Chapter 8, Writing Negative Messages. Delivering negative information is rarely easy and never enjoyable, but with some helpful guidelines, you can craft messages that minimize negative reactions. When you need to deliver bad news, you have five goals. To convey the bad news, you need to deliver it in a way that is easy to understand.
to gain acceptance for it, to maintain as much goodwill as possible with your audience, to maintain a good image for your organization, and, if appropriate, to reduce or eliminate the need for future correspondence on the matter. Accomplishing all five goals requires careful attention to planning, writing, and completing your message. When you need to convey negative news, you can avoid the fact that your audience does not want to hear what you have to say. To minimize the damage to business relationships and to encourage the acceptance of your message, plan carefully.
With a clear purpose and your audience's needs in mind, gather the information your audience will need in order to understand and accept your message. By writing clearly and sensitively, you can take some of the sting out of bad news and help your reader accept the decision and move on. If your credibility hasn't already been established with an audience, clarify your qualifications so recipients won't question you. your authority or ability. When you use language that conveys respect and avoids an accusing tone, you protect your audience's pride.
This kind of communication etiquette is always important, but it demands special care with negative messages. Moreover, you can ease the sense of disappointment by using positive words rather than negative, counterproductive ones. The need for careful attention to detail continues as you complete your message.
Revise your content to make sure everything is clear, complete, and concise. Even small flaws can be magnified in readers'minds as they react to your negative news. Produce clean, professional documents and proofread carefully to eliminate mistakes. Careless errors in a negative message can make a bad situation even worse by creating the impression that the sender doesn't care enough about the situation to invest the time and effort in the conversation.
time and effort it takes to produce a professional quality message. Finally, be sure to deliver messages promptly. Withholding or delaying bad news can be unethical, even illegal.
A negative message using the direct approach opens with the bad news, proceeds to the reasons for the situation or decision, and ends with the positive statement aimed at maintaining a good relationship with the audience. Depending on the circumstances, The message may also offer alternatives or a plan of action to fix the situation under discussion. Stating the bad news at the beginning can have two advantages.
Number one, it makes a shorter message possible. And number two, it allows the audience to reach the main idea of the message in less time. If you've chosen the direct approach to convey bad news, come right out and say it.
However, even if the news is likely to be devastating, maintain a calm, professional tone that keeps the focus on the news and not on individual failures or other personal factors. Also, if necessary, remind the reader why you're writing. In most cases, follow the direct opening with an explanation of why the news is negative. The extent of your explanation depends on the nature of the news and your relationship with the reader.
For example, if you want to preserve a long-standing relationship with the reader, important customer, a detailed explanation could be well worth the extra effort such a message would require. However, you will encounter some situations in which explaining negative news is neither appropriate nor helpful, such as when the reasons are confidential, excessively complicated, or irrelevant to the reader. After you've explained the negative news, close the message in a manner that respects the impact the negative news is likely to have on the recipient.
If appropriate, consider offering your readers an alternative solution if you can, and if doing so is a good use case, of your time. Look for opportunities to include positive statements, but avoid creating false hopes or writing in a way that seems to suggest that something negative didn't just happen to the recipient. Ending on a false positive can leave readers feeling disrespected, disregarded, or deceived.
As noted earlier, the indirect approach helps readers prepare for the bad news by outlining the reasons for the situation before presenting the bad news itself. However, the indirect approach is not meant to obscure bad news, delay it, or limit your responsibility. The purpose of this approach is to ease the blow and help readers accept the news.
When done poorly, the indirect approach can be disrespectful and even unethical. But when done well, it is a good example of audience-oriented communication, crafted with attention to both ethics and etiquette. Showing consideration for the feelings of others is never dishonest. Messages using the indirect approach open with a buffer, a neutral, non-controversial statement that is closely related to the point of the message, but doesn't convey the bad news. Depending on the circumstances, a good buffer can express your appreciation for the message.
being considered, assure the reader of your attention to the request, indicate your understanding of the reader's needs, introduce the general subject matter, or simply establish common ground with your readers. A good buffer also needs to be relevant and sincere. In contrast, a poorly written buffer might trivialize the reader's concerns, divert attention from the problem with insincere flattery or irrelevant material, or mislead the reader into thinking your message actually contains good news. An effective buffer serves as a transition to the next part of your message, in which you build up the explanation and information that will culminate in your negative news. An ideal explanation section leads readers to your conclusion before you come right out and say it.
