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Spiky point of view for the day: 90% of the proposal design meetings I've seen aren't useful. Here are the pain points I see: 🚫 Too many people in the room, so discussion is not deep 🚫 Too many tangental discussions not relevant to the RFP's scope of work 🚫 No one read the RFP beforehand 🚫 Participants don't know what to contribute so the session turns into a 'spaghetti on the wall' discussion We all know that time is our most precious resource in proposal development, so how can we make design sessions produce something that is actually useful to the proposal team? I developed some tips for Keylime Academy that I share in our upcoming Advanced Technical Writing course. I'll give you a sneak peek now: 🏆 Limit participation: Yes, this is controversial. But the best design meetings I've been in have been in small groups...usually only the people on the proposal team who NEED to be there (e.g. the technical writer) and a handful of subject matter experts. 🏆 Assign pre-work: Make sure you give participants 'homework' in advance of the design session...things like an overview of your capture efforts, your overall strategy (if you have one already), etc. 🏆Send the RFP to participants in advance: Make sure your subject matter experts actually read the RFP's scope of work BEFORE the meeting to minimize tangental or irrelevant discussions 🏆Set clear objectives: Tell participants what you want to get out of the design session. It could be a theory of change to lay the logical foundation of your bid. It could be a set of detailed activities for one or multiple components in the RFP. Whatever your goal is, make sure it's stated clearly so participants know what is expected of them and can prepare. 🏆 Set an agenda: This is an easy one, but you'd be shocked how often I see teams forego an agenda! Set one and stick to it, and make sure it's designed to guide the discussion. Include action-oriented prompts to keep participants on track. What do you think? Are these useful tips? If you want to dive even deeper into complex #USAID proposals, join me in the Advanced Technical Writing course I'm hosting with Susanne Barsoum this summer. We start next week, and there's still time to sign up. I've dropped the registration link in the comments 👇 #usaid #workwithusaid #proposaldevelopment #businessdevelopment #design #writing

I'm excited to share more details about Keylime Academy’s Advanced Technical Writing course 🚀 The next cohort is launching July 18th!! 👉 Course Overview This course is designed specifically for advanced technical writers, this course will guide you on how to respond to complex #USAID bids. Topics: ⚡ Getting the most out of design sessions ⚡Advanced outlining ⚡Deep dive on project logic ⚡Performance Work Statements ⚡Writing IDIQ proposals ⚡How to write case studies in a proposal ⚡A technical writer’s guide to the cost I'm still putting final touches on the topics and I will adapt the course plan based on the needs of participants. 👉 Course Details This is a cohort-based course that mixes live instruction with community discussions and self-paced material. Over the course of seven weeks, expect to have a weekly live workshops led by me, as well as access to our learning platform where you can ask questions and get 1:1 feedback outside of classroom hours. You'll also get templates and guides that you can reference after the course is over. 👉 Course Dates This course will launch July 18th and will meet once weekly until August 29th. Sign up link is here: https://lnkd.in/dvhjVpfD Questions? DM me! Want to know about discounts for independent consultants? DM me 😎 #usaid #workwithusaid #businessdevelopment #training #writing

What do you do when a #USAID bid goes live? Here's what happens to me: 1. Adrenaline rush 2. A storm of a million thoughts 3. Deep breath 4. A rapid RFP/NOFO analysis When a bid goes live, sometimes your proposal kickoff meeting is in a few hours. And we all know that these RFPs are hundreds of pages long! How do you get up to speed quickly? Watch this short video by Keylime Founder and CEO Susanne Barsoum on how to rapidly read an RFP so you can get up to speed ASAP (and impress your colleagues in your kickoff 💁♀️ ) https://lnkd.in/dPD8RWbP This is just one of the many skills you'll learn in Part 1 of Keylime Academy's Proposal Writing Series: Fundamentals of Proposal Writing. It's taught by industry expert Joanne Moore, who has been an executive at some of USAID's leading implementing partners and who herself is a talented proposal writer. There are still a few spots left in our upcoming cohort, which starts July 10th. I'll post the signup link below in the comments. DM me for any questions, or if you're an independent consultant and want a discount code for the course 🌟 #usaid #businessdevelopment #proposals #proposalwriting #workwithusaid

Spiky point of view for the day: If you're capturing a #USAID bid, you're probably not doing enough research. I think a lot of people underestimate just how much reading you need to do to adequately prepare for a bid. It's not just about knowing the technical sector backwards and forwards--it's about getting a 360 view of the landscape. Here are just SOME of the things I typically research when I'm on a capture team: 📚 Relevant global strategies from USAID 📚 CDCS and other country-level documents 📚 Annual reports from relevant USAID projects in-country 📚 Relevant reports from relevant projects from other donors 📚 Evaluations of relevant projects in-country to learn what's worked and what hasn't 📚 Sector strategies from the host country government 📚 Academic papers or articles about innovations in the sector 📚 USAID's Innovation Technology, and Research Hub 📚 USAID's Learning Lab 📚 Social media accounts of 'movers and shakers' in the country, the host country government, and USAID 📚 Local traditional media There's even more, but this is my go-to list for starting my research agenda. I also developed a FREE guide for methodically organizing and moving through your research agenda in the capture phase. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/ergVtbqR We talk through research agendas and other ways to optimize your bid prep in my upcoming class, Level Up Your Capture, which starts on June 24th. If you're interested in getting the most out of the capture phase, this course will be a great fit. I dropped the signup link in the comments below 👇 DM me with any questions! #usaid #workwithusaid #proposals #capture #businessdevelopment #courses #training

