Business Communications Lecture Notes

LECTURE NOTES

CHAPTER 10--WRITING BAD-NEWS MESSAGES

ORGANIZING BAD-NEWS MESSAGES

Objective of bad-news messages: to convey the bad news without bruising the reader's feelings.
Two basic issues to decide when planning a bad-news message: tone and organization.
Adopt a tone that achieves three objectives:
- Makes audience aware that decision is firm.
- Makes audience agree that decision is fair.
- Leaves audience with positive attitude toward the organization--and perhaps toward you.
The issue of organization concerns a choice between the indirect and the direct plan.
Objective of indirect plan: to ease the audience into the part of the message that justifies the decision or builds goodwill.
Four parts of indirect plan for bad-news messages:
1. buffer
2. reasons
3. bad news
4. positive close
Buffer: neutral, noncontroversial statement closely related to the point of the message.
Tips for formulating a buffer:
- Don't beat around the bush; stick to subject.
- Don't build up false hopes of positive answer.
- Avoid saying no.
- Avoid know-it-all tone.
- Avoid wordy, irrelevant phrases.
- Don't apologize.
- Don't be long-winded.
Buffer should be pleasant, relevant, and neutral, and it should lead smoothly into the reasons that follow.
Tips for providing reasons in bad-news messages:
- Begin with most positive points; move on to less positive ones.
- Don't blame decision on company policy unless explanation would help audience meet requirements later.
- Don't apologize; apology implies that organization made a mistake.
- Use positive, nonjudgmental tone.
- Skip reasons if they are confidential, purely negative, self-serving, or complicated.
Tips for stating the bad news:
- Make answer clear, but present it in positive, impersonal language.
- Minimize space or time devoted to bad news.
- Subordinate bad news in compound or complex sentence.
- Embed bad news in middle of paragraph.
- Use "if" or "when" statement to suggest conditions under which positive answer might be possible.
- Focus on what you did do, not on what you didn't do.
- Avoid blunt or offensive phrases.
Tips for providing a positive close:
- Conclude on upbeat note.
- Propose attainable solution.
- Provide resale and sales promotion.
- Make sure audience understands any action required.
- Don't repeat bad news.
- Don't apologize.
- Don't urge additional communication.
- Don't anticipate problems.
- Don't include insincere cliches.
- Don't express doubt that audience will remain a customer.
Direct plan: bad news first, followed by reasons and a courteous close.
Advantages of using the direct plan:
- Allows shorter message.
- Gets directly to point.
When to use the direct plan for bad-news messages:
- for internal memos.
- For routine bad-news messages to other businesses.
- For audiences who prefer direct approach.
- For situations that demand firmness.

CONVEYING BAD NEWS ABOUT ORDERS

Order may be unclear, product may be out of stock or discontinued, or customer may not have met ordering requirements.
Objectives:
- To work toward eventual sale comparable to original order.
- To keep instructions or additional information clear.
- to maintain audience's interest and goodwill.
Use the indirect approach to clarify an order:
1. Buffer confirms order and provides resale information.
2. Middle explains why order cannot be filled and emphasizes positive side of situation.
3. Close explains what is required and describes benefits of acting promptly.
Back orders represent two possible types of bad news:
- Only part of order can be shipped.
- None of order can be shipped.
Organizational plan for notifying customer about shipment of a partial order:
1. Buffer announces good news (part of order en route).
2. Middle explains why rest of shipment is delayed and states or implies bad news.
3. Close encourages favorable attitude toward transaction.
The same pattern can be used when none of the order can be shipped, but the buffer can only confirm the order.
If substitution is necessary because an item is no longer available, send the substitute if the audience is sure to want it.
When in doubt about the customer's willingness to accept the substitute, write a sales letter first:
- Use indirect plan.
- Put resale information in buffer.
- If substitute is more expensive, emphasize added features and superior quality.
- Don't refer to new item as "substitute."
- In close, make it easy for audience to order substitute.
When the order cannot be filled at all, suggest an alternative source.
Use this organizational plan for unfillable orders:
1. Compliment audience on good taste.
2. Explain why order cannot be filled; state bad news.
3. Close with helpful suggestion and reference to future business.

COMMUNICATING NEGATIVE ANSWERS AND INFORMATION

Use the direct plan if the audience will not be deeply disappointed; otherwise, use the indirect plan.
Possible buffers:
- Express appreciation for being thought of.
- Assure audience that request received careful consideration.
- Compliment audience.
- Express understanding of situation and audience's needs.
In the middle, (1) explain the reasons for the bad news, (2) state the bad news, and (3) provide suggestions for handling the situation and offer help, if appropriate.
In the close, express interest, encouragement, and goodwill.
When providing bad news about products,
- Use direct approach if message will have little emotional impact.
- Use indirect approach when audience will be seriously affected.
When denying cooperation with routine requests,
- Choose direct or indirect plan, depending on emotional impact of message.
- Use warm, positive tone.
- Avoid cliches, stodgy language, and abrupt or negative phrasing.
When declining requests for favors, choose the direct or indirect plan, depending on your relationship with the audience:
- Direct plan with close friends and associates.
- Indirect plan with relative strangers.

REFUSING ADJUSTMENT OF CLAIMS AND COMPLAINTS

Use a tactful, courteous tone.
Use the indirect plan.
1. Buffer: brief, positive, noncontroversial statement
2. Middle: explanation of reasons, followed by indirect statement of bad news, presented as positively as possible.
3. Close: expression of interest in future relationship.

REFUSING TO EXTEND CREDIT

Use the indirect plan to soften the audience's disappointment.
When the credit applicant may qualify at a later date, offer encouragement:
- Avoid condescending lecture on "earning" credit.
- Emphasize firm's interest in doing business with applicant.
When applicant is a business as opposed to an individual,
- Emphasize reasons credit is being denied.
- Suggest alternatives (cash purchases, third-party loans).
- Explain what applicant must do to qualify.
- Emphasize positive aspects of situation (discounts for cash purchases).
Consider the decision to deny credit carefully; denying credit can seriously damage the applicant's reputation or business.

CONVEYING UNFAVORABLE NEWS ABOUT PEOPLE

Four types of unfavorable news about people:
- Refusals to write recommendation letters.
- Rejections of job applicants.
- Negative performance reviews.
- Terminations of employees.
Use the direct plan for messages to prospective employers, the indirect plan for messages to job applicants and employees.
When writing to an applicant to turn down the opportunity to write a recommendation letter, use the indirect plan:
- Open with positive comment about applicant.
- State refusal indirectly.
- Suggest alternatives.
- Close with polite encouragement.
When rejecting job applicants, be brief and impersonal.
When giving negative performance reviews,
- Mention positive points.
- Explain how employee is falling short.
- Suggest ways to improve.
Objectives when terminating employees:
- To present reasons for decision.
- To avoid statements that might pose legal problems.
- To promote best relationship possible under circumstances.
For legal purposes, termination letters should present specific, objective, verifiable, measurable reasons.