The One Thing You Almost Certainly Forgot from Middle School English Class That - If Applied - Would IMMEDIATELY Boost the Quality of Your Proposals

To enhance the proposal reading experience and avoid writing content that comes off as “choppy,” “unorganized,” “disjointed” or “confusing,” it is important to consider how your text flows. “Writing flow” refers to how easily a reader can get into a piece of work without being distracted by how it is written. If evaluators are more focused on how you wrote than what you wrote, they are also more likely to miss the main ideas and arguments of your proposal.

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Writing flow can be written and assessed across three levels: sentence-level flow, paragraph-level flow, and contextual-level flow. Best practices for each are included below.

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Sentence-Level Flow

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In addition to incorporating grammatical rules related to punctuation, capitalization, and style conventions, you must also consider how to organize your sentences to promote clarity. The basic sentence structure for formal writing follows a “subject + verb + direct object” format. While this should be the foundation of your overall sentence construction, powerful proposals also include varied sentence structures that shift between simple, compound, and compound-complex styles. This variety enhances flow, breaks up monotony, and helps to maintain reader attention. Here are some examples of the three structures.

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• Simple sentences have a single independent clause.

• “Our team provides award-winning social media services.” 

• Compound sentences have two or more independent clauses.

• “Our team provides award-winning social media services and our partners oversee all aspects of digital advertising.”

• Compound-complex sentences have a single independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. 

• “Our team provides award-winning social media services after the incumbent transitions all social handles.”

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Warning: As your sentences grow in complexity, you run the increased risk of creating run-ons. These are extremely common in proposals as writers are often strapped with needing to incorporate a lot of different ideas and concepts into a limited amount of space. Make sure you avoid run-on sentences by reading your content out loud. If you have to take a breath before you can finish a sentence, divide it into two. Your readers will thank you for it.  

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Another way to enhance the sentence-level flow of your proposals is to use varied sentence lengths. Long sentences work well for incorporating a lot of information, while short sentences are often used to maximize crucial points. By using a smart combination of long and short sentences, you can establish a guiding rhythm that controls the pace of writing, promotes clarity, reduces repetition, and adds emphasis. This not only helps to make text easier to digest but also works to keep your readers engaged.

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Paragraph-Level Flow

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You can ensure that your text “flows well” by incorporating a clear organizational structure for each paragraph in your proposal. As a best practice, start your paragraph with a topic sentence. This is comprised of two main parts: a topic and a controlling idea. The topic reveals the subject of the paragraph, while the controlling idea is the main argument about the topic. By having a controlling idea, you limit your topic to a very specific concept. This keeps you from trying to fit too many ideas into a single paragraph. Here are some examples of topic sentences.

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• Our staffing approach (topic) is centered around a variety of HR best practices (controlling idea). 

• Note: Based on the topic sentence for this paragraph, we are free to discuss more than one “best practice” when it comes to staffing, but are limited to HR-specific practices because of the controlling idea.

• Our technology suite (topic) is comprised of AI and ML-enabled tools that help to automate processes (controlling idea).

• Note: This paragraph can include information on both AI and ML tools, but should not add insights on DevSecOps, cybersecurity, or other related capabilities as these are not mentioned in the topic sentence. 

• Our proposal manager (topic) has more than 20 years of experience leading advanced teams in marketing and communications (controlling idea.) 

• Note: We have set up this paragraph to discuss the PM’s experience and leadership capabilities in marketing and communications. Therefore, his expertise in coding, data analytics, or computer science would not belong here. 

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After organizing your paragraph around a clear topic sentence, it is good to then include specific examples, explications, details, and/or analysis. Just make sure that you stick to one clear idea per paragraph and that you have enough support included to underpin that idea. Paragraphs that are too long can confuse or bore the reader, while those that are too short do not provide enough data to prove or bolster your argument.

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Throughout your paragraph, consider how you are linking your sentences together. One way to do this is to use clear pronoun references that create a sense of cohesion. An example of this is found below:

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• Our account lead schedules both weekly and ad hoc meetings with our clients. She organizes each touchpoint according to client-stated preferences for communication frequency and type of engagement.  

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 You can also establish continuity within your paragraphs by incorporating transition words to begin certain sentences. These words signal to the reader that the next sentence is in some way related to the previous one. They come in a variety of devices to include:

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• To Add: again, equally important, further, moreover, in addition, etc.
• To Compare: however, nevertheless, by comparison, conversely, meanwhile, etc. 
• To Prove: since, evidently, furthermore, in any case, etc. 
• To Show Exception: still, however, in spite of, despite, sometimes, etc. 
• To Show Time: immediately, thereafter, finally, then, later, next, etc. 
• To Show Sequence, first, next, following this, at this time, after, consequently, etc. 
• To Give an Example: for example, for instance, in another case, to demonstrate, etc. 
• To Summarize or Conclude: in brief, therefore, accordingly, thus, as a result, etc. 

‍To sum up, using strong topic sentences that are supported by evidence as well as linking devices that help transition readers between sentences can dramatically improve the overall flow of your proposal’s paragraphs.

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Contextual-Level Flow

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Once you have mastered creating sentence and paragraph-level flow, it is time to assess your writing at the contextual level. This confirms that readers can easily glide through your sentences, paragraphs, sections, sub-sections, and overall proposal. When evaluating contextual flow, it is important to look for clarity, consistency, and completeness. You can do this by asking the following questions:

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Clarity

•  Is content clear and understandable?
• Is the reader aware of the statement and purpose (for each sentence? paragraph? section?)
• Is the organization of information clear and logical? (Is information listed chronically? In order of importance? Grouped by similar ideas? Etc.) 

Consistency 

• Are the same grammatical conventions used throughout the document? (Same treatment of acronyms, capitalization, commas, citations, labels?) 
• Is there alignment across the text, whereas the title, topic sentence, and main points match or develop a clear argument? 
• Does the introduction of each sentence provide a clear argument while the conclusion reviews the main points and/or argument? 

Completeness 

• Do you address all of the topics you mentioned in the opening paragraph?
• Did you each about each topic to a level of completeness that demonstrates clear expertise and/or a proven approach to success? 
• Have you considered how a particular topic or section relates to other elements in the proposal? For example, when you list activities related to your process, do you also mention who performs those activities, on what timetable, and for what benefit? 

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By going through this nine-point checklist, you will be able to have a better understanding of how your proposal rates with respect to contextual-level flow. Your attention to detail here will not only demonstrate your competence in the industry but also give you a competitive edge over your less thorough counterparts.

While it may have been some time since you’ve been in middle school English class, the basic principles of flow still apply to your work today. Embracing the fundamentals of syntax and sentence structure isn’t just a nod to academic conventions; it’s a strategic choice that can dramatically elevate your proposals. So, the next time you find yourself navigating the tapestry of proposal writing, remember that the grammatical foundations of your middle school days are not relics of the past but rather guiding conventions that can lead to persuasive and polished content.

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