I've talked before about what makes a strong technical writer for #USAID proposals. But what is it that makes a winning proposal? There are lots of best practices that make a strong proposal, things like: ✅ A responsive outline that incorporates everything from sections C, L, & M ✅ A clearly articulated value proposition ✅ Clear, simple language throughout But a strong proposal isn't always a *winning* proposal. After all, only one organization wins the bid at the end of the day! Winning proposals do everything I listed above, but they also do some things to take it to the next level. Here are some trends I see that really make proposals stand out (and win!) in the USAID market: 🥇 They give the right amount of context: Winning proposals don't sound like a Wikipedia entry about the country you'll be working in. They give USAID useful insights to help them understand the activities you'll discuss later in the proposal. 🥇 They propose thoughtful interventions: Strong proposal teams rigorously think about what to do and why. They anticipate questions that USAID might have and justify their approach with sound logic, and always highlight how each activity will lead to the outcomes USAID wants. Sounds like a no-brainer, but trust me, it's harder than it looks. 🥇Everything is backed by evidence: This one gets forgotten a lot, but what makes winning proposals stand out is strong evidence. Think about it, the best way to persuade USAID that your approach will work is by showing how it has worked in the past in the same context or a similar context. Are you interested in learning how to increase your win rate? I'm offering a NEW course at Keylime Academy specifically for experienced writers who want to win more proposals. It's called *Advanced Technical Writing* and is the third installment of Keylime Academy's Proposal Writing Series. Registration is open now, and class starts July 18th. Details in the link below ⬇ #usaid #workwithusaid #proposals #pwin #businessdevelopment #writing #localization #npi #newpartners

I often mentor technical writers who are writing #USAID proposals. When you have never written a USAID proposal before, it can feel really daunting. And I see a lot of people get stuck in a cycle of *waiting* on things like: ⏰ Decisions from your proposal lead ⏰ Inputs from subject matter experts ⏰ Inputs from a country office ⏰ Outputs from technical design sessions All of these things are great, and even necessary to have. But if you wait for all these things to fall into place *before* you start writing, you're going to end up in a bad situation -- rushed, incomplete drafts that aren't responsive and not enough time to get them right. So what can a technical writer do? Here are my top tips to make progress while waiting for inputs to your proposal: ✍ Write the background section -- even though it might be *enhanced* by your country office or local SMEs, you still probably have what you need to write 90% of the background section. ✍ Write sections of your general approach -- things like your operational approach/footprint, geographic targeting, stakeholder engagement, coordination with other USAID projects, approach to cross-cutting considerations...anything that is responsive to your RFP. ✍ Write the activities USAID has asked for explicitly -- often USAID gives us sets of illustrative activities in the RFP. Write those while you wait for your design session or inputs from an SME. Even if they aren't *exactly* right, you'll at least have most of the activity drafted and can edit it accordingly after you get feedback from your proposal lead or SMEs. Remember...it's usually easier to edit or tweak your writing than it is to start completely from scratch. PS: If you're interested in learning more pro-tips for technical writing, check out Keylime Academy's upcoming summer courses, Technical Writing and Advanced Technical Writing. Links in the comments below 👇 #usaid #workwithusaid #proposals #writing #businessdevelopment

What makes a great technical writer for #USAID proposals? Some people might say that to be a great technical writer, you need to be a subject matter expert. While this certainly helps, I can tell you from experience that this isn’t enough. In fact, the attributes that set the best technical writers apart are often not tied to their expertise at all. Here are some of the traits that I’ve observed in great technical writers: ❓Comfortable with uncertainty: The world of proposals is often unpredictable. A great technical writer is comfortable navigating that uncertainty and can adapt quickly to changing circumstances. 🏆 Highly competitive: The best technical writers are driven by a desire to win. They understand that their work isn't just about conveying information, it's about convincing USAID to choose their proposal over the competition. ✏ Detail oriented, studious, curious, resourceful: Great technical writers are always learning. They pay attention to the details, are constantly seeking out new information, and know how to find the resources they need to do their job effectively. 🤔 Works well with incomplete information: In business development, you often have to make do with the information you have. The best technical writers are able to fill in the gaps and make educated guesses when necessary and don’t throw up their hands when they don’t have all the answers. They can make progress even when all of the information isn’t there. 🧠 Focus on process over outcome: While winning is important, the best technical writers understand that a well-executed process is more likely to lead to a winning proposal. They focus on doing their job well, trusting that the outcomes will follow. 🧘♀️ Emotional displacement: This involves the ability to set aside personal feelings and emotions, and focus on the task at hand. Writing proposals can be a high-pressure job, and comes with its fair share of vulnerability, but the best technical writers don't let that pressure get to them. It may come as a shock, but it's these key attributes that set people apart and put them on a path to success. If you want to learn more about how to cultivate these practices in your proposal writing, I’m teaching a course on Technical Writing for USAID Proposals with Keylime Academy that begins April 2nd. I’ll drop the signup link below in the comments 👇 DM me with any questions, happy to chat 💬