Negative Messages
Writing Negative Messages
LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this chapter, you will be able to
1 2 3 4
Apply the three-step writing process to negative messages Explain the differences between the direct and the indirect approaches to negative messages, including when it’s appropriate to use each one Identify the risks of using the indirect approach, and explain how to avoid such problems Adapt negative messages for internal and external audiences
5 6 7
Explain the importance of maintaining high standards of ethics and etiquette when delivering negative messages Explain the role of communication in crisis management List three guidelines for delivering negative news to job applicants and give a brief explanation of each one
COMMUNICATION CLOSE-UP AT KPMG www.us.kpmg.com When businesses make mistakes, should they apologize? Traditional thinking says they can’t afford to, because doing so is an admission of guilt that can be used against them in lawsuits. However, an emerging school of thought says that apologizing isn’t as risky as previously believed and that courts tend to show leniency toward companies that express remorse after making mistakes. The large accounting firm KPMG recently faced this situation when the U.S. Internal Revenue Service ruled that certain tax shelters (investments created primarily to reduce tax burdens) the company had been recommending for some of its wealthy clients were illegal. Soon after, KPMG faced both a criminal investigation and multiple lawsuits from individual clients who accused the company of encouraging them to break the law. Just a few years earlier, KPMG competitor Arthur Andersen had been convicted in criminal matters of a different type and had collapsed as a result, putting 85,000 people out of work. KPMG faced a classic dilemma. If it apologized in an effort to avoid criminal prosecution, that would be seen as an admission of guilt that could be used against it in all those civil suits.
ISBN:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this chapter, you will be able to
1 2 3 4
Apply the three-step writing process to negative messages Explain the differences between the direct and the indirect approaches to negative messages, including when it’s appropriate to use each one Identify the risks of using the indirect approach, and explain how to avoid such problems Adapt negative messages for internal and external audiences
5 6 7
Explain the importance of maintaining high standards of ethics and etiquette when delivering negative messages Explain the role of communication in crisis management List three guidelines for delivering negative news to job applicants and give a brief explanation of each one
COMMUNICATION CLOSE-UP AT KPMG www.us.kpmg.com When businesses make mistakes, should they apologize? Traditional thinking says they can’t afford to, because doing so is an admission of guilt that can be used against them in lawsuits. However, an emerging school of thought says that apologizing isn’t as risky as previously believed and that courts tend to show leniency toward companies that express remorse after making mistakes. The large accounting firm KPMG recently faced this situation when the U.S. Internal Revenue Service ruled that certain tax shelters (investments created primarily to reduce tax burdens) the company had been recommending for some of its wealthy clients were illegal. Soon after, KPMG faced both a criminal investigation and multiple lawsuits from individual clients who accused the company of encouraging them to break the law. Just a few years earlier, KPMG competitor Arthur Andersen had been convicted in criminal matters of a different type and had collapsed as a result, putting 85,000 people out of work. KPMG faced a classic dilemma. If it apologized in an effort to avoid criminal prosecution, that would be seen as an admission of guilt that could be used against it in all those civil suits.
ISBN: