1. FOR BETTER PROPOSALS ENG 405 REPORT WRITING COURSE

2. With the help of proposals organisations can……  develop and improve themselves  solve problems and prevent dangerous situations  sell products and services  win contracts  meet legal and ethical requirements

3. Goal! Main goal of many proposals is to identify a problem and suggest a solution. Importance! Organisations remain dynamic and healthy with the help of proposals.

4. Main Types of Proposals Apart from being solicited or unsolicited, proposals can be cathegorised under these names: offer products & services 1-Sales Proposals offer products & services to potential customers usually according to RFP’s. (for ex: bids)

5. funding 2- Grant Proposals request funding from government, universities etc. permission 3- Research Proposals request permission for investigation.(for ex: scientific studies) problem solutions 4- Troubleshooting Proposals study a specific problem and recommend solutions.

6. Check your proposals before you hand in! Ideas Were you logical, realistic and honest in shaping the proposal? Was your idea clear, complete and convincing? Have you considered outside factors?

7. Check your proposals before you hand in! Organisation Have you ordered the ideas carefully? Word usage Have you used clear words and accurate terms? Have you avoided technical jargon?

8. Check your proposals before you hand in! Voice Were you positive and confident? Were you sensitive to the audience? Have you avoided being arrogant and aggressive?

9. Check your proposals before you hand in! Sentences Have you used clear sentences? Were there logical transitions? (read aloud and test) Accuracy Have you checked your grammar, punctuation, spelling? Have you corrected your errors to get rid of a bad impression on the audience/ reader?

10. Check your proposals before you hand in! Design Have you used a reader-friendly design? Is every information accessible?(page numbers, in-text/ end text references etc.) Are headings, lists, graphics etc.clear enough?

11. Common mistakes  NO VISUAL APPEAL Tidy, clean, ordered pages, standard font, margins, equal graph to text ratio are necessary.  NOT READER FOCUSED The proposer should avoid talking a lot about himself/ his company. Boasting the reader is another point to be avoided

12. Common mistakes  TOO MUCH INFORMATION Avoid giving too much information since the assessors are busy people. Trying to impress the reader with your knowledge is not a correct way.  FAILURE TO EDIT Always proofread your work.

13. THANK YOU ‘Technical Writing’ coursebook www.upwritepress.com www.qvidian.com