3 Tips for Writing an Effective Proposal

We know you have something unique and valuable to share, but sometimes it is hard to get that on paper. Not sure about how you make your work stand out in just a couple hundred words? Here are three fast tips for creating a strong proposal.

  1. Think Critically about Your Topic
Framing is everything.

You are passionate about your subject, and many of your colleagues may be too, but how about everyone else? Take a step back, be objective, and ask yourself a few simple questions:

• Why would someone outside your immediate circle want to hear about your topic?
• What makes your perspective engaging and thought-provoking?
• What makes your information timely and applicable to others’ work right now?

Once you zero in on what makes your topic relevant, compelling, and standout from the pack, you have the bones of a great proposal.

Need help being objective? Do a gut check with someone else. Run the topic by someone outside of your specialty – friends outside of your field; peers in other departments; your division’s chair. Do they want to learn more? If yes, get writing! If not, think about how you can reframe your idea.

  2. Create a Strong Elevator Pitch
To paraphrase communication expert Dianna Booher, if you can’t make your point in a few sentences, you won’t be able to clearly convey your point regardless of how long you have to speak.

Keep everything concise and to the point.

A good way to do this is to pretend you are standing outside of a conference room and you need to convince people to walk inside. How would you get them interested in 15 seconds?

Once you’ve figured out what you would say in person, you have your proposal!

Remember, reviewers are looking for sessions and posters that will get people in the  room. Make it easy for them to see why yours will.

Helpful hint: Take advantage of Grammarly . It's not just for spell check and grammar! This free tool can help you streamline your writing and reevaluate your tone.

  3. Get Attention with a Great Title
Think about your experience at conferences. Most of us skim through a sea of words trying to find something that stands out. Attendees only give each title a few moments and then move on to find something that may be more interesting or relevant.

Take advantage of those few seconds people are taking to make a decision and come out strong with a great, short title.

Think about the attendee’s pain points. What problem or challenge does your session address? Don’t hide the “why you should attend” in the description. Be upfront about what an attendee will get by attending your session, workshop, or presentation.

Need a jumping off point? Try the Headline Analyzer , a free tool that helps you analyze the “emotional marketing value” of titles and subject lines to attract readers.

  What's next?