Philip Koopman, at Carnegie Mellon University, reminds us that, “Writing an efficient abstract is hard work, but will repay you with increased impact on the world by enticing people to read your publications. Make sure that all the components of a good abstract are included in the next one you … [Read more...]
6 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Deliverables
October 1, 2010 by
The next part of the Business Proposal to write is the Deliverables section. The Deliverables section should be simple to understand but many Proposal Writers fall over themselves here. Where to start with Deliverables Let’s play good cop, bad cop for a minute. In the Request For Proposal, it … [Read more...]
How To Guarantee Consultants Meet Their Goals
September 30, 2010 by
So far our Proposal Writing Course has looked at two things. How to create a central hub (the table of contents) and define your first pillar (the Exec Summary). Next up we'll go through each section and 'satisfy' the folks who published the RFP that Yes, we do know what we're talking … [Read more...]
6 Ways To Write a Better Executive Summary
September 28, 2010 by
This is part 2 in our Proposal Writing Course. Yesterday, we looked at why you need to make the Table of Contents that central hub from which all information flow. Today, we'll go a step further and examine the Executive Summary. Most Proposal Writers are intimidated by the Executive Summary. … [Read more...]
Why The Table of Contents Is The Heart of Your Business Proposal?
September 26, 2010 by
This is Part 1 of a 20 part series on writing Business Proposals. What we’ll look in this course is how to get started, format the proposal, and submit it. Once we’ve done this, we’ll look at how to improve your chances of getting the bid accepted, for example, by giving presentations to the … [Read more...]
How to Fix Corrupt & Damaged Microsoft Word Documents – Part 2
September 8, 2010 by
Last week we showed you how Bullet Lists can crash MS Word. We outlined some techniques to reduce the file size, mostly by creating pre-formatted bullet lists in advance. But what happens if you're given a User Guide that's already bloated to massive proportions. It's too late to create new styles … [Read more...]
The Secret of Warren Buffett’s Writing Style
June 28, 2010 by
What I like about Warren Buffets Annual Reports is that he says so much with so few words. And loses nothing in the process. For those of us who make a living writing business documents there are a few lessons to be learnt here. Why The Executive Summary is Important The Executive Summary of any … [Read more...]
17 Ways to Write 75 Emails a Day
June 27, 2010 by
As someone who runs their own company, lost time is lost money. And, it’s no different if you work for someone else. Lost time = lost money. Every minute counts. ‘Help me answer every email in the same biz day!’ I got this from a good friend a while back and this is what I wrote back to … [Read more...]
Can She Lead? Are Women Better Managers Than Men?
June 17, 2010 by
The Harvard Business Review asks What the U.S. Can Learn From Europe About Gender Equality in the Workplace, and then Can She Lead? These articles raise the sensitive issue of: whether women make good bosses, want to be bosses and (slightly controversially), will men support … [Read more...]
Sherlock Holmes Guide to Finding Hidden Styles in Microsoft Word 2007?
June 13, 2010 by
Sandra wants to know where is the Styles menu option in Microsoft Word 2007. She wants to update her new business plan and add Notes, Messages, Quotes and other pre-formatted styles. The Styles in Microsoft Word 2003 and 2007 seem to be different. She’s right. The Microsoft Word user … [Read more...]