By Rachel Carlson, CF APMP
Anyone remember the glory days of NBC’s Must-See TV? I’m talking Seinfeld, Friends, Will and Grace, ER, Scrubs, and The Office. Your couch was the place to be on Thursday nights for a perfectly curated night of laughs, drama, and pop culture. (Oh, no? You don’t remember? Have I just outted myself as an elder millennial?) Well, I digress…
The best thing about Must-See TV was that it had everything you wanted for an evening of entertainment, all in one place. And while admittedly the storylines aren’t quite as hilarious, I have found APMP’s Member Video Center (log in and password required) has everything you need to catch up on the latest proposal management best practices, tips and tricks, trends, technology, and more. You can earn your CEUs and bring new ideas back to your team or to your own workflow.
Sometimes everything you need is way more than you need – especially if you are just starting out, in CEU crunch time, or if you only have an hour to spare. So, to help a friend out, I’ve curated my very own recommended Must-See TV lineup of APMP webinars:
- “Five Best Practices that Can Transform your Success as a Proposal Professional”: This is an oldie, but a goodie. It walks through five “scientific” best practice themes and strategies to be more successful as a proposal professional. The best practices are not only presented in theory, but also with tangible suggestions that you can implement in your practice right away.
- “Confessions of a Reformed Source Selection Chair”: Led by a former Source Selection Chair and Program Manager for the Department of Defense (and self-proclaimed likely former “arch-nemesis of many proposal professionals”), this webinar provides a behind-the-scenes look at what is going on in the Government’s world when they evaluate proposals. It is excellent for those working in the Federal government space.
- “Readability – The Power to Boost Compliance and Efficiency”: Spoiler alert – “ambiguous proposals carry more risk.” While there is a little bit of a software plug in this one, the points made about the importance of readability and suggestions to swap complex language for simple language are helpful in transforming your writing into a proposal that is clear, concise, and easy to read.
- “That Was a Proposal Kick-Off Meeting? Are You Kidding Me?”: I admit, the title to this one drew me in – we’ve all felt that way at one point, right? This is also an older presentation, but it has valuable information on why kick off meetings are important, timing for when they should be held, who should run the meeting and who should attend, and what should be discussed. Perfect for those starting out as well as those who may be looking for a kickoff meeting reboot.
- “Managing a Content Library”: Need a content library? Does your content library need some attention? This is a solid, practical, nuts and bolts discussion about the purpose of a content library, what should be included, how to maintain it, and what to do if your content library needs a refresh.
Did I miss any of your favorites? Tell me in the comments, which other webinars should we add to the APMP Must-See TV lineup?
About Rachel
Rachel is a Proposal Manager at Kearney & Company, P.C. She holds her APMP Foundation Level Certification and is a member of the Marketing Communications Committee for APMP GMC. Rachel has a master’s degree in Social Work from Tulane University and a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the University of Miami. Rachel works remotely and lives in Bettendorf, Iowa. In her free time, she can be found spending time with her husband, two children, and their dog, a Labrador Retriever named Mae. Rachel can be reached at [email protected].