BY TAYLOR BENNETT, POLICY COORDINATOR, AND EMMA PEPPER, DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS, THE HUB

Moving forward a policy change that’s in the best interest of your community has the potential to move the needle in a big way. One key tool to use is known as a “fact sheet” or “1-pager.” This simple tool has the potential to keep all of the people we are partnering with moving in the same direction, assist you in gaining support from new people, and help to keep key decision-makers informed about your issue.

We’ve put together some key tips here to help make your fact sheet shine. 

What is a Fact Sheet?

A fact sheet is a 1 page (often front and back) document that highlights the most important information about the issue you’re working on, in a visually appealing way. It generally includes three categories of information:

1. What the problem or challenge is.
2. Your suggestion for how to solve the problem.
3. Action the reader can take to help solve the problem.

For example, check out this fact sheet we developed for a policy that West Virginia’s Abandoned Properties Coalition is working on in the 2020 legislative session. The audience for this fact sheet is legislators.

When to Use a Fact Sheet 

Fact sheets are broadly useful and can help you communicate your message in a variety of circumstances. A few examples are:

• During a meeting with decision-makers such as legislators. Fact sheets can be used to help explain the scope of the challenge you’re working on or the finer points of what your solution would accomplish. You can also leave the fact sheet with the person to refer to later. 
• When preparing supporters to speak publicly on your issue. Whether you are helping to prepare citizens to speak at a public hearing or expert witnesses to speak at a committee meeting, going over a fact sheet can help make sure that they clearly and consistently communicate about the issue.
• Asking organizations or individuals to sign a letter of support for your issue. If you have clearly articulated what your policy would do if passed, everyone can be sure of exactly what they are supporting.
• As you gather support from fellow citizens. Use a fact sheet as you’re educating other citizens on your issue and building momentum and support for your initiative.

Tips for Creating Your Fact Sheet

• Lead with your solution. Phrase your desired outcome in the form of a one to two sentence statement and lead with that. Make it visually prominent on the page. You can follow up with information on why this issue is important, what your solution is, and close with what you want the reader to do about it. 
• Only include essentials. Too much text is the primary flaw in most fact sheets. Phrase things simply and directly. Use bulleted lists instead of paragraphs when possible and make text large enough to read quickly.
• Illustrate your point – literally. Communicating information in a way that’s visually appealing doesn’t have to be intimidating. We use a free web-based graphic design service called Canva. If you search for “Proposal” in their templates, you will see several options to get started. Excellent fact sheets can also be developed in Microsoft Office or even Google Docs if you’re more comfortable with those platforms. 
• Include a photograph, chart, or infographic to help tell your story. Complicated information, such as lists of numbers, is often easier to digest if you take it out of paragraph format and put it a chart, graph, or infographic. Photographs of the people, projects, etc. that are impacted by the policy help to lend a human perspective. In general, visual interest will also help to break up text so that fact sheets are easier to read and make the paper pleasing to the eye to help keep readers interested longer. Check out Canva (search their templates for “Infographic”) and Infogram for help with making infographics. Still curious? Here’s an article on different ways to make infographics. 
• Include a way to take action that works for the person reading the fact sheet. We usually create multiple versions of fact sheets with different calls to action for the different audiences we’re working with on the policy. Make your call to action specific and direct. For example, “Sign up for our mailing list at www.wvhub.org,” is more specific and direct than, “Make sure to read our emails.” For someone like a legislator, you may include a directive like, “Vote Yes on HB1000,” or you can make your call to action more general, “Vote to Increase the Number of Sidewalks in West Virginia.”

Follow these tips, and you’ll have fact sheets that keep you on message, and help you gain support from citizens and key decision-makers alike. 

EBY TAYLOR BENNETT, POLICY COORDINATOR, THE HUB

With hundreds of bills introduced during West Virginia’s annual 60-day legislative session, there isn’t enough time for legislators to thoroughly review each policy. And yet, they are tasked with making incredibly important decisions – to pass bills or not – that could have long-lasting effects on all of us.

So, how do they know what to do?

We’ve talked before about the pivotal role that citizen lobbyists can play in bringing legislators up to speed on issues they care about. Often, this is done by meeting with legislators and talking them through the finer points of the issue you care about, one-on-one.

In addition to personal meetings, there is another moment in the legislative process that’s built in to give legislators the opportunity to better understand what are often complicated issues.

Time for Citizens to Engage

During the process of committee review, legislators will often request to hear from subject matter experts, known as expert witnesses, on the topic that’s covered by a bill. If you know that your bill is on the agenda in a committee, and you have an expert witness who can speak to why the bill ought to be passed, here’s what to do:

• First, prepare your expert. Whether the expert is you or someone else, make sure that you review the information you need them to cover before it’s time.
• Next, talk with a supporting legislator who is a member of that committee. Introduce them to your expert and ask them if they’d be interested in calling for this person to provide testimony to the committee.
• Attend the committee meeting. Be sure to pay close attention to announcements at the end of floor session just in case there are changes to committee agendas or follow the West Virginia Legislature on Twitter (@WVHouse and @WVSenate) and Facebook – two web-based platforms where they make these types of announcements.

If you’re working with a witness who doesn’t often take part in the legislative process, make sure to remind them that, just like in court, when asked to provide testimony to a committee of the legislature, witnesses are asked to swear that they will tell the truth and sign a statement saying that they have provided information to the best of their ability. Witnesses should state facts and observations and steer clear of opinions.

Who Can Be an Expert Witness?

Expert witnesses are subject-matter experts in the topic area that the policy covers. People who have done academic research on a related topic, hold a profession in a related field, or represent an interest group that is impacted by an issue are all frequently called upon to give expert testimony.

I think about it this way: Experts are people who hold a specific role that gives them access to information that others don’t have.

Local elected officials who are working on addressing an issue in their community: experts. Nonprofit leaders who represent the interests of people who participate in their programs: experts. Small Business Owners offering a service discussed by a bill: experts.

Expert witnesses may not directly influence the opinion of legislators, but their words often factor heavily into their decision-making process.