Effective titles improve proposals
By
Tim North
info@betterwritingskills.com
http://www.BetterWritingSkills.com
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"Titles
distinguish the mediocre, embarrass
the superior and are disgraced by the inferior."
George
Bernard Shaw
It
may seem trivial to tell you to choose a good title
for your next written work, but the importance of
this task should not be underestimated.
A
good title can help to make a good first impression.
Here
then are some guidelines for choosing a good title.
GUIDELINE
ONE: AVOID BLAND, BORING TITLES
When
choosing your title, avoid bland, generic phrases
like "A proposal for ..." or "A response
to ..." or A "submission from ...".
Such
titles are a lost opportunity to make a strong and
persuasive first impression.
GUIDELINE
TWO: INCLUDE YOUR MAJOR RECOMMENDATION IN THE TITLE
While
good detective novels will often keep the reader in
suspense right up to the very end, proposals should
make themselves clear as early as possible, and you
can't get any earlier than the title.
Look
at these two titles:
1. A Proposal for XYZ Mining from TrainSmart
2. Lowering Accidents Rates via the Provision of
Safety Training
The
first employs a bland and uninformative title.
The
second contains a clear statement of the proposal's
key recommendation and even a key benefit. It makes
a very good first impression, particularly when compared
to the other one.
GUIDELINE
THREE: RESTRICT COMPANY NAMES TO A SUBTITLE
If
you must include your company name or the name of
your client in the title then you can do so via the
use of a subtitle, like so:
Lowering Accidents Rates via the Provision of Safety
Training
(A Proposal for XYZ Mining from TrainSmart)
GUIDELINE
FOUR: KEEP IT SHORT
Short
titles are more memorable and have greater impact,
so remove unnecessary words like 'an', 'of' and 'the'
where possible. For example, consider this wordy title:
An improvement to customer relations via the provision
of better training
This
would be better if shortened to:
Improved customer relations via better training
You'll
find many more helpful tips like these in Tim North's
much applauded range of e-books. More information
is available on his web site, and all books come with
a money-back guarantee. http://www.BetterWritingSkills.com
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