ProposalsYour Next Assignment

Today’s Agenda• Persuasive Strategies• Beginning and Ending a Communication• Creating a Proposal• Your Proposals in Depth

Persuasion• Focusing on your reader• Reverse• Reinforce• Shape• Be flexible• Reasoning

Reasoning• Evidence• Connected by line of reasoning• Leads to claim

Evidence• Data• Testimony• Examples

Arrangement• Organizing your argument• Direct pattern

o Begins with the writer’s main pointo Afterwards provides evidenceo Effective when offering an analysiso Less effective when conveying information that may be “bad”

• Indirect patterno Presents evidence o Postpones on main pointo Allows author to prepare the reader.

Building a Relationship

• Taking Authorityo Powero Expertise

• Building trustworthinesso Personal advantages vs. objectivity

• Group membershipo Build authority

• Dynamic appealo Show enthusiasm

Beginning• Compelling introduction• Give readers a reason to pay attention• Refer to specific requests• Problem solving

Writing Assignment• Pick a social issue currently plaguing the United

States. Write a compelling proposal introduction that would address this issue.

• If you’re having trouble thinking of a subject, here are a few:o Childhood obesityo The Drug Waro Illiteracy Rateso Povertyo Hunger

Announcements• Preview the arrangement• Explain the scope of the document• Summarize

Basic Information• The reason they should read• The main point• Arrangement and scope• Background information

Ending• End on your last point• Repeat your main point• Summarize key points• Follow up

o What to do nexto Identify further work

Writing a Proposal• Introduction• Problem Assessment• Objective• Solution• Method• Resources• Schedule• Qualifications• Management• Costs

Introduction• Your abstract• Can be one sentence to a few paragraphs• Sums up where you are going in the piece

Problem• Issues that needs to be addressed• Come from multiple sources

o RFPo Explicito Implicito Yourself

Objective• Explicit goals to solve the problem• Measurable• Concrete

Solution• Address each of the objectives• A desirable way to achieve objectives• Plan for achieving objectives

Method• Exact means by which you plan to solve the

problem• Plan of action

Resources• Optional section• Special materials to be used in the project• Depends on if your proposal needs equipment

Schedule• Very important• Provide a chart• Calendar of deliverables

Qualifications• Experience and skills of the personnel• Instills confidence in the reader• Approach this ethically

Management• For projects with more personnel• Organizational chart• Coordination of work

Costs• Investment of resources• Budget statement

Group Assignment• In groups of 3, write a short proposal addressing a

social problem in the United States. How would you go about solving this problem? What costs would you incur?