The Quiet Craft of Policy Engagement
Not all policy impact takes place in the spotlight. Some begins with curiosity, connection, and a well-timed conversation.
When people hear ‘policy engagement’, they often picture political lobbying, policy briefs, formal consultations, or big public statements. And they’d be right. But in everyday practice, considerable influence happens in quieter moments - the small conversations, detective work and relationship-building that shape how ideas and evidence find their way into policy.
Coming at the field from the unconventional angle of creativity and innovation, I’ve come to think of policy engagement as a constellation of interactions: a mix of formal and informal exchanges that, together, shift how people think and what they prioritise. The lasting impact often lies in the process, not the outcome.
From that perspective, I use a blend of systems thinking, design thinking, horizon scanning, co-creation, ethnography, storytelling - and plenty of listening and observing - to engage with policy, and connect evidence to real-world agendas. This helps tailor communication, deepen understanding, and strengthen relationships. And that, in turn, supports not only individual skills but institution-wide culture change.
The Power of the Quiet Phase
Some of the most effective policy work I’ve seen happens long before a draft policy ever reaches a committee. It’s in the quiet, preparatory work: the framing of a question, the early conversations that build trust, the small insights that shift a shared understanding just enough to open a new window of opportunity.
That work is invisible by design - but just as essential.
Case Study: WHO - Anticipating Tobacco Industry Tactics
When contributing to the 10th WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, the focus of the chapter on tobacco industry interference was present-day tactics. I realised a longer historical view could help policymakers anticipate future ones and get ahead of them.
I reached out to the Tobacco Tactics team at the University of Bath, and began mapping more than a century of industry strategies into a visual, narrative timeline. Together with WHO specialists, I refined it iteratively for the Tobacco Tactics team to finalise - not a headline project, but one that landed in the inboxes of health ministries and policymakers across 194 Member States, translated into six UN languages.
The outcome: Policymakers are better equipped to recognise patterns and anticipate interference - a quiet but powerful contribution to WHO FCTC Article 5.3, protecting public health policy from commercial manipulation.
Case Study: WHO - Rethinking Health Warnings
In reviewing WHO’s database of 574 graphic health warnings from from 37+ countries, my analysis revealed a familiar pattern: most naturally emphasised standard adverse health impacts, with less attention to more values-driven and contextual narratives - financial, cultural, sense of identity - that might resonate more deeply across cultures.
Through visual analysis, narrative mapping and presentations, I helped leadership see new possibilities for framing and the country-level tools to undertake local research, directly informing innovative implementation of WHO FCTC Article 11 and Article 12. The influence here wasn’t in a new policy - it was in shaping the interdisciplinary understanding that leads to better policy implementation.
Policy Engagement as a Craft
When I meet one-to-one with senior leaders, or gather policymakers, young people and civil society around a table, I’m reminded that real policy influence rarely happens on stage. It’s cumulative - built quietly, with curiosity, patience, and respect for people and process.
Policy engagement isn’t a performance to me. It’s a quiet craft. An investigative, slightly Columbo-like practice of spotting patterns, connecting ideas, and nudging others toward possibilities they may not have seen. Whether you’re a policy adviser, researcher, designer, civil servant, issue advocate, industry partner or citizen (remembering that, at the end of the day, we’re all citizens underneath), it’s the quiet work that makes the visible outcomes possible.
For me, the personal reward of policy engagement isn’t standing in the spotlight. It’s in mastering the craft of building connections. Master the quiet side of policy, and the shared rewards will follow in time.