The reader has followed your line of reasoning and is ready for the answer. By giving your reasons effectively, you help maintain focus on the issues at hand and... emotions that always accompany significantly bad news. An effective way to do this is to start with positive or neutral points and move through progressively negative points.
Provide enough detail for the audience to understand your reasons, but be concise. After you've thoughtfully and logically established your reasons and readers are prepared to receive the bad news, you can use three techniques to convey the negative information as clearly and as kindly as possible. First, make sure you don't overemphasize the bad news. Second, if appropriate, use a conditional statement to imply that the audience could have received or might someday receive a favorable answer under different circumstances.
Third, emphasize what you can do or have done rather than what you cannot do. Make sure your audience understands the entire message, including the bad news. As in the direct approach, the closed and the indirect approach offers an opportunity to emphasize your respect for your audience, even though you've just delivered unpleasant news. Express best wishes without ending on a falsely upbeat note.
If you can't... Then find a positive angle that's meaningful to your audience, by all means consider adding it to your conclusion. However, don't try to pretend that the negative news didn't happen or that it won't affect the reader.
Suggest alternative solutions if such information is available and doing so is a good use of your time. If you've asked readers to decide between alternatives or to take some action, make sure that they know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Whatever type of conclusion you use, follow these guidelines.
Avoid an uncertain conclusion, manage future correspondence, express optimism if appropriate, and finally, be sincere. Professionals and companies receive a wide variety of requests and cannot respond positively to every single one. In addition, mistakes and unforeseen circumstances can lead to delays and other minor problems that occur in the course of business. Occasionally, companies must send negative messages to suppliers and other parties.
Whatever the purpose, crafting routine negative responses and messages quickly and graciously is an important skill for every business person. Many negative messages are written in response to requests from an internal or external correspondent, but on occasion, managers need to make unexpected announcements of a negative nature. Although such announcements happen in the normal course of business, they are generally unexpected. Accordingly, except in the case of minor changes, the indirect approach is usually the better choice.
Follow the steps outlined for indirect messages. Open with a buffer that establishes some mutual ground between you and the reader. Advance your reasoning. Announce the change. and close with as much positive information and sentiment as appropriate under the circumstances.
Managers receive a variety of suggestions and proposals, both solicited and unsolicited, from internal and external sources. For an unsolicited proposal from an external source, you may not even need to respond if you don't already have a working relationship with the sender. However, if you need to reject a proposal you solicited, you owe the sender an explanation, and because the news will be unexpected, the indirect approach is better. In general, the closer your working relationship, the more thoughtful and complete you need to be in your response. When you are unable to meet a routine request, your primary communication challenge is to give a clear, negative response without generating negative feelings or damaging either your personal reputation or the company's.
As simple as that. Simple as these messages may appear to be, they can test your skills as a communicator because you often need to deliver negative information while maintaining a positive relationship with the other party. The direct approach works best for most routine negative responses because because it is simpler and more efficient.
The indirect approach works best when the stakes are high for you or for the receiver, when you or your company has an established relationship with the person making the request, or when you are forced to decline a request that you might have accepted in the past. Bad news about transactions is always unwelcome and usually unexpected. When you send such messages, you have three goals.
Modify the customer's expectations, explain how you plan to resolve the situation, and repair whatever damage might have been done to the business relationship. The content and tone of each message can vary widely, depending on the nature of the transaction and your relationship with the customer. customers who make a claim or request an adjustment tend to be emotionally involved so the indirect approach is usually the better choice when you are denying such a request your delicate task as a writer is to avoid accepting responsibility for the unfortunate situation and yet avoid blaming or accusing the customer. To steer clear of these pitfalls, pay special attention to the tone of your letter.
Demonstrate that you understand and have considered the complaint carefully, and then rationally explain why you are refusing to explain. using the request. Close on a respectful and action-oriented note. And be sure to respond quickly. With so many instantaneous media choices at their disposal, some angry consumers will take their complaints public if they don't hear back from you within a few days or even a few hours.
