Newsletter #3: Preparing Proposals, Crafting Compelling Business Cases, and Using Persuasive Language
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Newsletter #3: Preparing Proposals, Crafting Compelling Business Cases, and Using Persuasive Language
January 20, 2021. What a day in history. Lisa, Erin, and Christa busily crafted up our business-focused messages for how you can use language to persuade. It's a skill! It's a joy. Do it well and you'll be rich, have great client, colleague, and social relationships, and be happy.And then. And then. Amanda Gorman, Youth Poet Laureate, delivered what might be the most persuasive speech since the night of Martin Luther King's "I have been to the mountaintop." See if you agree – the link to these speeches are at the end of the newsletter, after all of the excellent career writing tips.
Have questions or comments? We would love to hear from you through LinkedIn or at tips4techwriting@gmail.com.
1. On Preparing Proposals, from LISA ORCHARD
It’s easy to find online advice about how to respond to a Request for Proposals (RFPs): Answer the specific questions, highlight skills, demonstrate value, and so on. However, most advisors neglect to mention that because your RFP is going to be evaluated by a public sector team that isn’t fundamentally motivated by the same things your firm is, there is one key thing to keep in mind: Remember your audience!
Bidding is time-consuming, and there is big money at stake with no guarantee of success. No wonder bidders often rely on stock content from standard templates to populate their proposal! But this can work against you, too.
Your proposal will be evaluated by subject matter experts. These professionals work in government. They’re motivated by what’s in the public interest. They are often frustrated that they aren’t tasked with doing the work themselves. They are going to tear your proposal to shreds (as they should when spending public funds).
No one expects your bid to be perfect. What they want to see is an alignment of values. They want a commitment of quality. As evaluators, they want to be engaged as they pore over hundreds or thousands of pages from competing bidders. They want to be able to easily understand your proposal and make decisions quickly.
1. Use plain language. Avoid jargon, acronyms, and overly technical terms without definition. Every time the evaluator has to stop to think about what you really mean, you're at a disadvantage.
2. Check for proper grammar and spelling. This indicates a commitment to quality and detail.
3. Add complementary infographics, tables, data, and visuals. This can enhance clarity and readability.
4. Be consistent. This means staying in the same verb tense, making sure lists are punctuated the same way, and numbers are written the same way from start to finish.
5. Adjust your stock content. Don’t get too locked into your standard phrases, which can be so general as to be meaningless in the context of the proposal. And as you’re combining your stock content with new text, remember it needs to read as a cohesive whole. For example, use the same terms for the same things.
6. Read carefully. If you’re too locked into your template and standard responses, you may not have picked up on the nuances in the RFP. Where there are grey areas, and there often are, check in with the procurement advisor. You’re probably not the only one wondering.
7. Demonstrate understanding. Do some research and find out what the organization's priorities are today, and over the long-term. Use the language from the RFP itself, and highlight how your firm will align with the values of the organization.
In over 20 years in government, we’ve seen some of the most reputable global firms lose bids because of inattention to these “softer” considerations. Remember, your proposal is being reviewed by experts who, given the proper resources, could often do the job themselves. They are looking to you to address a gap, and your proposal has to inspire their confidence.
2. On Compelling Business Cases, from ERIN GUTSCHE
Technical writing is for more than informing—it’s also for persuading. Business cases are classic examples.
A business case is a formal document or presentation that explains why an organization should undertake a certain project. It gives decision makers the information they need to weigh a project’s benefits against its costs and risks.
Here are some tips for crafting a convincing business case.
- Choose the right level of detail. This is about knowing who your decision makers are. If you don’t know the decision makers well, pretend you’re the business owner. An employee is asking you to spend $1,000,000 on a project. What do you want to know?
- Apply plain language principles. Keep the text concise (time is money). Be mindful of acronyms, noun strings, and jargon; they tend to sneak into technical solutions.
- Show them the money. Tie everything back to dollars and cents. This can be tricky for projects focused on health, safety, or the environment. In those cases, stay as quantitative as possible (e.g., highlight the number of safety incidents avoided or the cost of fines for regulatory noncompliance).
- State your assumptions. Be clear about the degree of uncertainty. If you’ve referenced external material, ensure your sources are reputable (e.g., a published journal article or an industry standard).
- Use the expected business case template. Don’t use a PDF when the decision makers are expecting a PowerPoint presentation! And stay true to the template format. If you need to share extra information, ask about the most appropriate way to do so.
- Review past cases. What features are common to the successful cases? Can you identify any patterns or traits with the ones that weren’t approved?
By following the tips above, you should end up with a clear, concise business case that meets the needs of your decision makers. Good luck!
3. On Persuasive Language, from CHRISTA BEDWIN
If you want to persuade anyone of anything, whether it’s to buy a product, join your team, or one of those many daily negotiations of family relationships, my number one suggestion is to read Dale Carnegie’s wonderful book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. His suggestions are solid gold.
Though Carnegie’s techniques are so magically effective that some people fear they are pernicious, many more argue that they lead to mutually beneficial relationships. You can probably easily identify the people in your network who adhere to his principles, starting with “Begin in a friendly way,” and “smile,” which of course help to get people saying “yes, yes, immediately” to your suggestions. His more advanced techniques include giving employees or protegées a reputation to live up to, and throwing down a challenge for them to rise to. If you have not read this book yet, buy or borrow yourself a copy today. You’ll be glad that you did.
The flip side of effective persuasion, of course, is that persuasion can be used to make society so much worse than it needs to be. In 2020, we suffered the consequences of divisive politics in the US and UK, and the devastating (to me, anyway) realization that so many of our neighbours do not understand or believe in science – not climate change, not vaccination, not even mask-wearing. So, I was going to write about logical fallacies and how it is that people are persuaded of things that are actually bad for them. Instead of that, however, I am forced to share something much more interesting and important and wonderful. History was made happened while I was in the middle of writing this post.
A 21-year old woman brought hope back to America today. I didn't think it could be done. I am in absolute awe of this woman, of her wordsmithing abilities. Of the words and the way they dance together in this speech. This is persuasive writing at its absolute best.
Ladies and Gentleman, Amanda Gorman, bringing us hope at such a critical time in our history, not least, by showing us that our youth are this smart, this wise, this perspicacious. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz4YuEvJ3y4&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR2c38PIWVv8gcTwxItnG2etNFFJ_X8r0ZIJHQhCqRNFPMHE4YUqPoIxYCs
I am going to come right out and say that I think this orator, Amanda Gorman, has equal persuasive gifts to Martin Luther King, widely acknowledged to have made one of history's most persuasive speeches ever. Here's a little slice of "I have been to the mountaintop.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e49VEpWg61M, which has been so much studied for its persuasive power. I look forward to all the English-language studies we'll see of the structure and power of Ms. Gorman's words in the future.
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