ENG 1203 How to Writing Negative Messages PDF

Preview

Summary

Step by step process to fuide you to do the work as described by the tititles and contnet of the doc. it is very helpful, very good. much wow....

Description

University of Guyana Faculty of Education and Humanities Department of Language and Cultural Studies ENG 1203- Technical Communication Writing Negative Messages USING THE THREE-STEP WRITING PROCESS FOR NEGATIVE MESSAGES Nobody likes bad news. No one likes to get it, and no one likes to give it. Saying no to an idea from an employee, a proposal from a shareholder, a request from a customer, or even a wellmeaning suggestion from a colleague can cause you and the other person considerable anxiety. Sending people negative messages from time to time will be a fact of life in your career. Just remember when you deliver negative news, you have five main goals: (1) to convey the bad news, (2) to gain acceptance for it, (3) to maintain as much goodwill as possible with your audience, (4) to maintain a good image for your organization, and (5) to reduce or eliminate the need for future correspondence on the matter. Step 1: Plan Your Message 1. Analyze the situation carefully. Your audience does not want to hear what you have to say. Only by understanding the context in which the recipient will process your message can you plan effectively. 2. Consider your purpose thoroughly. You need to determine whether your purpose is straightforward (such as rejecting a job application) or more complicated (such as drafting a negative performance review, in which you not only give the employee feedback on past performance but also help the person develop a plan to improve future performance). 3. Consider your audience profile. Your audience profile can be simple and obvious in some situations (such as rejecting a credit request) and far more complex in others (such as turning down a non-profit organization’s request to use your company offices for weekend meetings). 4. Identify and gather the information your audience will need to understand and accept your message. Negative messages can be intensely personal to the recipient, and in many cases recipients have a right to expect a thorough explanation of your answer (although this isn’t always the case). 5. Select the right medium. Your choice of medium to deliver negative messages can either damage a relationship or maintain/establish a relationship. 6. Organize your message properly. The appropriate organization helps readers accept your negative news. Defining your main idea in a negative message is often more complicated than simply saying ‘no’. Before you outline your message, you need to select a direct or indirect approach.

Step 2: Write Your Message

1. Adapt your approach to your audience. Be sensitive to your audience’s needs by maintaining a “you” attitude, being polite, emphasizing the positive, and using bias-free language. However, when your audience is at fault, it’s better to avoid the “you” attitude in a sentence that establishes blame. 2. Establish your credibility with your audience. You can do so by laying out your qualifications for making the decision in question. 3. Use positive rather than negative phrasing in negative messages. Note: Negative messages can require more time to write than other messages. Step 3: Complete Your Message 1. Revise your message to make sure that everything is clear, concise and complete. 2. Use design and layout options that are clean and professional to produce your message. 3. Proofread thoroughly for grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Minor mistakes can be interpreted as carelessness. 4. Deliver negative messages promptly and successfully. Choosing Positive Words AVOID A NEGATIVE TONE

USE A POSITIVE TONE

I cannot understand what you mean. The damage won’t be fixed for a week. There will be a delay in your order. You are clearly dissatisfied. Your account is in error. The breakage was not our fault. Sorry for your inconvenience.

Please clarify your request. The item will be repaired next week. We will ship your order as soon as possible. We are doing what we can to make things right. Corrections have been made to your account. The merchandise was broken during shipping. The enclosed coupon will save you $500 next time. I’ll try my best to communicate clearly from now on. Your letter reached me yesterday. It hasn’t arrived yet. Please recheck the enclosed statement.

We regret the misunderstanding. I was shocked to learn that you’re unhappy. Unfortunately, we haven’t received it. The enclosed statement is wrong.

Choosing the Best Approach to Develop Negative Messages Without even thinking about, you’ve probably been using both the direct and indirect approaches to deliver negative messages your entire life. When you come right out and tell somebody some bad news, you’re using the direct approach. When you try to soften the impact by easing your way into the conversation before delivering the bad news, you’re using the indirect approach. You’ve probably already developed an instinctive feel for which approach to use in many situations. In your business writing, you’ll need to make a similar choice whenever you deliver bad news; however, there are no clear guidelines to help you choose in every case. Ask yourself the following questions to guide you in selecting the right approach:  Will the bad news come as a shock?

     

Does the reader prefer short messages that get right to the point? How important is this news to the reader? Do you need to maintain a close working relationship with the reader? Do you need to get the reader’s attention? What is your organization’s preferred style? How much follow-up communication do you want?

Creating Negative Messages A. CHOOSE THE BEST APPROACH





Use a direct approach when the audience is aware of the possibility of negative news, when the reader is not emotionally involved in the message, when you know that the reader would prefer the bad news first, when you know that firmness is necessary, and you want to discourage a response. Use an indirect approach when the news is likely to come as a shock or surprise and you want to maintain a good relationship with the audience.

B. FOR AN INDIRECT APPROACH, OPEN WITH AN EFFECTIVE BUFFER

   

Establish common ground with the audience. Validate the request, if you are responding to a request. Don’t trivialize the reader’s concerns. Don’t mislead the reader into thinking the coming news might be positive.

C. PROVIDE REASONS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

    

Explain why the news is negative. Adjust the amount of detail to fit the situation and the audience. Avoid explanations when the reasons are confidential, excessively complicated, or irrelevant to the reader. If appropriate, state how you plan to correct or respond to the negative news. Seek the advice of company lawyers if you’re unsure what to say.

D. CLEARLY STATE THE BAD NEWS

   

State the bad news as positively as possible, using tactful wording. De-emphasize bad news by minimizing the space devoted to it, subordinating it, or embedding it. If your response might change in the future if circumstances change, explain the conditions to the reader. Emphasize what you can or have done, rather than what you can’t or won’t do.

