Organizing Negative Messages
Organizing Negative Messages
■ Giving Bad News to Clients and Customers
■ Giving Bad News to Superiors
■ Giving Bad News to Peers and Subordinates
CLIENTS AND COSTUMERS
The best way to organize a negative message depends on your audience and on the riskiness of the negative information. SYPERIORS
Your superior expects you to solve minor problems by yourself. But sometimes, solving a problem requires more authority or resources than you have. When you give bad news to a superior, also recommend a way to deal with the problem. Turn the negative message into a persuasive one
PEERS AND SUBORDINATE
When passing a negative message to the peers and subordinate you should :
-Describe the problem
-present an alternative if one is available
-if possible ask for input of action
The Parts of a Negative Message
■ Subject Lines
■ Buffers
■ Reasons
■ Refusals
■ Alternatives
■ Endings
Subject Lines
Buffers
Traditionally, textbooks recommended that negative messages open with buffers.
To be effective, a buffer must put the reader in a good frame of mind, not give the bad news but not imply a positive answer either, and provide a natural transition to the body of the letter
Reasons
the negative.8 A clear and convincing reason prepares the audience for the negative, resulting in people who more easily accept it.
Refusals
Sometimes you may be able to imply the refusal rather than stating it directly.
Direct refusal:
You cannot get insurance for just one month.
Implied refusal:
The shortest term for an insurance policy is six months.
Alternatives
It offers the audience another way to get what they want.
It suggests that you really care about your audience and about helping to meet their needs.
It enables your audience to reestablish the psychological freedom you limited when you said no.
It allows you to end on a positive note and to present yourself and your organization as positive, friendly, and helpful.
Endings
The best endings look positively to the future
APOLOGIES
■ Giving Bad News to Clients and Customers
■ Giving Bad News to Superiors
■ Giving Bad News to Peers and Subordinates
CLIENTS AND COSTUMERS
The best way to organize a negative message depends on your audience and on the riskiness of the negative information. SYPERIORS
Your superior expects you to solve minor problems by yourself. But sometimes, solving a problem requires more authority or resources than you have. When you give bad news to a superior, also recommend a way to deal with the problem. Turn the negative message into a persuasive one
PEERS AND SUBORDINATE
When passing a negative message to the peers and subordinate you should :
-Describe the problem
-present an alternative if one is available
-if possible ask for input of action
The Parts of a Negative Message
■ Subject Lines
■ Buffers
■ Reasons
■ Refusals
■ Alternatives
■ Endings
Subject Lines
Buffers
Traditionally, textbooks recommended that negative messages open with buffers.
To be effective, a buffer must put the reader in a good frame of mind, not give the bad news but not imply a positive answer either, and provide a natural transition to the body of the letter
Reasons
the negative.8 A clear and convincing reason prepares the audience for the negative, resulting in people who more easily accept it.
Refusals
Sometimes you may be able to imply the refusal rather than stating it directly.
Direct refusal:
You cannot get insurance for just one month.
Implied refusal:
The shortest term for an insurance policy is six months.
Alternatives
It offers the audience another way to get what they want.
It suggests that you really care about your audience and about helping to meet their needs.
It enables your audience to reestablish the psychological freedom you limited when you said no.
It allows you to end on a positive note and to present yourself and your organization as positive, friendly, and helpful.
Endings
The best endings look positively to the future
APOLOGIES