Dig Deep Your Proposal Or Report Demands It

I'm sitting in a small caf at night, notebook in hand, enjoying chai tea. It's busier than I thought it would be, with only a couple of vacant tables. I'm staring at the table top. It's one of those reflective, silver finishes that look as if it has three-dimensional ridges even though the surface is flat. It ought to have depth, but doesn't.

I'm reminded of the importance of depth, or rather digging deep to get the information you need when developing a proposal or report. It's very easy to sit back and simply scratch the surface of a situation. It seems very straightforward, that is until you start to probe beneath that surface. I know a senior executive who was appointed president of a company requiring a major reorganization. The firm I worked with was asked to help with the reorganization. The information we'd received from the vice president of human resources was that this reorganization, though tough, should go smoothly.

Wanting to be sure that there wasn't more to the situation, I probed deeper. I asked the president what he had found when first assuming his new position. This forced the president to think back and review the experience of taking over, especially the reactions of the company's executive and staff. It was very different from the initial information we had been given.

It's vital to get past the veneer. What you unearth may tell you a number of things:

1. The real situation may be different from what you think it is.

2. The real situation may be different from what the client thinks it is.

3. The real situation will no longer fit, or may not fit, the solution you had in mind.

It's important to have the client think through the situation. It's quite possible that they have not thought it through, or determined the impact of a particular course of action. One of the ways I like to probe is as follows:

Why do you want to do this? Client answers.

So that what happens? Client answers.

In order to do what? Client answers.

So that what happens? Client answers.

This kind of probing will often allow you to dig deeper, to get the real story or at least a much better understanding of what is going on, and therefore what the client needs. It's a solid basis for developing an effective report or proposal.

Neil Sawers develops books and e-books to help entrepreneurs, small business and students write more easily and effectively. Visit us at http://www.howtowriteproposals.com and download our free chapters containing key tools to help you get your message across in the way you want.

Take a look at this article if you can't find a feature or command in PowerPoint 2007 that you used in PowerPoint 2003 or earlier.

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How To Be Professional

What is being professional? Do you think you measure up? What separates a professional from an amateur? In days gone by, the definition was simply this -- if one was paid for something regularly, one was professional. Something followed for a hobby, or for fun, and not paid, was considered amateur.

Through the media and at school and college we are all repeatedly encouraged to be professional in our business dealings and working lives. What does one do to actually be
professional? And just as importantly, what does one not do?

The dictionary definition of professional is engaging in an activity as means of a livelihood. Extremely competent in a job. A person who conducts his business in a field also pursued by amateurs. A person who engages in an activity with great competence.

But is it just competence enough in isolation? Definitely not. Making yourself approachable and reasonable, and giving respect to other people is important. Ensuring that you present yourself in a businesslike manner, whether in person, on the telephone, or in writing, is essential. Turning up for an important business meeting with your favorite editor in torn jeans and dirty shoes is just sloppy. Being lazy and blaming lack of time or pressure of other commitments is definitely not professional. These constraints should not stop you making sure that you always project a businesslike appearance.

Perhaps the most vital aspect of being a professional is knowing your subject from A to Z. Do your homework and know exactly what you are talking about. Telling people B.S. may come easily to you, but being found out in a half-truth or bluff will lead instantly to a loss of credibility, putting in jeopardy your professional relationships while also compromising your integrity.

Something for everyone to be extremely careful about, not just writers, is not putting anything on paper unless one is completely and utterly comfortable with it. This applies equally to websites and particularly to email. Never send anything in writing when angry. Hold fire on any emails. Type out your frustration in Word, then leave it overnight to simmer. By morning you should have cooled down sufficiently to review your writing in a more rational manner. Sometimes printing out your rantings, then tearing them into a thousand pieces works well.

Another golden rule to being professional is not to commit to writing anything with which you are not totally comfortable. The acid test is to imagine your grandmother reading it. Or imagine it on the front page of a magazine or newspaper. Importantly, being accurate and taking responsibility for your decisions and actions is also the mark of a professional person. In developed countries, a firm grip on punctuality is important in a professional.

Sometimes being professional means knowing who best to delegate tasks to, and then having the courage to stand back. Being magnanimous and giving credit where credit is due is also a major part of being a true professional.

Looking professional is also part of it. To create a truly professional image, ensure you always wear clean and appropriate clothing, paying attention to grooming and personal cleanliness. Being reasonable, and fair, is important, but can be difficult if you are the only one doing it.

Being professional does not mean letting other people take advantage of you. Sometimes you may not be able to say what you would like, and holding your tongue and biting back certain comments may be difficult at times.

To sum up, it would seem that being categorized as professional means showing you have that rarest of commodities, common sense, and then, actually using it. Another major part is being adult, being considerate towards other people, and demonstrating self-control. No-one said it was easy, but it is definitely something worth striving for if you wish to be seen as a true professional, in a sea of amateurs.

By Erica of Textwriters.Net

http://www.textwriters.netmaking words work

There's a fast way to put the commands and buttons you use most often within easy reach put them on the Quick Access Toolbar. This row of buttons above the Ribbon already contains several buttons by default, but you can add new commands. The demo shows you two ways to do this, as well as how to remove them later if you want to.

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