The Royal Society of Chemistry - Policy Writing

Tue 01 Aug 2017

The Royal Society of Chemistry - Policy Writing

Client: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

Programme: Policy Writing

(Delivered in Cambridge, UK, 2017)

The client

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a not-for-profit organisation with a heritage that spans 175 years, they have an ambitious international vision for the future. Around the world, they invest in educating future generations of scientists. The RSC partner with industry and academia, promoting collaboration and innovation. A key role of theirs is to advise governments on policy. And we promote the talent, information and ideas that lead to great advances in science.

The problem

Dods Training were asked to deliver a 1 day training course on policy writing for the Royal Society of Chemistry. The RSC were keen to grasp a better understanding of how to produce a policy brief which will influence policy makers. They specifically wanted to be able to identify techniques that will help them ensure that every document they write works hard and achieves its intended objectives. Ultimately they wanted to develop greater confidence in staffs policy writing abilities and cut down time spent on drafting and re-drafting.

Our actions

We decided that it would be suitable to conduct a phone call with the client and the trainer to understand the RSC needs for the training. We could discuss exactly what they wanted the trainer to do and the objectives for the staff. Following the call, we put together an agenda that would cover the specifics that were mentioned in the call. It was clear that the client wanted the training to identify the elements of an effective policy brief using a five-step approach, draft a policy brief to achieve a result, identify and use key principals to plan and structure their work to create logical, clear and succinct policy briefs and finally edit and review the staffs own work and identify key areas to set personal objectives.

Conclusion

The feedback from the session was brilliant. The delegates could return to their workplace with a greater understanding of how to produce a policy brief which will influence policy makers. We have developed a working relationship with the Royal Society of Chemistry and have also delivered a course on summarising and presenting. 


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