As a manager, you will find yourself in a variety of situations in which you have to convey bad news to individual employees or potential employees. Recipients have an emotional stake in these messages, so taking the indirect approach is usually advised. In addition, use great care in choosing your medium for each situation. For instance, email and other written forms let you control the message and avoid personal confrontation. But one-on-one conversations are often viewed as more sensitive and give both sides the opportunity to ask and answer questions.
Managers may get requests for recommendation letters from other employers and from past employees. When sending refusals to other employers who have requested information about a former employee of yours, your message can be brief and direct. Making recommendations in a social networking environment is more complicated than with a traditional recommendation letter, because the endorsements you give become part of your online profile. On a network such as LinkedIn, others can see whom you've recommended and what you've written about these people.
Much more so than with traditional letters, then the recommendations you make in a social network become part of your personal brand. Moreover, networks make it easy to find people and request recommendations, so chances are you will get more requests than you would if you were a social network. you would have otherwise, and sometimes from people you don't know well. Fortunately, social networks give you a bit more flexibility when it comes to responding to these requests. One option is to simply ignore or delete the request.
Of course, if you do know a person, ignoring a request could create an uncomfortable situation, so you will need to decide each case based on your relationship with the requester. Another option is to refrain from making recommendations at all, and just letting people know this policy when they ask. Whatever you decide, remember that it is your choice.
Application rejection messages are routine communications, but saying no is never easy, and recipients are emotionally invested in the decision. Moreover, companies must be aware of the possibility of employment discrimination lawsuits. have been on the rise in recent years. Of course, having fair and non-discriminatory hiring practices is essential, but rejections must also be written in a way that doesn't inadvertently suggest any hint of discrimination. Expert opinions differ on the level of information to include in a rejection message.
But the safest strategy is to avoid sharing any explanations for the company's decision and to avoid making or implying any promise of future consideration. Performance reviews are designed to clarify job requirements, give employees feedback on their performance relative to those requirements, and establishing a personal plan of action to ensure continued performance in the future. Performance reviews also help companies set organizational standards and communicate organizational values. In addition, they document evidence of performance improvement.
performance in the event that disciplinary action is needed or an employee later disputes management decisions regarding pay or promotions. If you need to write a review that includes negative information, keep the following points in mind. Document performance problems in detail as they happen.
Evaluate all employees consistently. Maintain a calm, objective tone. Keep job descriptions up to date.
Focus on opportunities for improvement. If an employee's performance cannot be brought up to company standards, or if other factors such as declining sales causes a reduction in the workforce, a company often has no choice but to terminate employment. As with other negative employment messages, termination is fraught with emotions and legal ramifications, so careful planning, complete documentation, and sensitive writing are essential. Termination messages should always be written with input from the company's legal staff, but here are general writing guidelines to bear in mind.
Clearly present the reasons for this difficult action, whether it is the employee's performance or a business decision. unrelated to performance, make sure the reasons are presented in a way that cannot be construed as unfair or discriminatory, follow company policy, contractual requirements, and applicable laws to the letter. Avoid personal attacks or insults of any kind.
Ask another manager to review the letter before issuing it. An objective reviewer who isn't directly involved might spot troublesome wording or faulty reasoning. Deliver the termination letter in person if at all possible. Arrange a meeting that will ensure privacy and freedom from interruptions.
As a manager or business owner, you may at times need to issue negative announcements regarding some aspect of your products, services, or operations. Unlike routine negative announcements, these messages involve significant changes that negatively affect your business. affect one or more groups.
Announcements of workforce reductions and crisis communication regarding environmental incidents, workplace accidents, or other traumatic situations. When making negative announcements, follow these guidelines. Match your approach to the situation. Consider the unique needs of each group.
Minimize the element of surprise whenever possible. If possible, give yourself enough time to plan and manage a response. Look for positive angles, but don't exude false optimism.
Seek expert advice. Use multiple media to reach out to affected audiences. Be open and be transparent.
For all the benefits they bring to business, social media and other communication technologies have created a major new challenge. Responding to online rumors, false information, and attacks on a company's reputation. Responding to Encountering negative information requires an ongoing effort and case-by-case decisions about which messages require a response. Follow these four steps. Engage early, engage often.
Monitor the conversation. Evaluate negative messages. And respond appropriately.