Should I start to panic yet?

A friend posted this to his (non-work-related) blog recently:

…or they could just have said, “Press the button if you need help”.

I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s seen similarly verbose text… in proposals. “What are we really trying to say here?” remains one of the most useful questions a proposal manager can ask, and yet one of the most under-used!

And the elevator sign is a scary example of negatively-focused writing that leaves the reader worried. Ever seen a proposal in which – for example – the proposed approach “reduces the risk of failure” (”hey, is this going to fail?”) rather than “helps to ensure the project’s success”. As BJ’s posted once before, you should always try to accentuate the positive.

This article was written by Jon on 20 March, 2009 and filed under Word play & writing. If you found it useful, you can with others. To receive automatic updates, subscribe to The Proposal Guys via RSS or Email.

1 Comment »

• Bj says:

  20 March, 2009 at 1:19 pm

  Indeed.

  This is perhaps best exemplifed by the contrast between the following two statements.

  “Everything is under control.” and “There’s no need to panic.”

  I know which one I want to hear.

  Reply

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