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24 views15 pages

ch12 TBW

slides

Uploaded by

zamanrafiq09
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PROPOSALS

CHAPTER: 10, 12
Basic Persuasive Tasks
1. Spell out the problem (and its causes) clearly and convincingly. Supply
enough detail for your audience to appreciate the problem’s importance.
2. Point out the benefits of solving the problem. Explain specifically what your readers stand
to gain.
3. Offer a realistic, cost-effective solution. Stick to claims or assertions you can support.
4. Address anticipated objections to your solution. Consider carefully your
audience’s level of skepticism about this issue.
5. Convince your audience to act. Decide exactly what you want your readers to do and give
reasons why they should be the ones to take action.
RFP

Flowchart showing the PROPOSA


main documents involved L
in one possible project

FEASIBILTY
STUDY
Feasibility studies: documents that show the practicality of a
proposed policy, product, service.

RFP (request for proposals) documents sometimes sent out by CONTRACT


organizations wanting to receive proposals for a product or a
service.

PROJEC
T
An outline And model for Proposals
In all three cases, proposals can be presented either as a:
• short and simple format (informal reports templates)
• longer, more complicated format (formal proposals)

Proposals can be either:


• Solicited – Requested by the reader/client
• Unsolicited – Submitted to a client on your own without a
request
Reports and Proposals help organizational decision making. They are complex
documents.
Adapted to their audience and Comparative
purposes. Formatted as both formal and informal.
Characteristics
Informal reports and proposals Formal reports and proposals
Focus on a specific problem, situation, event Address complex problems, situations,
events
Single author usually Collaborative writing
One to few readers For multiple readers of different specialities
2 – 5 pages 6 – more pages

External → letter; Internal → memo Mostly external audience


Created per template Often bound or with some (file) cover
Headings help readers to find information Multiple level headings to help locate
information
May include appendixes Have front and back material: Title page, ToC,
Appendixes
Proposals can be categorized in several ways relating to the audience and
purposes
In-house proposal James Oliver, Chief Financial Officer, has received the results of an
for security internal audit that found problems in the way client information is
protocol training: being digitally secured. He asks Greg Bass, Director of Information
Systems (IS), to propose changes that will improve IS security and
training of all affected employees.

In-house proposal Mack Boh, Facilities Maintenance Supervisor at the Baltimore


for change in branch office, writes a proposal to Brenda Seymour, Purchasing
purchasing Director, suggesting that M-Global use environmentally friendly
practices: cleaning products whenever possible. The proposal describes a
system for trials of products for effectiveness; each branch will use
the system to develop its own list of approved products.
Sales proposal for The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources issues a Request
dam removal for Proposals for the removal of an earthen dam from a state park.
project: The dam, built in the 1930s, is no longer safe, and it is to be removed
as the first step in a river restoration project.

Grant proposal for Oilarus, Ltd., a British oil company, sometimes gives research-and-
new equipment development funds to small companies. Such funding usually goes
design: toward development of new technology or products in the field of
petroleum engineering. Angela Issam, who works in M-Global’s
Equipment Design Lab decides to apply for funding for a research
project. Her proposed project, if successful, would provide a new
piece of oil-drilling safety equipment that would reduce the chance
of offshore oil spills at production sites.
Four keys to ace in proposal and report writing skills:

1. Clearly understand your purpose – why you are writing?

2. Address the needs of the audience — what do they need?

3. Design your document per audience needs – how any solution is


offered?

4. Edit carefully – the content must be error free, formal/business


writings.
Guidelines applicable to proposals, regardless of their audience or
format:
1. Plan well before writing - survey the current situation, identify the best way to
improve it, conduct research, collect background info, develop a plan (what you’ll need –
resources, funds, equipment, expertise, benchmarks, timelines, expected benefits).

2. Make text visually appealing - Remember—you are trying to sell a product, a


service, or an idea; so, get your audience onboard!
• Use lists, bullets or numbered points to highlight main ideas
• Follow your readers’ preferences in font size, type, line spacing, design.
Proposals written in the reader-preferred format gain a competitive edge
• Use headings and subheadings to break up blocks of text
• Provide infographics where necessary

3. Edit Carefully – any factual or linguistic mistakes could come heavy with legal
implications/ losses:
A proposal is solicited or unsolicited depending on the audience’s role in its initiation.

Unsolicited proposal: A document submitted without a request to convince your readers to


adopt an idea, a product, or a service.
▪ Unsolicited proposals are usually written as informal documents and often addressed to
internal audiences.

Solicited proposal: A document requested by the reader to help the reader solve a problem
through the purchase of a product or a service.
▪ Solicited proposals are usually written as formal documents and addressed to external
audiences.

Request for proposal (RFP): A document sometimes sent out by an organization that wants to
receive proposals for a product or some service.
The RFP gives guidelines on:
o what the proposal should cover
o when it should be submitted
o to whom it should be sent

As writer, you should follow the RFP guidelines diligently in planning and drafting your proposal.

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