Effective Strategies for Delivering Negative Messages in Business Communication

SESSION 13 Writing Negative Messages

Objectives: 1 Apply the three-step writing process to negative messages. 2 Explain how to use the direct approach effectively when conveying negative news. 3 Explain how to use the indirect approach effectively when conveying negative news and explain how to avoid ethical problems when using this approach. 4 Describe successful strategies for sending negative messages on routine business matters. 5 Describe successful strategies for sending negative employment-related messages. 6 List the important points to consider when conveying negative organizational news. 7 Describe an effective strategy for responding to negative information in a social media environment.

Using the Three Using the Three- -Step Writing Process Step Writing Process for Negative Messages for Negative Messages When you need to deliver bad news, you have five goals: (1) to convey the bad news, (2) to gain acceptance for it, (3) to maintain as much goodwill as possible with your audience, (4) to maintain a good image for your organization, and (5) 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

Step 1: Planning Negative Messages Step 1: Planning Negative Messages When you need to convey negative news, you can t 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.

Step 2: Writing Negative Messages Step 2: Writing Negative Messages 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 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

Step 3: Completing Negative Messages Step 3: Completing Negative Messages 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 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

Using the direct approach for negative news. A negative message using the direct approach opens with the bad news, proceeds to the reasons for the situation or decision, and ends with a positive statement aimed at maintaining a good relationship with the audience. Stating the bad news at the beginning can have two advantages: (1) It makes a shorter message possible, and (2) it allows the audience to reach the main idea of the message in less time. Opening with a Clear Statement of the Bad News 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.

Providing Reasons and Additional Information 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 an important customer, a detailed explanation could well be 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.

Closing on a Respectful Note 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 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.

Using the indirect approach for negative news Using the indirect approach for negative news 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.

Opening with a Buffer Messages using the indirect approach open with a buffer, a neutral, noncontroversial 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 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 Providing Reasons and Additional Information An effective buffer serves as a transition to the next part of your message, in which you build up the explanations and information that will culminate in your negative 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.

Continuing with a Clear Statement of the Bad News Continuing with a Clear Statement of the Bad News 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 (if or when) 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.

Closing on a Respectful Note Closing on a Respectful Note As in the direct approach, the close in 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. 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. Be sincere.

Making Negative Announcements on Routine Business Matters 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.

Rejecting Suggestions and Proposals 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.

Refusing Routine Requests 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 these messages may appear to be, they can test your skills as a communicator because you often need to deliver negative infor- mation while maintaining a positive relationship with the other party. The direct approach works best for most routine negative responses 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 re forced to decline a request that you might have accepted in the past

Handling Bad News About Transactions Bad news about transactions is always unwelcome and usually unexpected. When you send such messages, you have three goals: (1) modify the customer s expectations (2) explain how you plan to resolve the situation, (3) repair whatever damage might have been done to the business relationship. The specific content and tone of each message can vary widely, depending on the nature of the transaction and your relationship with the customer.

Refusing Claims and Requests for Adjustment 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 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.

The successful strategies for sending negative employment The successful strategies for sending negative employment- - related messages. related messages. 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. Refusing Requests for Recommendation Letters 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:

Refusing Social Networking Recommendation Requests 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. 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.

Rejecting Job Applications 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, which have been on the rise in re- cent years. Of course, having fair and nondiscriminatory 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 promises of future consideration

Giving Negative Performance Reviews Performance reviews are designed to clarify job requirements, give employees feedback on their performance relative to those requirements, and establish a personal plan of action to ensure continued performance in the future. 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.

Terminating Employment If an employee s performance cannot be brought up to company standards or if other factors such as declining sales cause 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.

The important points to consider when conveying negative organizational The important points to consider when conveying negative organizational news. news. 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 one or more groups announcements of workforce reductions, and crisis communication regarding environmental incidents, work- place accidents, or other traumatic situation.

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.

Responding to Negative Information in a Social Media Environment 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 rumors and countering negative information requires an ongoing effort and case-by-case decisions about which messages require a response. Follow these four steps: 1. Engage early, engage often. 2. Monitor the conversation. 3. Evaluate negative messages. 4. Respond appropriately.

Exercise : 1. Explain how to use the indirect approach effectively when conveying negative news, and explain how to avoid ethical problems when using this approach. 2. Describe successful strategies for sending negative messages on routine business matters.