Proposals

Definition:

Project proposals are the mode of communication that describes “what you hope to accomplish, why those objectives are important to your academic or artistic field, and how you intend to achieve your objectives” (Stanford Undergrad np). A well-crafted proposal typically includes key components such as a summary of the initiative, an identification of the need, the methodology for achieving the proposal’s goals, and an evaluation of how the audience will receive the goal.

College-aged students who will soon enter the professional workforce require the skill of being able to formulate an effective proposal that successfully demonstrates their ideas. Whether composing one for a graduate requirement or an interview for future employment, proposals will be crucial in maintaining success for emerging students. Proposals allow students to articulate their ideas concisely while allowing their arguments to be at the forefront of the assignment.

(Hendrickson np).

Key Elements:

Introduction

“Significance of the topic” (Hamilton np).

This section should inform the audience about the topics that are going to be addressed. For example, when presenting a proposal about saving sharks, this section should inform the audience about the types of sharks, why those sharks are important, the habitat they live in, what they eat, how they are important to the food chain, and so on.

Description of a Problem

“Approach to amalgamating topic and subject” (Hamilton np).

This section should expand on the information that was presented and explain what needs to be changed. Building on the saving sharks’ example, this section should discuss why sharks need to be saved and what is happening to them that needs to be fixed. For example, sharks can be hunted, have their fins removed, and be returned into the ocean to starve.

Methods and Procedures

“Approach to design and content” (Hamilton np).

This section describes the exact way that the problem should be addressed. This would include policies, ways to stop the problem, and overall solutions to the given issue. For the sharks, this would include discussing ways to stop these hunters, or laws that should be implemented in countries where this practice is common.

Conclusion

“Argument for acceptance of proposal” (Hamilton np).

This section argues against any counterarguments and reviews the information given throughout the rest of the proposal. This section reemphasizes the important points in a summarized way so that the audience is clear on all aspects of the proposal. In the given example, this would include a summary about the sharks, the hunting, and solutions to the hunting.

Works Cited

This section should be MLA formatted and give credit to all sources used or mentioned in the proposal.

Types of Proposals:

Research proposals vary in type and context, with distinctions such as internal versus external, solicited vs. unsolicited, and solutions that are known vs. unknown. These categories intersect with broader types of proposals, called general proposals, and they include research, essay, and consulting proposals. General proposals address three distinct purposes:

1. Research Proposals: A research proposal is conducted when students and professionals describe research they would like to complete in college classes, professional settings, and laboratories (Moxley np).

2. Essay Proposals: The goal of an essay proposal is to influence people about various topics and present a call to action.

3. Consulting Proposals: These proposals seek funding for necessary services. They outline the scope of a project, the services they will provide, the timeline, and the costs involved (Liberman np).

Additionally, there are other aspects of the proposal that must be determined before drafting. Identifying these factors is crucial to creating a proposal that will be accepted—whether the proposal is written for internal or external readers, the proposal is solicited or unsolicited, and if the solution is known or unknown (Bettes np).

Internal or External

Internal: Internal proposals are written to someone within an organization (business, government agency, etc.…). Because they are within an organization, there may be less information and qualifications required (Bettes np). For example, a proposal to evaluate workplace efficiency may be submitted by an internal team to leadership.

External: External proposals target outside entities, such as a university researcher seeking funding from a government agency for a community health study. These proposals must persuade the reader that there is a solid plan, and credibility must also be established with the reader.

Solicited or Unsolicited:

Solicited Proposals respond to requests from a recipient for the proposal. The solicitation may come in the form of a direct verbal or written request, but normally solicitations are indirect, open-bid to the public and formally published for everyone to see. A request for proposal (RFP), request for quotation (RFQ), and invitation for bid (IFB) are common ways to solicit business proposals for business, industry, and the government (Bettes np).

Unsolicited Proposals are independently initiated. With these proposals, the recipient must be convinced that a problem or need exists before the proposal is created. They require a thorough understanding of the market, product and/or service, and their presentation is typically general rather than customer-specific (Bettes np). Because getting a tailored message to a targeted audience may be a challenge if the message is unsolicited, unsolicited proposals are often regarded as marketing materials, which are intended more to stimulate interest for a follow-up contact than make direct sales (Bettes np).

Known or Unknown Solution:

Unknown Solution Proposals identify a problem and seek to find a solution. With an unknown solution, there may be a hypothesis—an idea that might solve the problem. However, this “educated guess” must be disproven through research (Bettes np). An example of this type of proposal would be a researcher proposing to study the genetic basis of a rare disease to discover potential treatments.

Known Solution Proposals outline clear, predetermined approaches to solving problems. Because the solution already exists, the proposal seeks to increase feasibility—i.e. can a specific solution resolve the problem, and what is the best way to implement the specific action, item, or idea? For instance, proposing a department to replace a dozen 2016 Dell computers with the newest MacBook Pro model in an effort to improve computer speed, decrease user frustration, and increase employee productivity (Bettes np).

(Bette np).

