PROPOSALWRITINGTHEARTOFPERSUASION.doc

PROPOSAL WRITING: THE ART OF PERSUASION

At various times in your life you will need to write a proposal, a statement or statements relating to a project you would like to accomplish. Such a proposal is an example of persuasive writing. It is addressed to the individual or agency whose resources can allow you to carry out your project. Your task is to convince them that your project deserves their support.
Not all proposals are in written form: you have undoubtedly had an idea, discussed it with someone in a position to help you, and off you went. Even then, though, you must have thought the idea through in enough detail that you could communicate effectively what you had in mind, to elicit the other person's support. A trivial example is a child's asking his or her parents for an increase in allowance. Ordinarily parents will want to know the answers to such questions as why the child needs the money, what it will be budgeted for, how they will know it was spent wisely, and what the child plans to do to earn it. The child is more likely to succeed if he or she has considered answers to these questions in advance. In a similar way, a written proposal works best if it tries to anticipate the questions that the evaluator is likely to ask.
How do you discover what those questions are? Most formal proposals are prepared in response to announced opportunities for which you want to be considered. More specifically, various grants, fellowships, and scholarships are awarded in competitions. Applicants are asked to write one or several statements that form the substance of their proposal. You can understand the sorts of questions you should address, even if they are not explicitly stated, by carefully reading published material describing the purpose of the granting agency and the kinds of statements requested. The statements are usually of a prescribed length and format (different for each competition). Frequently they also must fit into one of several categories, for example a personal statement, a project statement, and/or a public policy proposal. Formulating the appropriate response to these requirements can be difficult. The following information is designed to help you through the process. It is organized in terms of general informationon the structure of a formal proposal followed by specific suggestions for the proposals demanded by various graduate fellowships.
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Ten easy steps toward a clear and effective proposal
1 Have an idea or a goal that you are excited about. Think about it, discuss it with friends and mentors, and modify your idea if it seems appropriate.
2 Consider alternative ways to accomplish the idea or goal; select several of the best to pursue.
3 Identify sources of support to help you achieve the goal.
4 Investigate in detail the groups granting the support, to see whether their goals match yours.
5 If so, look closely at the requirements for application and the criteria for success. For some organizations, the project proposal is the main thing. For others it is simply one among several attributes of the applicant that are weighed in the balance: proven scholastic ability, attested to by a high academic average; leadership ability; community service; involvement in athletics; geographical origin or ethnicity; the opinion of respected professors expressed in letters of recommendation.
6 Make a list of the components of a complete application so that none is overlooked.
7 Systematically undertake these components, paying close attention to detail at every step.Neatness counts!
8 Keep your idea or goal at the forefront. Inevitably you will need to select what to include or what to emphasize. Do the selecting in such a way as to shine the most favorable possible light on the goal and on you as the person to accomplish it.
9 Do not hesitate to apply to more than one organization for support of the same idea (unless it is explicitly forbidden), but consider carefully how to tailor each application specifically to the organization.
10 Show your application, especially statements of the proposal, to as many people as possible before you submit it. If there are parts that need work, it is better to have friends point them out rather than selection committees! You do not have to accept their suggestions, but at least you can consider them. They may have arisen from a misreading that you can clarify. Among those who would appreciate seeing your proposal (or at least hearing about it) are those you have asked for letters of recommendation.

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The structure of the formal proposal
The formal proposal will have various structures depending on its length and what other supporting material is being requested. At one extreme may be the proposal for a grant in support of scientific research that is submitted to an agency such as the National Institutes of Health. These documents are "limited to" 15 pages, and must follow a very particular order and format, designed for the convenience of the reviewers. I had trouble with this format until I realized that it answers a series of questions:
· What are you going to do?
· Why does it need to be done?
· Why should we think you can do it?
· How are you going to do it?
· Where have you gone for other information?
For most applications you can discover how the review will be carried out by noticing the questions asked. If they are not asked explicitly, you can anticipate them by imagining yourself as a reviewer.
At the other extreme of length is an application requested by the St. Andrews Society of New Yorkfor students seeking to spend a year at a Scottish university. A four-page form is filled out listing things like your academic history, honors, extracurricular activities, and in what way you are of Scottish ancestry (a key issue for this organization). You then have 200 words to answer each of two questions:
· Why do you wish to continue your education beyond the present year?
· Why do you wish to study in Scotland?
Naturally, in this case successful students need to make every word count and count toward the obvious goal of the organization: to promote the understanding of Scotlandby Americans of Scottish ancestry. An interview is part of the final selection process for this award (as for many others), so the wise applicant will make the responses to the questions open to further conversation in the interview.
While the form and style of proposals vary widely, they all seek to understand what motivates you to undertake the project you are describing. In many cases preparing the proposal will be an occasion to come to self-understanding that will be useful as you pursue future goals, no matter how the particular application is received.