Proposal Writing

Perhaps the main reason of writing is to communicate — arguably this is the root purpose of any writing. In order to communicate through your writing, it must be easily understood. In two-way communication — face to face — you can reiterate a point in response to a question, or simply communicate through a raised eyebrow or a confused look. Writing, however, is one-way communication, so you have only one chance to ensure comprehension. Two techniques that you can use to improve your readers’ comprehension are the use of Fog Index and Pace. The following paragraphs describe these techniques.

The present situation for Government contractors reminds me of the introduction to Charles Dickens’ famous novel, A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times.“ Never during my 30 years in Government Programs has there been anything like it. At the same time, we have:

Recently I was working with a client, helping them improve their Executive Summaries. We focused on developing a more client-centered message. We talked about focusing on the customer’s problems first, then showing how solving those problems would deliver a big payback to the client’s organization.

I just got back from four days in Las Vegas. I spent the first two days working with Kaiser Permanente, and that was delightful--speaking at their national sales meeting, working with their proposal writers, and leading a workshop for their sales people.

I had a very disturbing conversation with Nick Oulton the other day. Nick is the UK-based author of Killer Presentations, and an expert on using PowerPoint. 

This article is adapted from my part of a three-person Roundtable, given at the APMP – National Capital Area Chapter, September 17, 2008.

A blank page can be intimidating. You have a blank page at the start of each proposal. And then another at the start of each section. Most people go through a "warm up" process while they try to figure out what to say.

What is wrong with the following list of reasons why the customer should select you in a proposal?

I want to challenge a statement in your previous Proposal Service Monthly newsletter. This statement reads as follows: