Tips on Writing that Perfect Proposal of your Presentation

The past few posts have been targeted towards our conference executives but today we’ll be focusing on one of the other sides to ProposalSpace, the proposal writers. To present at a conference, a proposal of the presentation must first be submitted. The quality of the proposal directly represents the quality of the presentation and with that said, it’s always safe to cover all ground and know what to do and what not to do in creating a proposal. Here are some general steps to guide you in creating a wonderful proposal:

• Find a Suitable Conference
  • ProposalSpace is growing to be a large database of many calls which gives the proposal writer plenty of conference/event options to choose from. This doesn’t mean apply to them all. Know what you want to present about and only apply to those that will really enjoy your presentation. You don’t want to waste time and neither do the call administrators.
  • Do your research on the conference. Find out if its only about a certain sub-field or part of a larger discipline and see if you really fit with what they’re looking for.
• Take note of the conference requirements
  • Individual conferences will often have specifications about proposal length, format, and content. That should always be your first point of reference and should hold power over anything else.
• Write a Strong Abstract
  • The abstract is the core purpose of your presentation. These are often around 200-300 words and summarize the key points.
  • Mention a work you have done in the past (field research, event, documentary, etc…) that you plan to be the core support of your paper.
  • Be sure to make a strong definitive point. Don’t leave people unsure of what your purpose was.
  • Emphasize the innovative. You are one of many people who will submit a proposal. Make yours stand out.
• Write the Paper
  • The organizers will often want you to submit the paper for a discussant to read before the conference and prepare comments.
  • This is often done after you’ve been selected and will be requested a few weeks to a couple months before the event.
  • This paper isn’t a full script of the presentation. This will just go into greater lengths of what the abstract couldn’t go into. Get to the point, and keep it concise!
  • Proofread, edit, double-check
• Prepare the Presentation
  • Its okay for the paper and the presentation to stray from each other. The core purpose of the presentation is to keep the audience interested. People find it more interesting when you don’t read from a paper and you make it more like they’re being spoken to.
  • When going for the “off the paper” approach, make sure you do not ramble. The worst thing that could happen is being pushed off stage for going over the time allotted and not even getting to a conclusion. Create bulleted topics with time references to help keep you on track.
  • If going for the “paper” approach, edit your paper to sound more of a speech than a report. Easy way to do this: make each sentence roughly no more than one line each. Cut down compound and complex sentences into simple declarative ones.
  • Practice the presentation aloud and focus on facing the audience not your notes.
  • If using a PowerPoint, don’t read off the PowerPoint. The PowerPoint should simply complement your presentation. Have pictures to help visualize what you are talking about. Even include a blank slide to let the audience know when to be focusing on you and not the slides.
• Prepare at the Event
  • Test any equipment that you’ll be using when you get a chance.
  • Listen to the co-presenters talks. Show the same undivided attention and respect you would expect from others when you speak.
  • Graciously thank the organizers and/or sponsors of the event before you present.

Good luck and remember to always check and double-check your work. Nothing looks more unprofessional than a mistake.

Hard vs Soft Deadlines

When creating a call, Administrators must make a decision on whether to set a hard or soft deadline. There are benefits to both sides and neither are right or wrong. To decide which works for you and your event, here are the benefits from each side:

Soft Deadlines:

 

• Authors get a date to budget their time for, while also getting a cushion in case of unforeseen problems.
• You can get a gauge of the quantity and quality of submissions and fine-tune the call if needed
• An extension of time can be used to promote the call to authors who may have missed it the first time.
• A soft deadline is set under the assumption that you will eventually extend it, so don’t forget to budget for the additional time.
• Also, soft deadlines work best when you don’t publicize the fact that they are soft deadlines. People often produce their best work when crunched for time, so don’t ruin your authors’ creative edge by hinting the deadline will be extended.

Hard Deadlines:

 

• It avoids confusion. You can publish one deadline and authors won’t have to figure out if it has passed or been extended.
• It forces authors to budget their time for unforeseen problems, which can lead to earlier submissions.
• It shows you mean business. A hard deadline lets authors know that you are serious about the organization and planning of the conference.
• It lowers your stress. Once the deadline has passed you no longer have to worry about submissions.
• Also, when setting a hard deadline, be painfully precise about the exact date and time of the deadline. It’s true for any deadline, but especially true for hard deadlines: include a time—and time zone—along with the date. And if you’re going to set your deadline for 12:00, don’t use “a.m.” and “p.m.” but instead “noon” or “midnight”

The Basics in Creating a Call For Proposals

First time being a call executive? Never gotten good responses from proposers? Well here’s the basics in creating a proper call to ensure the best and most responses!

Have a Submission Deadline
This seems like a given but you may be surprised on how many calls are created without deadlines for proposals. Get a deadline set or else people won’t feel the pressure to get their proposal done or even started. Whether you want a hard or soft deadline is up to you and we’ll go into details about the difference in another post.

Provide a Purpose or Theme
Don’t assume that everyone already knows what your call is about. There will be many people who will stumble upon your call who can be great candidates and just need to see that your call is the right one for them. Provide a description of what you’re looking for and even some information about the association.

Make Qualifications Clear
Let people know up front if there are any requirements for them to meet. Have them clearly stated so you can save time and avoid unqualified proposals.

Include Contact Information
There is almost always questions, comments or concerns that proposers have about a call. Provide them thorough contact information to answer their questions as quick as possible. Frustrated proposers end up becoming frustrated give-up’ers, losing you a valuable option.

Examples
This is optional. Providing an example proposal will show what works and what doesn’t work for proposers. It’s a great opportunity to showcase previous years submitters and build a great relationship with people you’ve worked with in the past.

Proper Introductions

Hey everyone!
This is the new official blog for ProposalSpace. Here, we will be posting tips and tutorials on how to fully utilize your experience with ProposalSpace. Along with the tips and tutorials, we will also be going into full detail about new features and updates each time they’re added to the site.
To stay completely up to date with ProposalSpace.com and know all the tricks of the trade, make sure to follow the blog as well as our Twitter feed and our new Facebook page!