Tips and advice on the effective use of language and tone for maximum impact when writing bids, proposals and tenders.
The words you use when writing a bid will result in a certain impression being created when it is read. Factually identical statements can be expressed in different ways so select the one which meets your objective. For example, will your telephone helpline “remain open until 8pm every night” or will it “close at 8pm … Read more..
Many ITT documents contain word or page count limits and these often seem prohibitively low. The temptation can be to squeeze as much text into the available space as possible or to bend the rules by over-using graphics. Where limits have been given they should be accepted in the spirit they are intended and your … Read more..
Good use of paragraphs will help improve the readability of your writing. Remember that each paragraph should contain information about one topic; multiple topics will require multiple paragraphs. The length of the paragraphs will vary but shorter ones tend to be easier to read than longer ones, particularly when they contain detailed information.
When trying to achieve a tight word count limit, it is false economy to cut narrative which explains the benefits of your solution or shows previous experience. There is always a danger that you will end up with a generic, factual response which can only ever be marked as ‘average’. You must balance the requirement … Read more..
My colleague gave to me: Twelve apostrophes that possess Eleven proper hyphens Ten unsplit infinitives Nine Oxford commas Eight proofread pages Seven corrected typos Six unneeded words deleted Five style books! Four participles that don’t dangle Three grammar rules Two subject/verb agreements And the proper use of “I” versus “me.” (credit Stern + Associates)
We’ll begin with a box; the plural is boxes, But the plural of ox is oxen, not oxes, One fowl is a goose, and two are called geese, Yet the plural of moose is never called meese. You many find a lone mouse or a house full of mice, But the plural of house is … Read more..
Dearest creature in creation, study English pronunciation. I will teach you in my verse, sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse. I will keep you, Suzy, busy, make your head with heat grow dizzy. Tear in eye, your dress will tear. So shall I! Oh hear my prayer. Just compare heart, beard and heard, dies and … Read more..
Many people think they have been unfairly evaluated because they were not awarded high marks, despite being able to do the job. Being able to do a job is not enough to score well. You must write down everything that is needed to convey the right information. Analyse your responses critically and compare them to … Read more..
Clients often give clues about the level of detail they require in their ITT documents however many respondents miss them. If questions include words such as “describe”, “explain” or “step-by-step”, you should write a descriptive response. Where questions simply ask for “confirmation”, more concise answers are likely to be appropriate.
When reviewing a document, many senior people suggest changes that suit their own level of knowledge and style of writing. Unfortunately this is not always helpful since they are not the intended recipient of the proposal. Ensure your reviewers are briefed about the target audience and then make their suggestions accordingly.