Examples:

A Modest Proposal

In A Modest Proposal, Dr. Jonathan Swift effectively uses logical structure and ethos and pathos to create a successful proposal and persuade the audience:

“It is a melancholy object to those, who walk through this great town, or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin-doors crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags, and importuning every passenger for an alms… I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasee, or a ragoust.” (Swift)

Logical structure: Swift starts with introducing the problem of poverty in Ireland to describe the severity of the issue. Then, he presents his proposal of child cannibalism in a straightforward, calculated manner. Later in his piece, he describes with at least six different reasons why this solution will be effective for and how his plan will reduce poverty in Ireland.
Ethos: In the beginning of the piece, Swift uses ethos by seeming concerned and intelligent to make his proposal appear credible, even though his suggestion is absurd. His logical and formal style of writing present himself as a serious thinker with a legitimate solution.
Pathos: Swift emotionally appeals to the readers by including descriptions of impoverished mothers who are unable to support their children, which engages the empathy of the audience. He also uses grotesque details of eating kids and describing them as “delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food” to provoke a sense of disgust and horror. He then shocks readers by suggesting child cannibalism as the only rational solution.

(Stechenko np).

English 145 Proposal for Short Assignment 2

This is an example of an ENGL 145 Proposal submitted for Short Assignment 2, which instructs students to write a proposal for the webpage final group project. This proposal met all the requirements, and received an A. This was a successful proposal because the writing was thoroughly and accurately edited. Every detail in this proposal was intentional in planning the construction of this page. Writing this page was not complicated, because the website’s contents were planned and organized in the high-quality proposal.

This proposal also received an A due to the accurate usage of formal writing. The word “it” was never used. The proposal utilized the required format and was clearly organized. The writing was specific and precise. There are only a few phrasal verbs and MLA mistakes in the Works Cited, and these are highlighted on the document to demonstrate areas that needed improvement.

engl145 proposal.pdf

(Wang et al).

Scrub Daddy Pitch

Relation to Written Proposal:

This pitch incorporates all parts of the written proposal. This includes the introduction, problem, how the scrub daddy fixes the problem and a

conclusion.

Introduction:

“The greatest kitchen scrubbing tool you ever used” (Shark Tank Global np).

Description of a Problem:

The showing of the dirty stove, pan spoon and glass.

Methods and Procedures:

“Completely changes texture by just adjusting your water temperature” (Shark Tank Global np).
Demonstration of the use on a stove and a pan.
Putting the scrub daddy in the warm water and seeing it come out looking new.
“You put it on your hand, you can get to the bottom and clean the sides [of a cup]” (Shark Tank Global np).
“Smiling Mouth that cleans spoons, knives, forks, spatulas, and even large serving spoons on both ends at the same time” (Shark Tank Global np).

Conclusion:

“With your help, scrub daddy will be scrubbing, and smiling in every kitchen in the world” (Shark Tank Global np).

Effectivity:

This pitch was effective for many reasons. The main one of those reasons is the demonstration. The demonstration aided the sharks to want to invest in the scrub daddy by emphasizing the solution.

Pitches v. Proposals:

“The main goal of a pitch deck is to clearly communicate your business vision, get the audience excited about what you’re doing, and inspire them to want to learn more. On the other hand, a proposal is a detailed document that outlines a plan or a solution to a problem” (SlideGenius np).

Video Tutorial:

Tips for Improvement:

General:

Accurately respond to the prompt by addressing the section’s topic. For example, in the “Description of the Problem” section, avoid writing about the materials that will be embedded in the page, as that information should be included in the “Methods and Procedures” section.
Clearly state the objectives of the proposal. Proposals often fail to articulate clear goals or outcomes. State objectives that are specific, measurable, and directly aligned with the proposal’s purpose. This may be achieved by using bullet points or concise and comprehendible statements to outline goals.
Ensure the goal being asked of the audience is realistic and attainable. Creating an unrealistic goal with too many impractical components may cause interested audience members to defer from accepting the given proposal.

Technical:

Improve the preciseness and formality of language. Use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+F to search for and delete certain keywords or phrases in a document, such as the following:

o Phrasal Verbs: Reference Phrasal Verbs and remove all phrasal verbs included in that page (which are written and underlined in red) from the proposal. Use the Phrasal Verbs page to also find active words that can replace phrasal verbs. For example, instead of using “The conclusions are based on,” write “The conclusions convey” (ENGL 145 np).

o “It”: Writing with “it” creates ambiguity and reduces clarity in writing. Reference IT for examples of replacing “it” with precise verbs in sentences.

o “One”: For example, instead of writing “one’s essay,” replace with “the essay.”

A proposal’s works cited is a common area where students may make small mistakes, which could undermine the credibility of the author. A list of the most “commonly occurring errors in MLA works cited” specific to the students of ENGL 145, has been published on the MLA Works Cited subsection of the ENGL 145 webpage (ENGL 145 np).

English 145:

Utilize class time to read through the proposal, one section at a time. Every group member will make edits to each section and discuss any changes they would like to make to the content or writing. Thoroughly editing the ENGL 145 proposal through this process will reduce the formatting, language, or grammar mistakes, and create a unified voice, which the audience will read with fluidity. To improve the flow of the writing, a group member can also read each section aloud to identify any awkward wording.

Use the required format and language. Reference the example of an ENGL 145 Proposal below. For example, in the section titles, do not write “Introduction (Kaylie)” when the required format elucidates that last names should be written. Instead, write “Introduction (Wang).

Works Cited

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