How to write a briefing memo

When you will need it

Step by step

1. Confirm the logistics first: date, time, location, duration, who staffs it.
2. List attendees with titles, organization, and any relationship history with the Member.
3. State the purpose in one sentence. If you cannot, the meeting needs rescoping.
4. Give three to five bullets of background — only what changes the Member's decision.
5. State the ask explicitly: what the group wants and whether it is a yes, no, or hold.
6. Write your recommendation in one line, with the reason.
7. Add three to five talking points in the Member's voice, short enough to say out loud.
8. Add likely questions and suggested answers.
9. Cut it to one page. Attach detail as an appendix if it truly matters.

What good looks like

• Fits on one page and can be read in ninety seconds
• The recommendation is visible without scrolling or flipping
• Talking points sound like the Member, not like a policy paper
• Nothing in it is a surprise to the Member
• Numbers are sourced and current

Common mistakes

• Three pages of background with the ask buried at the end
• No recommendation — just information
• Talking points written in written English rather than spoken English
• Missing the relationship history that explains why the meeting exists
• Stale numbers from an old memo

Staffer tips

• Write the recommendation line first, then build the memo backward from it.
• Use the same format every time so the Member always knows where to look.
• If the group has met the Member before, note what was promised last time.
• Read the talking points out loud. If you stumble, the Member will too.