Proposal Speed-Writing and Persuasion
Writing Better Proposal Sections in Half the Time

Classroom Training in Rockville, MD

April 23-24, 2012

REGISTRATION CLOSED

This unique course shows how to develop compliant and highly persuasive proposal sections in at least half the time that it would normally take. It covers detailed methods for outlining within the sections, developing section content, infusing proper structure and flow, and implementing correct writing processes and section planning techniques. But this course goes beyond mere compliance.

You will acquire techniques and tools that will transform even the most reluctant non-professional writers into prolific proposal authors.

You will learn the science of persuasion through creating a mental picture in the evaluators’ minds, ways to overcome the writer’s block, the differences between good and bad proposal language, and editing techniques and automation. You will learn how to write better and faster. This workshop is 30 percent lecture, 60 percent exercises, and 10 percent discussion. The workshop exercises will double your writing speed, and will drastically improve the quality of your written products by giving you more time to polish them. The results will be astounding, making technical proposal writing easier, less time-consuming, and even enjoyable.

Why should you attend this course: Most people, even those who consider themselves decent writers, do not enjoy writing proposal sections. Except for an elite few, most people suffer through slow writing and laborious rewriting to get their proposal text to pass muster. This is especially the case with your most valuable proposal contributors — technical personnel, for whom writing is even more stressful and painful. Proposal managers tend to bear the brunt of poor prose, rewriting everything that technical contributors and subject matter experts have written, or submitting sub par proposals that negatively impact their careers. The way proposal writing is normally done makes proposals unnecessarily onerous and prevents you from reaching your winning potential. This workshop's exercises will double your writing speed, drastically improving the quality of your written products by giving you more time to polish them. This course goes beyond teaching you the basics of writing compliant and compelling proposal sections. It is a workshop that provides you the opportunity to put new techniques and tools for brainstorming, speed-writing, and editing automation into practice immediately. You will learn everything you need to know to make technical proposal writing easier, less time-consuming, and even enjoyable.

Date: April 23-24, 2012 (Monday - Tuesday) .
8:30am - 5:00pm (continental breakfast and afternoon snack included).
Location: Metro Park North Business Center, 7361 Calhoun Place, Suite 560, Rockville, MD 20855.
(check our Visitor Guide for location details, driving directions, nearby hotels and restaurants, and more).
Course completion: By attending this class, you will receive 3 CEUs towards your APMP accreditation, or 3 PDUs towards your PMP. At the end of this course you will get a Certificate of Completion.

Who should attend this course: This course is ideal for proposal managers, capture managers, proposal coordinators, business developers, proposal writers, financial personnel, project personnel, business owners, sales executives and subject matter experts who contribute to proposals, and anyone else who would like to learn how to write better and faster. You should take this course if:

• You are a proposal manager who has pulled one too many all-nighters rewriting proposal sections that others have written. This course will give you the tools to teach your non-professional become better proposal writers.
• You are a technical writer who wants to learn to write faster and better.
• You are a subject matter expert or a frequent technical contributor to proposals, and writing is not your strong suit. This class will get you over your reluctance and make you into a better (and more willing) writer. Since more than likely you have a full-time job on a project, you will be able to reduce the time you spend writing, and recapture the time doing the things you are truly passionate about.
• You want to be a better, more efficient business writer regardless of your current profession, improving your upward mobility and earning potential.
  

Learning objectives: Upon course completion, the participants will have learned and be able to put into practice:

• Understanding the goals of compliance and persuasion.Analyzing the requirements.
• Determining writing focus.
• Infusing correct argument structure.
• Annotating a proposal section.
• Shifting the unhelpful beliefs about writing and positively impacting performance psychology individually and in the team.
• Brainstorming and planning a section in a group and individually.
• Speed-writing proposal sections.
• Successfully managing writer’s block.
• Understanding the elements of proposal persuasion and how to apply them.
• Being able to develop at least one of the 11 types of proposal story.
• Applying four steps for developing a metaphor.
• Editing for content, structure, grammar, and spelling.
• Applying readability metrics to written materials.

Course curriculum: Here are some of the topics we will cover in this course.

Day 1 highlights

Module 1: Introduction
- Introductions and learning objectives.
- Importance of compliance and persuasion in proposal writing.
- Class roadmap.

Module 2: Detailed Outlining Within Sections
- Understanding of compliance at the section level.
- How to analyze section requirements.
- First steps of outlining sections to be compliant and compelling.
Exercise: Analyze the requirements for the practice section, determine section focus, and identify key components.

Module 3: Infusing Flow for Higher Persuasion
- Annotating proposal sections.
- Understanding proposal flow for higher persuasion.
- Infusing proper section flow for a compelling argument.
- 8Ws and their order.
Exercise: Annotate a proposal section.

 

Module 4: Proposal Speed-Writing System
- Three elements of the proposal speed-writing system.

