RESPONSIVE - PITCH & PROPOSE

 

·      Don’t just get agreement and payment at the end.

·      Advances.

-       Thirds.

-       Staged payments.

·      Have to think strategically.

10 STEPS TO WRITING A PERSUASIVE PROJECT PROPOSAL

1.    SET CLEAR AIMS AND OBJECTIVES.

-       Overall aims.

-       Specific aims.

-       Objectives.

AIMS

-       Changes project will make to the status quo.

-       Impact on particular audience and user.

-       Changes in peoples’ perceptions.

-       Changes to the way people do things.

-       Political Change.

-       Social Change.

OBJECTIVES

-       Methods or activities by which you plan to achieve aims.

-       What research will you carry out.

-       Where will you go for specialist information.

-       What kind of people will you contact to help you along.

-       What expert advice will you need.

-       What processes will be involved.

-       Which skills will be evidenced.

-       What activities will take place.

-       What pieces of finished work will be produced.

2.    BE SMART – THE DEFINITION OF OBHECTIVES.

-       Specific – Details exactly what needs to be done.

-       Measurable – Achievements can be measured in terms of units, or specific success criteria.

-       Achievable – That resources, scope and scale are within your capabilities or capacity.

-       Realistic – The objectives are possible to attain – which is important for your motivation.

-       Time bound – The period of time, target dates, schedule or timetable is clearly defined.

3.    USE WORDS FROM THE BRIEF.

-       Cannot completely ignore the original.

4.    JUSTIFY THE NEED FOR YOUR PROPOSAL.

-       Other deliverables.

-       Don’t make empty statements.

-       Show what research you have already done.

-       Who needs it?

-       Why do they need it?

-       What evidence can you provide to support your argument?

-       What circumstances have created this need?

5.    DESCRIBE YOUR AUDIENCE.

-       Be specific.

-       Demographics?

-       Locations?

-       Lifestyle?

-       Which industry?

-       What values do they have?

-       Why will they engage with it?

6.    DESCRIBE YOUR MOTIVATIONS.

-       Goals and ambitions.

-       Success criteria.

-       Values.

-       Must mean something to you.

7.    CONSIDER THE VIEWER.

-       Easy to read.

-       Using a professional template/layout.

-       Using the appropriate tone.

-       Not repeating yourself to pad it out.

-       Asking two people to check your grammar and spelling before you submit.

8.    DON’T BE VAGUE.

9.    VISUALISE THE ENDING.

-       Begin with the vision of the ending in mind.

-       This is the vision.

-       What I require too.

-       What does the project require?

-       What criteria do you need to satisfy?

-       Who is the target audience?

-       What will stimulate their interest or hook them into the idea?

-       What do they expect to get, personally and professionally out of the project in terms of aims, objectives, outcome and outputs?

-       What do you require for the project?

-       What initial research will you undertake to stimulate your interests or start you on the research journey?

-       What criteria do you need to satisfy?

-       Who your target audiences will be?

-       What you want to get, personally and professionally out of the project in terms of recognition, challenge and achievement?

10.ASSUME NOTHING.

-       Except that the reader of your proposal knows nothing about you, your skills or the context of your project.

-       Explain everything.

QUESTION EVERYTHING.

ACCEPT NOTHING.

IF EVERYONE DOES SOMETHING THE SAME WAY – NOTHING WILL STAND OUT.