Week 8 Assignment – Written Communication: The Proposal
Overview
Business managers and employees usewritten communication every day. Opportunities for written communicationin the business world include everything from reports, memos, anddocumentation to emails, instant messaging, and social media. Effectivewritten communication can help build and grow business relationships,accelerate results, solicit input and feedback, rally personnel towardshared goals, and improve personal lives. Your ability to write messagesthat are clear and concise, while positioned strategically andpresented professionally, will distinguish you in your field andpersonal lives.
In this assignment, you will develop awritten communication for the targeted audience you identified in theoutline for your business pitch, workplace problem/solution, or mini TEDTalk. The written proposal needed to fulfill this assignment willdepend on the information you developed in your outline, and yourfurther research and writing. Take the ideas from your outline to turnyour plan into a written proposal. Use subject headings and writeparagraphs that give full detail and support from your sources, urgingyour audience to take action based on your proposal.
Instructions
Step 1: Begin Drafting the Assignment
- Review the Feedback Template to make a list of your instructor’sfeedback from Assignment 1, as well as feedback from the discussions torevise your outline. Incorporate the feedback into all parts of theoutline. You will write about the feedback in Part II of the assignment.
- Do additional research to convince your audience that the proposalwill be successful and fulfill the five sources required for theassignment.
- For research help, please go to the Strayer University Online Library.
- Employ one of the four communication techniques depending on your scenario
- Use the tell style to inform and the sell style to persuade.
- Use the consult style to gather information or learn from your audience.
- Use the join style to collaborate with members of the audience.
Step 2: Develop Your Written Communication
Part I: This is where you write the plan for your target audience. What will you communicate to them?
- Introduction:
- State your key message clearly in your introduction, so youraudience understands the “so what” or thesis of your proposal. Make surethat your introduction is both direct and engaging. Label yourintroduction.
- Background Information and Supporting Arguments:
- Provide the necessary information and build credibility to buildyour case for your audience. This section of your proposal mightinclude background information and include some of your five sources.
- The subject heading might be “Background Information.” Again,match your subject headings with the main point of your content. Thelength of this section will depend on how much background informationyour audience needs to understand what you are proposing.
- Key Message:
- Continue writing your proposal by presenting your key messagewith three or four supporting points or reasons. This is where you willbring in some of your sources, to back up your ideas and gaincredibility with your audience. Subject headings will help guide youraudience through reading your supporting sections of your proposal.Again, how many paragraphs you will need to write depends on what youhave to provide for your audience to understand and what you areproposing.
- Call to Action:
- End your proposal with a clear call to action for your audience.Now that you have given enough information to your audience members toconvince them that your proposal is a good one, tell them what to dowith your information. Make sure that you are direct and passionateabout your request for action and that it is clear and actionable.
Part II: This is where youidentify the communication channel and address feedback received andaddressed. You are writing this for yourself and your professor—not yourtarget audience.
- Identify the communication channels that will be used to send orpresent your proposal’s message (tools used in the communicationprocess, such as email, Zoom, PowerPoint, and so on). Write this inparagraph form.
- Use the Week 8 Assignment Feedback Template [DOCX]and feedback from the discussions to write about how you used feedbackto improve your communication plan. Write this in paragraph form.
- Review the Week 8 Assignment Guidance [DOCX] document for additional tips.
Remember:
- Write professionally by being clear, concise, and logical. Makesure that your sentences flow, by using transitions and varying sentencestructure. Use subject headings and other formatting such as bulletpoints, if needed, to help guide your readers through your proposal.
- Demonstrate professional presence in your writing by beingauthentic, establishing rapport with your audience, and usingappropriate tone and vocabulary.
This course requires the use of StrayerWriting Standards. For assistance and information, please refer to theStrayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course.Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:
- Compose a written communication proposal based on a strategic communication plan.