Write a Position Paper

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Steps

Video: Write a Position Paper

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Hello, and thank you for watching VisiHow. Today, I'll show you how you can prepare a position paper that you can use to lobby the United States Congress. We will cover everything you need to include in this position paper.

1. 1
   Open the paper by stating the issue

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   Prepare one paper per issue.

   

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2. 2
   The paper should be one to two pages in length

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   We're looking at a very targeted, concise opinion piece that will be convincing. We need to take a stand and argue our case in a position paper. With such limited space, don't be shy about using very convincing language. This is not the place to use words such as "perhaps" or "maybe" or "in my opinion". That type of language will weaken the argument. We want to give our opinion, some counterpoints, and the facts.

   

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3. 3
   Provide background information

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   Maybe this is background information on a bill that is up for a vote again, or maybe there are other bills that have been voted on before that deal with similar types of issues. Why is this particular vote important?

   

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4. 4
   Present counterarguments

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   We don't need to present every possible counterargument. Pick a strong one, and refute it. What about the counterargument will not be beneficial?

   

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5. 5
   State, in detail, the position being taken in the paper

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   When we state our position, we can come right out for or against.

   

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6. 6
   Provide supporting facts

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   These will need to be very relevant, but also very concise facts that support our position. Make sure to do a lot of research when preparing the statement.

   

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7. 7
   Close the position paper with a conclusion

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   This can be a concise summary. We can say, "In conclusion, we are for this bill because" and then recap our reasons.

   

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8. 8
   This concludes today's tutorial on how to write a position paper that you can use to lobby the United States Congress

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   If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please leave them in the space below.

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If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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