E. CLOSE ON A POSITIVE NOTE

   

Express best wishes without being falsely positive. Suggest actions readers might take, if appropriate, and provide them with necessary information. Encourage further communication only if you’re willing to discuss the situation further. Keep a positive outlook on the future.

Reasons Positive Close

I n d ir e c t A p p r o a

D ire ct A p p ro a ch

Bad News

Buffer Reasons Bad News Positive Close

COMMON EXAMPLES OF NEGATIVE MESSAGES Refusing Routine Requests When turning down an invitation or a request for favor, consider your relationship with the reader. Consider the following points as you develop your routine negative messages:  Manage your time carefully.  If the matter is closed, don’t imply that it’s still open.  Offer alternative ideas if you can.  Don’t imply that other assistance or information might be available if it isn’t. Handling Bad News About Transactions  Reset the customer’s expectations regarding the transaction.  Explain what happened and why, if appropriate.  Explain how you’ll resolve the situation.  Repair any damage done to the business relationship, perhaps offering future discounts, free merchandise, or other considerations.  Offer a professional businesslike expression of apology if your organization made a mistake. Refusing Claims and Adjustments  Use an indirect approach since the reader is expecting or hoping for a positive response.  Indicate your full understanding of the nature of the complaint.  Explain why you are refusing the request, without hiding behind company policy.  Provide an accurate factual account of the transaction.  Emphasize ways things should have been handled rather than dwelling on a reader’s negligence.  Avoid any appearance of defamation.  Avoid expressing personal opinions  End with a positive, friendly, helpful close.  Make any suggested action easy for readers to comply with. Sending Negative Organizational News In addition to routine matters involving individual customers and other parties, you may encounter special cases that require you to issue negative announcements regarding some aspect of your products, services, or operations. Most of these scenarios have unique challenges that must be addressed on a case-by-case basis, but the general advice given below applies to all of

them. One key difference among all these messages is whether you have time to plan the announcement. Communicating Under Normal Circumstances When making negative announcements, follow these guidelines:  Match your approach to the situation.  Consider the unique needs of each group.  Give each audience enough time to react as needed.  Plan the sequence of multiple announcements.  Give yourself enough time to plan and manage a response.  Look for positive angles but don’t exude false optimism.  Minimize the element of surprise whenever possible.  Seek expert advice if you’re not sure. Negative Employment Messages A. REFUSING REQUESTS FOR RECOMMENDATION LETTERS

   

Don’t feel obligated to write a recommendation letter if you’re not comfortable doing so. Take a diplomatic approach to minimize hurt feelings. Compliment the reader’s accomplishments. Suggest alternatives if available.

B. REJECTING JOB APPLICATIONS

   

Always respond to applications. Use the direct approach. Clearly state why the applicant was rejected. Suggest alternatives if possible.

C. GIVING NEGATIVE PERFORMANCE REVIEWS

    

Maintain an objective and unbiased tone. Use nonjudgmental language. Focus on problem resolution. Make sure negative feedback is documented and shared with the employee. Don’t avoid confrontations by withholding negative feedback. Ask the employee for a commitment to improve.

 D. TERMINATING EMPLOYMENT

  

State your reasons accurately and make sure they are objectively verifiable. Avoid statements that might expose your company to a wrongful termination lawsuit. Consult company lawyers to clarify all terms of the separation



End the relationship on terms as positive as possible.

Communicating in a Crisis Crisis communication is one of the most challenging jobs a business professional can ever face. Business crises can include a wide range of internal and external events, including an incident of product tampering, an industrial accident, a crime or scandal involving company employees, and an on-site hostage situation, or a terrorist attack. During a crisis, employees, their families, the surrounding community, and others will demand information; plus rumours can spread

unpredictably and uncontrollably. You can expect the news media to quickly descend and ask questions of anyone they can find. Although you can’t predict these events, you can prepare for them. Companies that respond quickly with the information people need tend to fare much better in these circumstances than those who go into hiding or release bits and pieces of uncoordinated or inconsistent information. Companies such as Johnson & Johnson (in a Tylenol-tampering incident) emerged from crisis with renewed respect for their decisive action and responsive communication. The key to successful communication efforts during a crisis is having a crisis management plan. In addition to defining operational procedures to deal with the crisis itself, the plan also outlines communication tasks and responsibilities, which can include everything from media contacts to news release templates. The plan should clearly specify which people are authorized to speak for the company, contact information for all key executives, and a list of the media outlets and technologies that will be used to disseminate information. WHEN A CRISIS HITS DO Do prepare for trouble ahead of time by identifying potential problems, appointing and training a response team; and preparing and testing a crisis management plan. Do get top management involved as soon as the crisis hits.

DON’T Don’t blame anyone for anything Don’t speculate in public. Don’t refuse to answer questions. Don’t release information that will violate anyone’s right to privacy. Don’t use the crisis to pitch products or services. Don’t play favorites with media representatives.

Do set up a news centre for company representatives and the media, equipped with phones, computers, and other electronic tools for preparing news releases. Issue at least two news updates a day, and have trained personnel to respond to questions around the clock.  Provide complete information packets to the media as soon as possible  Prevent conflict statements and provide continuity, appointing a single person, trained in advance; to speak for the company.  Tell receptionists to direct all calls to the news centre. Do tell the whole story—openly, completely, and honestly. If you are at fault, apologize. Do demonstrate the company’s concern by your statements and your actions. 

Bovee, C. L., & Thill, J. V. (2005). Business Communication Today (8th ed.). New Jersey, Prentice Hall....