Chapter 12
PROPOSALS
WHAT ARE PROPOSALS?
Implies that some action should take place
 Suggests that there are sound reasons why it
should

A should do B because of C
WHAT ARE PROPOSALS?
A should do B because of C
A
B
Our student Government should endorse the Academic Bill
C
B
of Rights because students should not be punished in
C
their courses for their reasonable political views.
2 KINDS OF PROPOSALS
1.
Proposals about practices
2.
Proposals about policies
PROPOSALS ABOUT PRACTICES
Narrower, very local, and concrete
Examples:

 The
college should allow students to pay tuition on a
month-by-month basis.
 San Francisco should erect a more effective suicideprevention barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge.
PROPOSALS ABOUT POLICIES
Broad plans of actions for major social, political,
and economic issues
Example:

 The
state should repeal all English-only legislation.
 The police department should institute a policy to
train officers in intercultural communication.
CHARACTERIZING PROPOSALS
3 main characteristics
1. They call for action or response, often in
response to a problem
2. They focus on the future
3. They center on audience
DEVELOPING PROPOSALS
Proposals need to be very strong & clear to be
persuasive
Should consist of 3 parts:
1. Description of the problem
2. Proposed solution
3. Justification of solution
DEFINE A NEED OR PROBLEM
Proposals must address a clearly defined need
 Establish the need as one of the first steps in
your project
 Evoke the need in a particularly effective way
(using pathos)
 Demonstrate that meeting this need is in the
interest to the community at large

MAKE A STRONG & CLEAR CLAIM
Demonstrate that your proposal will address the
problem and how
 Prove that your proposal is feasible.

 Present
evidence from similar cases
 From personal experience
 From observational data, etc.
This will require creative thinking.

Personal experience is persuasive in proposal
arguments.
KEY FEATURES OF PROPOSALS
Description of the problem that needs a solution
 A claim that proposes a practice or policy that
addresses a problem or need that is oriented
toward action
 Statements that clearly relate the claim to the
problem or need
 Evidence that the proposal will effectively
address the need or solve the problem and that
it’s workable
