Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2019

Rhetorics of Proposal Writing: Lessons for Pedagogy in Research and Real-World Practice

Heidi Y. Lawrence George Mason University ; Rachael G. Lussos ; Jessica A. Clark

Abstract

Proposals are ubiquitous documents with challenges beyond the writing task itself, such as project management, strategic development, and research. Reporting on proposal instruction research in other fields and the results of an interview study with proposal writers, this article argues for a shift in how proposals are taught and conceptualized. By coaching students on the wide range of rhetorical practices that proposals require rather than how to produce proposal documents, technical and professional communication instruction can better prepare future communicators to manage and produce competitive proposals and more actively participate in these important efforts in the community, industry, and academy.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2019-01-01
DOI
10.1177/0047281617743016
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Topics
rhetorical criticism writing pedagogy professional writing qualitative research
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (8)

  1. Fogarty et al. (2026)
    Lessons from NASA: Or, Why Technical and Professional Communicators Should Stud…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Gray (2026)
    The Utility of Inclusivity: How Emoji Proposal Writers Navigate Oppositional In…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Axelrod (2025)
    Improving Proposal Writing by Looking to Information Operations
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Gunning (2025)
    How Do Nonprofit Proposal Writers Learn Their Jobs? Results of a Nationwide Sur…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  5. Melonçon et al. (2024)
    Back to the Basics: Uncovering the Rhetoric Student Learning Outcome
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Show all 8 →
  1. Dow (2023)
    Business and technical writing pedagogy
    Writing and Pedagogy
  2. Vengadasalam (2023)
    Bridging the gap between workplace writing and professional writing instruction
    Writing and Pedagogy
  3. Doan (2021)
    Teaching Workplace Genre Ecologies and Pedagogical Goals Through Résumés and Co…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly

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CrossRef global citation count: 12 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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