Planning Proposal
Assignment:
For this assignment you will use the three-step writing process to plan, write, and complete a document that presents a solution or proposes an action and supports that proposal with convincing arguments. Depending on your audience, you will present your proposal with a cover letter or memo that briefly explains your purpose and plan. (See sample proposal handout)
What is a Proposal?
Proposals are defined as “tools for managing change.” The key words are tools, managing, and change. “Tools” means that proposals are devices that help us do our work. “Managing” means taking control of a situation. It means directing people and resources in a way that allows us to achieve specific ends. “Change” is really what life is all about. Few things ever stay the same for long. The world is constantly evolving around us, urging us to continually reinvent ourselves—to keep changing. Proposals are tools for managing these changes. They are tools for taking purposeful action in a world that never seems to stop moving.
Proposals involve the use of *persuasion strategies that will help you manage people and resources efficiently and effectively. They are an attempt to persuade an audience to take some form of direct action: to authorize a project; purchase a service or product; or otherwise support a specific plan for solving a problem.
There are three main categories, or kinds, of proposals: planning—offers a solution to a problem or suggestions for improvement; research—requests approval (and often funding) for a research project; and sales—a major marketing tool, it offers a service or product.
*What is Persuasion?
“Persuade” means to convince someone to do or to believe something. Persuasive writing attempts to convince the reader to adopt a point of view or take a particular action. This is a big challenge since the writer has no direct access to the reader and must rely on sound reasoning and strong evidence to convince readers.
Persuasive writing is probably the most common type of writing that we produce in our everyday lives. Emails requesting information from co-workers; memos requesting staff support, training, funding or other resources for projects; and requests for all kinds of actions are all examples of persuasive documents.
To be effective, persuasive writing must appeal to the reader’s priorities rather than the writer’s needs. (For example, your boss will not likely be convinced to give you a bonus because you need a new transmission for your car.) There may be many reasons to adopt a position but only some of these reasons will appeal to a particular reader. The more writers focus on their readers’ priorities and concerns, the more effective their arguments will be.
Persuasive proposals begin with a clear statement of what you want the reader to do or to believe. (If you don’t know what you want the reader to do or believe, the reader won’t know either.) The body of the proposal presents three to five reasons (or arguments) why readers should do or believe what you want them to do or believe. Proposals in the workplace usually follow a similar organizational scheme and have the following three parts:
- Introduction made up of one or two paragraphs that clearly state what you want readers to do or believe
Example: If the topic is excessive freeway congestion, the introduction briefly describes the problem in concrete terms and proposes that the best solution for the problem is to add carpool lanes.
- Body made up of multiple paragraphs presenting three to five arguments that support the solution proposed in the Introduction. These arguments (or reasons for adopting the proposed solution) are usually emphasized by being presented as headings or as paragraph headers in bold.
Example: If the proposed solution is the addition of carpool lanes, the body of the proposal presents three to five reasons for adopting the proposed solution. These arguments might include reduced commute times, fewer accidents, less environmental impact through reduced fuel consumption, and so forth.
- Conclusion made up of one or more paragraphs that close the proposal by restating the main points and what you want the reader to do or know.
Writing the Proposal:
For this assignment you are to propose a solution to a problem that you care about; therefore, you are composing a planning proposal.
To get started, think about something you would like to change or a problem you would like to solve in your workplace, your neighborhood, your home, or your school situation. It can be an actual situation that you wish to present to an actual audience. The problem should be sufficiently narrow in scope so that you can explain it and propose a solution in a short, written proposal but also important enough to make a difference to you.
Be careful in choosing your reader. He or she must be someone in a position to accept and implement your proposal. He or she must also be accessible, such as a supervisor or organization leader. Do not address it to someone out of reach, such as the governor of California or the President.
The following are examples of problems or issues that might be suitable for this assignment:
- Lack of proper safety equipment (workplace)
- A process or procedure that isn’t working properly (workplace)
- Insufficient funding or staffing for a project or job (workplace)
- Needed training or support services (workplace)
- Graffiti on public buildings and spaces (neighborhood)
- Abandoned buildings, broken windows, or vandalism (neighborhood)
- Traffic congestion, noise, or safety issues (neighborhood)
- Insufficient parking facilities (workplace, neighborhood, school)
- Limited access to resources like library, tutoring, advising (school)
- Insufficient information about resources (school)
- Lack of concern about common problems (workplace, neighborhood, school)
When planning your proposal, first determine these five elements of the rhetorical situation: (I will collect a copy in order to approve your chosen proposal topic.)
*Topic: What is my proposal about? (State your research question.) What is it not about? (In other words, what is the scope of my proposal?)
*Audience: Who is my primary reader? Will there be secondary readers?
*Purpose: What is my proposal supposed to achieve?
- Context: What is the environment in which my proposal will be read, and how does that context shape the reading?
- Secondary
Objective(s):
What are some other goals, besides the main goal, that my proposal should achieve?
Requirements:
Since a proposal is a type of business document, you must single-space your proposal. You will also need to have headings within the body of your proposal. Some headings may even have subheadings. You may also include graphics to clarify some parts of your text. Your proposal must be a minimum of 3 pages of text in addition to graphics and a cover letter or memo. Submit your proposal on white, unlined paper (8-1/2” x 11”) with 1” margins in 12-point font, either Times New Roman or Arial.