If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a word worth?
The power of a word comes from its ability to evoke human sense or convey the magnitude of a feeling, or strength of a desire. A powerful word can stand on its own and needs to be free of adverbs of degree.
Whether you are writing a competitive proposal for grant funds or a letter to a friend, the words you choose and the order of those words will impact your message. Technical or leisure, informative or recreational, the words you choose have the power to affect decision, make change, or call to action.
For example, if you propose a project that is intended to control some behavior is the project stronger if that behavior has been stopped, or if the that behavior has ceased, or has it been abolished?
If you were writing a proposal for a program that is intended to reach a new audience is the program stronger if it penetrates rather than reaches?
If your program delivered new material or a message that is intended to be remembered or recalled is it stronger if the material resonates?
When you write to persuade, choose words that do not require an adverb to accentuate its value or state of being.
The following is a sample of power words have surfaced in recent proposals that have scored well and received funds:
authentic
confront
desolate
fractured
mobilize
penetrate
transformative
unleash
compromised
diffuse
mitigate
unparalleled
resonate
scarred
urgency
Content and writing style are affected by the sector you are writing for or about. Sector-specific jargon and rhetoric is abundant in the sciences, medical, education, law enforcement, politics, entertainment and so on.
There are endless sources of lists of “power words” that are available throughout the Internet. Take advantage of the thesaurus tool built into your word processing program to find alternative words. Using a human editor to read and edit for clarity and strength remains the most reliable and simple tool for relevant perspective.