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The Discussion posts this week provide more information about proposals. Some of the information, like today’s tutorial, include information that expands beyond the basic details you need to write your short proposal for this class. Since you are likely to write more than one kind of proposal once you enter the workforce, the thorough details in this video are sure to come in handy
This week’s #Tuesday Tutorial, the Lynda.com video Overview of Business Proposals (5m25s), introduces the four different types of proposals and goes on to discuss common proposal characteristics such as document structure, the necessary length, and audience needs.
As you watch the video, consider how the information relates to the short proposal that you will write. Since you will write about different kind of writing and for different reasons, how can you apply the information the video shares? If you have experience writing proposals in the workplace or elsewhere, how does your experience match the information in the video?
Note: This video has closed captioning, so it does not need a transcript.
8 Comments
What I learned from the video a proposal can either be external or internal and solicited or unsolicited. This information relates to the next assignment because we will be writing a proposal on the type of writing that we want to write about. Considering the next assignment is a proposal, we have to be persuasive in what we write in order for us to the get the proposal approved. In the video it mentioned the different scenarios when you should write in 1st person versus 3rd person. Should we make the proposal in 1st person because based on how the video described it, it seems like more of a 1st person case for this class assignment? I can apply the information from this video by being persuasive like it mentioned and using the either 1st or 3rd person depending which one is appropriate for this assignment.
In the workplace I have a little experience with writing proposals because for my internship I had to write part of on once. Because I worked for a roadway design company, the company we were writing the proposal to was VDOT. Therefore, because this a government agency we wrote it in a 3rd person point of view. We also made sure to write it formally instead of making it informal.
I agree Danielle, the proposal seems like it should be written in 1st person. Based on the categories listed in the video, this assignment seems like it should be an internal solicited proposal, which would lend itself to 1st person because the audience is already expecting the proposal.
I personally haven’t had a lot of experience writing proposals in the workforce, but have written some for larger scale engineering assignments.
The information that the video shares could easily be applied to our proposals because there are ways of writing it based on the audience. We either make it formal or informal, and solicited or unsolicited. These are integral to the overall understanding of the proposal and the tone of it. If it’s for a small company, or a reviewer that has been met before, the video recommends a more informal way of talking ie. the first person. I think the video did a good job of explaining how each proposal should be different, and not cookie-cutter like because it’s your own individual research. You also have to use your own knowledge to be able to persuade the audience that this proposal should get approved, and that will be an important part of the proposal that we write.
While the textbook readings defined internal/external and solicited/unsolicited, I appreciated the examples of each that the video provided. As mentioned previously, I appreciate that insight of when to be 1st or 3rd person. As someone in the science discipline, I am used to writing in 3rd person. Unless otherwise told, I would have written everything in that format because I would not know any better. I also watched portions of the proposal format videos later on in the module. Again, the textbook explained these concepts but I appreciate the visual addition to help solidify my knowledge.
I have no previous experience with formal proposals and look forward to getting experience in a relatively safe environment to learn before being thrown into the work force and instructed to do so.
This video did a very good job of breaking down the basics of a proposal, and describing the differences between Internal vs. External, as well as Solicited vs. Unsolicited proposals. Being able to distinguish the differences, and know how each should be used in certain circumstances. Although the meanings of each may be fairly self-explanatory, it was really nice for the video to go over some examples and key differences between each one. I also found the section about when to use formal vs. informal tone in a proposal based on the audience one is writing to. Knowing when to properly use the right tone can be very important when writing a proposal.
I really learned from the section of this video regarding the use of templates in proposal writing. As someone who often gets told to “write ____”, I have gained a real appreciation for templates. I wholeheartedly agree with what the video said about being careful with your use of templates though. They are a starting point, not a fill in the blank. A proposal needs to be unique, and not just the content needs to stand out. So much of what we learn in this course is how much formatting matters, and just like a resume, a proposal needs to be have a good aesthetic element as well..
In my intern and co-op experiences, I haven’t ever written a proposal in the first person. Even when it would fall under “informal”, I still can’t bring myself to do it. Has anyone else experience a sort of internal pull away from doing something in the professional world more informally?
This actually a very useful article, as I have almost zero experience with writing proposals. I especially liked how the speaker broke down the proposal into specific sections. Ultimately, I think this is a really important skill to have, because I can’t think of a single job where being able to write a good proposal wouldn’t be applicable. Personally, I feel like the project purpose and details sections are probably the most important sections, because I think those sections really define the project and lets the person reviewing the project know what they’re looking at.
I found the video helpful in describing the commonalities between the different types of proposals and the general structure of proposals. It described how all proposals include the project course of action, the cost of the project, and the benefits of accepting the proposal. I also found the part of the video helpful about when to use first-person or third-person perspective. I think based on the video saying that it depends on the audience and formality of the proposal, the perspective for the short report proposal should be first-person since we are personally making the proposal to Professor Gardner.