Key Takeaway
- Follow best practices when sharing information, requesting information or action, and replying to such messages.
- When something goes wrong in a commercial situation, courteous communication is essential when both asking for and responding to complaints and claims.
- Write carefully when addressing negative situations, such as delivering bad news, usually by burying the bad news after a buffer and rationale, and following it with redirection to minimize the harm that the message might cause.
- Despite being treated by some as optional, goodwill messages are essential to healthy professional relationships and professional advancement as long as you follow the writing conventions associated with them.
Key Terms:
- Thank-you message: Replies to information shares that require a quick and concise response.
- Claim: explains what went wrong and demands compensation from the offending party.
- Complaint: explains what went wrong and merely demands correction or apology.
- Adjustment: communication that a company grants what the complainant or claimant has asked for.
- Buffer: A formal or business form of writing in letters to soften negative news with more positive comments.
- Justification: explains the background or context for the bad news before delivering the bad news itself.
- Sales message – the central persuasive message that intrigues, informs, persuades, calls to action, and closes the sale.
Study Questions:
SQ1 – When should you follow good practices regarding information?
- Follow best practices when sharing information, requesting information or action, and replying to such messages.
SQ2 – What are the four characteristics to remember when responding to an angry business message?
- Be sincere, responsible, specific, and improvement-focused.
SQ3 – What is a sales message?
- A sales message is the central persuasive message that intrigues, informs, persuades, calls to action, and closes the sale. Not every sales message will make a direct sale, but the goal remains. Whether your sales message is embedded in a letter, represented in a proposal, or broadcast across radio or television, the purpose stays the same.
SQ4 – What are the seven goals of a bad-news message?
- Be clear and concise.
- Help the receiver understand and accept the news.
- Reduce the anxiety by expressing sympathy or empathy.
- Maintain trust and respect between you and your audience.
- Deliver the bad news in a timely fashion in the appropriate channel(s).
- Avoid the legal liability that comes with admitting negligence or guilt.
- Achieve the designated business outcome.
SQ5 – What are the 5 S’s of Goodwill Messages?
- Specific
- Sincere
- Selfless
- Short
- Spontaneous
