Plan for the Day
There isn’t much for this week because I want you to have plenty of time to read the I, Robot before next week. I have notes on Ch. 9 below, but you won’t have anything new for Wednesday, 3/22, so start I, Robot and look ahead to next week’s webpages for that novel’s material.
Ch. 9: Proposals and Progress Reports
Again, we’re not going line by line through this chapter, but everything is fair game for the Final Exam, so make sure you’re reading. I would rather us think more about the rhetorical strategies of these reports instead of formatting.
- p. 236: Notice that the authors tell you to “keep in mind that proposals and progress reports are persuasive documents.”
- What a priori persuasive factors (think rhetorical elements) might a writer have when writing a proposal?
- Ethos: their own credibility
- Logos: facts, figures, and evidence for their proposal; perhaps they’ve done some research.
- p. 240: Employers like candidates who’ve written proposal and progress reports. Why do you think that’s a good thing for a candidate?
- For non-profits, especially, grant funding is extremely important, so someone with a proven track record on successful (or even just attempted) proposals will likely be seen as an ideal candidate.
- The persuasive nature of proposal writing demonstrates one’s ability to step into the shoes of others, which is a great ability for a variety of “front-facing” positions (public relations, customer service, development, and, of course, sales)
- p. 242: “Writers should follow these instructions carefully to ensure that the proposal is not rejected…”
- Follow guidelines–no matter how particular they seem–or else you give them an easy reason to reject you.
- When organizations get many proposals, they may need a way to easily “weed out” those they deem less serious, so cosmetic features (grammar, spelling, etc.) and formatting (what information goes where, and how should it look) are easy targets for them to use to reject a proposal.
- p. 244: “Few projects ca be completed without problems.”
- Anticipating problems–always be proactive, so you look good.
- p. 241 and 263: Notice that the documents in this chapter are “sales” documents that, if accepted, become legally binding.
- What do successful proposal and completed projects help build for an organization? (think credibility).
- If you can’t deliver on your promises (and can’t blame others* for the mistakes), then you and/or your organization will convey a negative ethos.
- *We’ll discuss ethics (Chapter 3) in a few weeks, and it’s not appropriate to lie because, if caught, you look really bad.
Next Class
I want have anything up for Wednesday, 3/22, but I should have next week’s I, Robot materials up, so you can look ahead if you’re ready. Make sure you finish the ENTIRE novel because the Final Exam will have questions based on it. Also, your I, Robot essay is due on March 31st on Canvas because I extended the deadline. Check our Assignments Webpage for more information.
The syllabus mentions “the Proposal, Visual, and Annotated Bibliography,” but we’ll get to that the week of April 3rd. Your Assignments Webpage has a preview of that assignment, so check that out. It’s never to early to start thinking about what you’ll propose.
Finally, don’t for get to respond to the Weekly Discussion Post #10 by Thursday, 3/23, 11:00 pm.