Mastering the Art of Proposal Writing: Lessons from the Scientific Community

With many transitioning to the bid and proposal industry from a journalistic background, emphasis is often placed on responses that espouse creative, engaging and conversational writing using short, sharp sentences. But what can we learn from looking further afield at academic papers and their approach to presenting complex information in concise and engaging ways?

Drawing inspiration from the scientific community, this article looks at the use of certain writing and editing techniques to enhance the quality and effectiveness of complex proposals.

Embrace minimalism for clarity

The scientific community values clarity and precision to avoid misinterpretation. Here are some techniques to achieve this:

1. Simplify your writing

Minimalism is a powerful tool in achieving clarity. Whereas some look at a wordcount and think it’s a target, ask yourself: ‘Is it possible to preserve the original message without certain punctuation marks, words, sentences, paragraphs, or even sections?’ This approach ensures your writing remains clear and to the point.

2. Focus on your key theme

Decide on your proposal’s theme and two or three key points you want every reader to remember. These points form the single thread that runs through your response and everything else should support these main ideas. If something isn’t needed to help the reader understand the main theme, omit it.

Structure your content

Scientific papers are renowned for their meticulous structure, which aids in conveying complex ideas systematically. Proposal writers can adopt a similar approach by:

1. Limiting paragraphs to a single message

Each paragraph should focus on a single message. Begin with a question, progress to an idea, and sometimes conclude with an answer. It’s also acceptable to raise questions without providing immediate answers, as this will keep the reader engaged.

2. Keeping sentences short and direct

Concise, clear sentences work well for complex explanations. Minimise clauses, compound sentences, and try to avoid transition words like ‘however’ or ‘thus’ to keep the reader focused on the main message.

Maintain reader engagement

Despite their technical nature, the best scientific papers engage the reader by weaving a narrative that explains the significance of the research. Proposal writers can learn from this by:

1. Avoiding distractions

Jargon, and overly technical language can break the flow of thoughts. Avoid these distractions to keep readers engaged. Don’t use the same word repeatedly as variety keeps the text interesting.

2. Using adjectives sparingly

Only use adjectives if they are relevant. Avoid over-elaborating and don’t anticipate every potential question from readers. Simplify your language to keep it engaging.

3. Balancing formality and friendliness

While maintaining professionalism, don’t be overly formal. Inject questions and less-formal language to break up the tone and maintain a friendly feeling. Colloquial expressions can be useful, but ensure they are not too region-specific.

Review and edit

Scientific papers undergo rigorous peer review and editing before publication. Similarly, proposal writers should:

1. Embrace feedback

When SMEs or reviewers provide feedback, consider their perspectives carefully. Change text where useful and, where not, politely explain why you’re keeping your original approach. As Rudyard Kipling’s said, “Trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too”.

2. Write for themselves

Aim to write the best version of your proposal: that’s the one that you like. You can’t please everyone, but you should be able to please yourself and, if you’ve done your job correctly, the reviewer too.

By adopting writing and editing techniques from the scientific community, you can create proposals that are clear, concise, and engaging. Focus on minimalism, structure, reader engagement, and precision to enhance the quality and effectiveness of your proposals. This cross-disciplinary approach ensures that proposals are both informative and persuasive, maximizing their potential to win bids.

Ultimately, making your writing more lively and easier to understand will encourage readers to invest their time in your work. And whether you’re a bid writer or an academic, that’s what we all want isn’t it?

Neil Thomason is an APMP-accredited Bid Manager, predominantly within the automotive and fleet management sectors but with a keen interest in environment and sustainability. Logic-driven and with an established writing background, his journalistic pedigree, research skills, collaborative spirit and experience in managing deadlines are all skills he can offer.

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