1. Proposals ASKING FOR STUFF, (HOPEFULLY) GETTING STUFF

2. Proposals are Everywhere (even academia)  Two New Courses  New Computers for English Lab  A Tech Literacy Workshop for Department Faculty  New Video Cameras and Editing Software for Department  Internship Field Trip for English Majors  Keeping T-Shirt Money in the Budget for Department Conference  Even my own Tenure Binder

3. Business Proposal Scenarios  A nonprofit organization focused on a particular issue wants an expert consultant to write a handbook or guide for its membership.  A company has some sort of problem or wants to make some sort of improvement. It sends out a request for proposals. You offer to come in, investigate, interview, make recommendations—and present it all in the form of a report.  Some organization wants a seminar in your expertise. You write a proposal to give the seminar—included in the package deal is a guide or handbook that the people attending the seminar will receive.  You want to write a business prospectus for the kind of business you intend to start up.  Some agency has just started using a fancy desktop-publishing system, but the documentation is giving people fits. You receive a request for proposals from this agency to write some sort of simplified guide or startup guide.

4. Two Kinds UNSOLICITED PROPOSAL Not requested by readers but pitched to an audience with the ability to take action. SOLICITED PROPOSAL Requested by readers and given to you as an initial task to complete of a larger project.

5. Modified Outline From Book Front Matter Introduction (sometimes called “executive brief”) Current Situation Project Plan Qualifications (think of as YOUR ethos building) Costs and Benefits (think feasibility and result) Conclusion Back Matter Feel free to use these as major headings (ala our response letter & tech description) or write the proposal as an un-sectioned letter as long as I can tell these sections exist. Up to you.

6. More Intros with Sub-Outlines  Define what the proposal is about  State the purpose of the proposal  State proposal’s main point  Stress the importance of the subject  Forecast the organization of the proposal Do tell them the class or person you’re considering in the intro. This isn’t information to be saved as a surprise in the plan section.

7. Current Situation  Describe the problem or situation currently facing UVU and how it effects the involved parties  Backing this up with research shows you did your homework and helps with persuasiveness  Create sympathy and emotion in this section to make solution more appealing UVU does not have enough healthy eating options.

8. Project Plan  Explain the plan  Who you want to invite  What class should be created  Give details  What should the class include  Relevant background on the guest speaker  Again, show researched knowledge whenever possible Jamie Oliver. Professional chef, nutrition expert, Food Network star, healthy school lunch advocate.

9. Qualifications  Explain why you are making this suggestion and what qualifies you to be believed that it’s a good one  Explain your personal connection to new class, the speaker, or the issue the speaker will address Letter Writer. Life-long healthy eater. Diagnosed with Celiac disease. On campus for 8-10 hours a day.

10. Costs & Benefits  Focus mostly on benefits of this action, as you probably won’t know costs. What will change/be made better and how?  Instead of cost, think of feasibility. How is this proposal realistic?  Who could teach the class (name names)  How could this speaker be convinced UVU is worth his/her time? Promotion of health and well-being on campus. Students will have more positive feels about UVU. Jamie Oliver already does similar speaking events.

11. Contexts to Consider & Address For Your Project  Ethical & Political Contexts “Controversial” Figures Inter-Department Turf

12. Contexts to Consider & Address For Your Project  Primary Readers  Department Chair  President Holland  Secondary Readers  Entire Department Faculty/People Who Teach That Kind of Class  Vice President/Student Body President  Tertiary Readers  Other Departments/Parents of Students  Journalists/Local Organizations

13. Visual Design Proposals come in many designs and formats. For our project (mainly due to time) we will focus on a simple business letter format (similar to your response letter to me earlier in the semester), though Word styles can still be used to provide a little flair.

14. Final Tips  Specific people are involved– use “I” and “You”  Try to see the whole situation from the readers’ points of view and accommodate for that  Communication over impressiveness  Maximum PC-ness, even if you don’t believe in that  Find the sweet spot between too short and too long  Realize that in the real world, the “project plan” and “costs and benefits” sections might be the only ones that get read or focused on