your audience before writing any text. Who will read the briefing paper? Ask yourself the following questions before you start writing:

• Who will be the reader of the briefing paper? Government officials? Business owners? Press?
• Is your audience well-informed? How much information do they have regarding the issue?
• The reader’s authority on the issue

Plan out key points

Mapping out an outline of critical points is essential to learning how to write a briefing paper. Note down the key points that you will mention in the paper. It can be done either mentally or by making a rough note.

Your document needs to be concise as it should not exceed more than two pages. The reader of the paper would very likely be key individuals who already have many things to look after and is under immense responsivity; therefore, they will not likely have much time to go over excessively long documents. Cut out all the irrelevant points and unnecessarily long explanations. Map out key points and facts you would like to include to avoid getting off track.

Use a template

If you are looking to learn how to write a briefing paper, using a template can be a great idea since the formatting is not overly complicated. There are several ways to make your paper much more systematic, like downloading templates from online sources to help make your thoughts much more organised and streamlined.

Start by creating a name, date and subject line. If you do not like working with a template, make one your own and develop a name, date and subject line.

The recipient of your paper should be included in the name section with the date indicating the paper’s submission date. Few words should be used to write the subject and should describe the primary issues posed by the paper. It should also give the reader a brief idea of what to expect without going through the entirety.

Try including a summary section

In many cases, it is advised to add a summary section at the beginning, which should encapsulate the paper’s highlights using bullet points. However, it is a good idea to leave this section to write at the end to better understand what to include.

If you have learnt how to write a briefing paper effectively, your paper should be concise enough to negate the need for a summary section. Nonetheless, summary sections provide a glimpse into the matters that require urgent attention. So make sure to limit your bullet point to around three to four.

Write an engaging introduction

The introduction section should be used to discuss the issue in detail. Start with a concise yet impactful opening statement. Label it as an issue or purpose. Then, take a couple of lines to discuss the primary focus and issue of the paper and why you are submitting it. For example, you can write something similar to “Instances of bullying-based violence has been rising across the college district. The disciplinary policies in effect might not be enough to address the problem.”

Provide background and outline the facts

When you start learning how to write a briefing paper, you will be using this section to detail the current scenario or state and emphasise any current developments relevant to the issue. Exclude anything irrelevant.

You will need to conduct proper background research to scour facts and evidence to support your notion and provide accurate information. The information needs to be specific and updated. Avoid using technical jargon that might confuse the reader and only use data and statistics that the audience would interpret and only from credible sources.

Do not include personal opinions

A briefing paper should be factual and not about relaying any personal feelings or opinions on the issue. After learning how to write a briefing paper, refrain from reflecting any bias on the briefing paper.

After you have learned how to write a briefing paper and completed one all by yourself, ask yourself these questions.

• Is the paper easy to read and concise?
• Were all the significant points included?
• Does my paper grab attention?
• Did I proofread before submitting the paper?

Learning how to write a briefing paper and creating one that effectively delivers the data and information regarding a specific issue is not quite simple. However, follow the above guidelines, and you will have a good idea of writing one. Keeping it objective, unbiased and concise is the key.

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