Whether you write an informative, positive, or negative message depends on the situation. For example, if a shipment just arrived in the warehouse, you would send an informative message to another department in your company to inform workers. If your boss just told you everyone on your team is getting a raise because last quarter’s sales increased, you would send a positive message. And if your company cannot finish a project in time, and you know it will adversely affect another party, you would send a negative message. Many times, you must also blend informative, positive, and negative information in the same message.
How to Organize the Information in a Message
Whether you deliver an informative, a positive, a negative, or a combination message, you need to organize the content in a way that makes sense to the reader. Recall that organization is the stage in the writing process that occurs during drafting but before editing.
Introduction
The introduction sets the stage for what will follow. The key function of the introduction is to announce the purpose of the message and summarize what will follow in the body. The introduction of an informative message may be background information or follow-up. The introduction of a positive message is the good news because that should be stated immediately. The introduction of a negative message is some type of information to state before you mention the bad news.
Body
In the body of your message, provide all information necessary to accomplish the purpose of your message. Present the background of the subject, clarify any necessary information, and provide the details of the message. Answer all potential questions readers might have to eliminate the need for further correspondence.
In an informative message, you can expect the reader’s reaction to be neutral. As in any other business document, make the benefits for the reader the primary focus. This is known as