Events

On this page:

Creating Persuasive Executive Summaries
About the Event
About the Speaker
Schedule
Food
Fees
Directions
Related Links

April 2003 workshop

Creating Persuasive Executive Summaries

Event Summary
Date:	Saturday, April 5, 2003
Time:	9:00 a.m. - Noon (includes registration, breakfast, and the program)
Place:	ICF Consulting, Inc. 9300 Lee Highway Fairfax, VA 22031 Directions are below

Don't forget your business cards for networking!

About the Event

Do you think your executive summaries could be tighter? Cleaner? Provide a more polished view of your services to your clients? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to attend this workshop.

You will learn how to develop a professional, persuasive Executive Summary that will get your proposals in the hands of the decision makers, and get you results. This seminar will take you through all the steps necessary in creating an effective Executive Summary in order to enhance your sales proposal. This seminar is appropriate for technical communicators, sales, marketing and others who actively participate in the preparation and writing of proposals.

Many companies use standard boilerplate text in their Executive Summaries, rather than focusing on the client's needs. Before pulling together abstract text, proposal response teams need to evaluate and research their target customer. This workshop will take you through all the steps necessary in creating an effective Executive Summary in order to enhance your sales proposal.

Workshop Objectives:

After completing this workshop, attendees will be able to:

Identify the purpose of an Executive Summary in a Sales Proposal.
State things clearly and concisely for their audience.
Develop an Executive Summary following a general format:
- Have you clearly stated the understanding of the client's problem or issue?
- Have you presented your solution or promise to meet the client's needs?
- Have you explained how and why you've developed this solution?
- Have you described the features and benefits of your solution?
- Have you described how the overall project is going to be managed?
- Have you told the client what happens after the service has been delivered?
- Have you explained how you will train the client's workers to support this new service/product?
- Have you determined whether to include the time and cost in the Executive Summary?
- Have you stated your company's current resources and strengths to include a brief history, the company organization and locations?
Evaluate an Executive Summary.
Avoid errors found in Executive Summaries.

About the Speaker

Stacia D. Kelly has been reading since the age of three and writing since the third grade. After starting college a year early and earning her bachelor's degree in French, Creative Writing, and Studio Art in three years, she managed to work in a side trip to Paris to study at L'Alliance Française and complete another degree. She graduated in the top 10th of her class from Virginia Tech and then promptly fell into the information technology field.

While attending school, Stacia took her writing talents to the business world, working in the information technology market. She currently works as a Proposal Manager and Technical Writer, and is building a consultation firm – CatKlaw, Inc. Never one to stop while she is ahead, Stacia has continued her schooling and received her Master's Degree in Professional Writing and Editing in 2002.

Stacia led her consulting firm in a well-received workshop at the 2002 STC Annual Conference entitled "Creating Persuasive Executive Summaries" and also presented it again as a telephone seminar in February 2002. Stacia is currently the 2nd Vice President and Public Relations Committee Manager for STC WDC.

Schedule

Date: Saturday, 5 April 2003
Time:
9:00 — 9:30 a.m. Registration, breakfast, networking
9:30 a.m. — Noon Program

Food

Assorted bagels and beverages.

Fees and Registration

Admission Fees

$20	STC members with advance registration
$30	Nonmembers with advance registration
$30	Walk-ins without advance reservations (a meal is not available unless you reserve in advance)

Admission fees help to offset the costs of our programs. Fees may vary from program to program because of the costs of food and beverages, room rental, and other services. Our attendees pay slightly different fees depending on whether they are members, nonmembers, students, chapter volunteers, or walk-ins. We also sometimes offer a program-only option for programs that are not held in restaurants.

Chapter volunteers who are working at an event (e.g., staffing the registration table, greeting newcomers) are entitled to free admission for the event. Volunteers for each event are normally pre-determined before the registration process begins. We do not accept last-minute volunteers unless we have an unanticipated need for extra help.

Advance Reservations

We encourage and sometimes require all attendees to register in advance. For events where advanced registration is required, we cannot accept reservations after the published deadline for the event.

If you are unable to register by the deadline, you can still attend the event as a walk-in, at the cost listed under Admission fees.

Restrictions:

We cannot provide food for walk-ins.
We do not provide refunds for late arrivals.
We reserve the right to bill those who register for a program, do not pre-pay, and do not attend the program.

Registration for "Creating Persuasive Executive Summaries"

Reservations are encouraged for this event and must be made by Wednesday, April 2, 2003 at 5 p.m. All who register after this date and time must pay the walk-in price. All information published under Advance reservations is applicable to this event.

Registration Process

To make a reservation, complete the program reservation form.

Payment

You may pay by sending a check through the U.S. Mail or by making a secure online payment through our PayPal page using your credit card, debit card, bank account, or by paying money from a funded PayPal account. (Using PayPal allows you to make purchases without revealing your credit card number or financial information to us.) We also accept cash or checks at the door. Non-registered walk-ins pay the same walk-in fee listed under Admission fees.

If you have already registered and would like to submit a payment by check or through our PayPal page, see the program reservation page for more detailed information about making a payment.

Cancellations

To cancel a registration, contact the Events Committee Manager as soon as possible. No shows who do not notify us that they need to cancel will be billed.

ICF Consulting map