 

Module 5: Overcoming Unhelpful Beliefs about Writing
- The psychology of performance.
- Questions to uncover self-limiting beliefs about writing.
- Myths and truths of proposal writing.
- Seven techniques to resolve specific psychological hang-ups and overcome self-limiting beliefs.
- Where dealing with psychology fits in the proposal process.
Discussion: Applying concepts learned in class to the unhelpful personal beliefs and discussing ways to overcome them.

Module 6: Stage 1 of the Correct Writing Process
- Correct writing process to write better and faster.
- Stage 1 of the correct writing process.
- Intelligence gathering to answer the 8Ws.
- Three steps for successful group brainstorming.
- Helping your group become more creative in generating ideas.
- Tools and techniques for brainstorming individually and preparing to write.
Exercises: Group brainstorming. Individual brainstorming and section planning.

Module 7: Stage 2 of the Correct Writing Process
- Stage 2 of the correct writing process.
- The main secret to writing fast and well.
- Writing rules.
- Speed-writing tools.
- Where Stage 2 fits in the proposal process.
Exercise: Speed-writing of the proposal section.

Day 2 highlights

Module 8: Beating the Writer’s Block
- Elements of proposal writing procrastination.
- Four categories of methods to break free from the writer’s block and help your proposal team.
- How to manage writing time.
Discussion: Methodologies participants will use to deal with their writer’s block.

 

Module 9: The Dark Art of Proposal Persuasion
- The dark art of persuasion.
- Proposal language: what sells.
- The anatomy of proposal persuasion.
- Understanding evaluators’ individual drivers.
- Proper structure of the argument for better persuasion.
Discussion: Integrate the material learned in the module and apply to the specific customer situations.

 

Module 10: Use of Story in Proposals
- How to use story that makes boring proposal writing come alive.
- Elements of a strong proposal story.
- Eleven story types appropriate in a proposal.
Exercise: Develop a story for the practice proposal section.

 

Module 11: Harnessing the Power of Metaphor
- Types of metaphors.
- Metaphor rules.
- Four steps for building an effective metaphor.
Exercise: Create a metaphor for the practice section.

 

Module 12: Stage 3 of the Correct Writing Process
- Stage 3 of the correct writing process.
- Where Stage 3 fits in the proposal process.
- OST’s four-part editing checklist.
Exercise: Apply checklist parts 1 and 2 to your draft.

 

Module 13: Copy Editing and Editing Automation
- How to configure and apply editing tools.
- Readability and its tools
- How to avoid sentence bloaters and reduce wordiness.
- Enemies of clear writing
- Language that kills persuasion.
- Configuring MS Word for editing.
- Writing efficiencies in MS Word.
- Additional editing tools and techniques.
Exercises: Configure MS Word. Watch editing demo. Apply checklist parts 3 and 4 to finalize the draft.

 

Module 14: Summary
- How It All Maps to the Proposal Process.
- Summary.
- Recap.

About the instructor: Olessia Smotrova-Taylor is the President and CEO of OST Global Solutions, Inc. She is a currently practicing capture and proposal manager who has won more than $17 Billion in new business. As one of the proposal industry leaders, she is on the Board of Directors of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals' (APMP) National Capital Area (NCA) chapter and is the editor and chair of the APMP NCA Executive Summary e-zine that won 2010 APMP Communications Award. She regularly presents at the APMP's international and other conferences, roundtables, and proposal boot camps, and runs popular training webinars on business development. She is currently designing and preparing to teach a Masters-level course in proposal development for Stevens Institute of Technology. She has 16 years of experience in proposal and capture management, marketing, and communications. She is a prolific author, speaker, trainer, and blogger, and is well-known in the global proposal community. Her self-study course, Executive Summary Secrets, sells worldwide. Prior to starting her own consulting company, she won business for Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, and wrote for the Financial Times of London.

Seating is limited. Do not delay registering.

Fee and registration: For team discounts please change quantity of attendees at the checkout and click "Recalculate" to get the discount. Register 3 weeks before class date before and receive $100 off per attendee as an EARLYBIRD discount!

• $1390 per one attendee ($1290 if registered 3 weeks before class date).
• $1250 per attendee when registering a team of 3 or more ($1150 if registered before 3 weeks before class date). Discounts apply at the checkout.

(click on a link below to register):

April 23-24, 2012 class REGISTRATION CLOSED

For additional questions please call 301-384-3350 during normal business hours. If you'd like to pay by invoice please send an email to service@ostglobalsolutions.com (NOTE: the payment must be received prior to the course start date).

Cancellations and rescheduling policy: Cancellation notification must be received 10 business days prior to the training date. Upon notification, your registration fee will be refunded less a $100 non-refundable processing fee. Any cancellations beyond the 10 business days are non-refundable, but the course fee can be applied towards another training course, webinar, or an OST Global Solutions training product. No refunds will be made for the cancellation of a rescheduled course. Attendee substitutions may be made at any time. Payment must be received prior to the course date. No-shows are liable for the full class fee.

P. S. If you think of someone else who could benefit from this course, please forward this invitation to them!