Sample Proposal Discussion Board

Below, you can find some starter threads focusing on the first sample proposal we’re discussing this unit, which focuses on developing a scheduling program for a conference room. Here is a link to the proposal, which is also found on our course content page.

First, read through the sample proposal carefully. After you’ve read through the proposal, respond to at least two of the threads begin below. Alternatively, feel free to begin your own thread if you identify something else you’d like to discuss.

As usual, this should be a back and forth discussion, so please read through all postings before making your own contributions, and respond accordingly.

Also, if you would prefer to start your own thread with a different topic feel free! That kind of contribution is highly encouraged.

The posts:

1. What are some of the most successful ways that the proposal takes advantage of the genre level constraints and/or opportunities of proposals, like organization or language?

2. What are some things the proposal might have potentially done more effectively, whether in terms of writing, persuasion, or meeting the needs of audience/context?

If you present a suggestion, elaborate on why.

3. What are some of the most effective ways that the proposal attempts to build a case for itself? Be specific about reasons, evidence, assumptions, implied or explicit counter-arguments, use of classical appeals, and so forth. If you need a refresher, feel free to refer back to last week’s videos.

Also, remember that proposals often make multiple arguments, with secondary arguments frequently nested inside primary ones. Your response here could potentially focus on (a) how the proposal demonstrates the existence and consequences of a problem or (b) that the proposal authors have developed a practical and viable solution.

4. What are some of the key strategies that the proposal uses to try anticipate/meet the needs of its primary and secondary audiences? In a similar vein, how does the proposal attempt to anticipate its own place in the larger professional or institutional context of this specific business?

Put another way, what are some effective strategies the proposal uses to accommodate the specific range of people who will be reading it as well as who might be impacted by it?