TABLE OF CONTENTS Busy executives have precious little time to read lengthy, complicated e-learning proposals. Yet, when faced with choosing an e-learning vendor, the executive usually makes a final decision costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and impacting his or her organization for years to come. Executives need a quick overview of the facts to make an informed decision.
A well-written Executive Summary provides that overview for busy executives to intelligently discuss the proposal with line managers, trainers, and IT staff. The executive summary must be a concise, persuasive document that is interesting and informative. It must contain the salient points of the proposal and encourage executives to read on or choose it outright as the winner.
The executive summary frames the rest of the document and makes an important impression on the reader. Although you may spend days writing a proposal, if it does not make a positive impression in less than five minutes it will be rejected. The executive summary needs to "sell" the reader on the benefits of the proposal. Successful executive summaries lead readers into the proposal; unsuccessful summaries lead the proposal into the trash. The executive summary is the most important one or two pages in your proposal write it with care.
While executives are typically thought to be the ones who read an executive summary, in reality everyone who reads the proposal begins with the executive summary. In many cases, this is the only part of the proposal read...
