Good Practice

A lot of time in Brussels is spent on writing issue updates for clients and members. Most of those updates are never read. Here are some suggestions. Keep them short. Use a 10 cm x 15 cm  (4-6 inches) note card as inspiration. It can hold around 100-150 words. Issue updates are not policy memos! … Read more

A lot of public policy talks are like Dr Meinheimer’s in Naked Gun 2 1/2. Sincere, earnest, and sleep-inducing. Some talks resemble an academic panel of 4 panellists who speak in a language with only a loose relationship with English.   A good talk should have most, if not all, of the following: Keep it … Read more

Most scientific and technical writing in Brussels is pretty dire. It need not be. There are plenty of examples of good technical writing hiding in plain site. I like Discover Magazine, New Scientist, and the Economist. This is a good example explaining some recent research on microplastics. If you really know your issue well, you … Read more

Nearly every day, I am reminded of one of the core rules of thumb of lobbying and campaigning ‘ step in at the right time, with the right message, to the right person/people. In any government, administration or Parliament, once a decision is agreed on,  it isn’t easy to walk it back.  People don’t like … Read more