How to write proposals
Proposals enable ideas to move forward if they are good enough for now, safe enough to try.
Bringing proposals to a meeting allows for agile and creative ways to progress work, bring new ideas and resolve tensions.
Everyone can contribute to the better running of their group or team. If you are sensing a tension in the way your team is operating, or have a new idea or spot an opportunity to do something is not currently covered properly, write a proposal!
You may not need to go through all of these steps below for every proposal, it depends on how complicated the issue is, or how elaborate the idea is.
Proposals should generally try to include the following:
- A short sentence summarising the proposal at the top.
- A brief list of the background, motivations, tensions addressed, including examples.
- The proposal itself. Make this as clear and simple as you can.
- The implications if it gets adopted, and how it will need to be implemented.
- A list of who you’ve spoken to in creating the proposal. This may include anyone who will be significantly impacted.
- A clear system for receiving feedback, eg please comment on this document, or send feedback directly to me at...
Check in with a few other people
Ask for other people's thoughts and ideas. This helps to capture collective wisdom and build a culture of collaboration and joint ownership around proposals.
Redraft.
Circulate the proposal
Concerns/objections
Contact members of the circle who might object to the proposal, based on their feedback, to see if you can integrate their concerns in advance of the meeting. (This step is optional. It may be easier to process objections in a meeting.)
Bring to a meeting
Ask the Internal Coordinator or meeting facilitator to add your proposal to a meeting agenda. Then you can have your proposal processed using relevant decision-making processes. Depending on the response of the team, you may need to be open to amending your proposal or integrating objections.