Fact sheet

Fact sheets are easily digestible, one-page documents that provide basic information on a specific topic. Fact sheets can be helpful when an agency needs to keep the public informed. Fact sheets can provide balanced and objective information to assist an audience in understanding an issue, solution, alternatives, or additional opportunities. They are also inexpensive, easy to make, and can be handed out at community events, public meetings, meetings of governing bodies, or just about any place where your intended audience will be gathering. Fact sheets can also be sent out electronically or via the mail.

Fact sheets represent a one-way flow of information and are best used at the inform level of engagement. For this reason, if a fact sheet represents a decision that has already been made, it should not be used in a meeting that has been publicized or designed to gather input from the public. However, fact sheets that offer potential solutions or alternatives to an issue can be used in conjunction with public meetings to obtain feedback from the public as you advance to the consult level of engagement.

To produce a fact sheet, follow a simple best practices guide:

1. Think about what message you want the facts to convey. Do you want to explain a complicated issue? Motivate people to act? Build support for an environmental decision? Careful examination of the purpose of your fact sheet is critical to getting your message across. 

2. Think about your audience. Ask yourself, who will you be giving this fact sheet to? What sort of information will appeal to this group? What sort of reaction do you expect your audience to have?

3. Find your facts. It’s important to verify your sources and confirm that your facts are up to date.

4. Narrow it down. Go through all the factual information gathered and choose what is most important to convey. Facts should be relevant and drive home your point.

5. Decide how you want to lay out your fact sheet. Find a simple way of presenting your information. You may want to use a “who, what, when, where, why” approach or use bullet points throughout.

6. Cite your sources. Your fact sheet will be more credible if you can tell people what sources your information came from.