Bad News

Good and Bad News

Receiving Good News

Put yourself in the place of the reader. As the reader, you've just won a $1,000 prize in a project competition. That's good news, and you will want to hear it. In the letter of notification, which of the following ideas would you prefer first if receiving this message?

• To be reminded that you entered a project competition in November

• To be thanked for your willingness to participate in the competition

• To be told how great it is to have such professional participants as you

• To be told you've won $ 1,000or:

• To read right away that you've won $ 1,000, followed by a brief description of how you won and how you’ll get your cash.

When you write good news messages, the reader wants to hear what you're saying, so get right to the point. Then follow with the detail and explanation. When you please your readers with the main message, use the direct-deductive approach. The following summarizes how to choose the approach of message 1.

Summary of Message Situation One:

1. What is the message?

«You've just won $1,000.»

2. How will the reader react?

The reader will be pleased.

3. Which approach will work best?

Direct-deductive

Sometimes in a message you have both good and bad news to deliver. In these situations you combine aspects of the direct and indirect approaches for structuring good news and bad news letter. For example, a customer has mail-ordered a new lawnmower, with a grass catcher that you sell separately. Your company has the lawnmower in stock and can ship it immediately. However, because of the large demand for the grass catcher, grass catchers are temporarily out of stock.

Thus you begin the message with the good news that you will be shipping the lawnmower immediately and how. Then you follow with a statement explaining that because the demand for grass catchers has been high, you are temporarily out of stock. You then tell the customer when this item would be available and shipped. Providing the explanation softens the news because you've told the reader why you can't do what he or she asks right now. You then close on a positive note, thanking the person for his or her business and that you hope the customer will enjoy the product.

Summary of Message Situation Two

1. What is the main message?

«We're sending the lawnmower nowand grass catcher later»

2. How will the reader react?

Glad to get mower and disappointed to wait on grass catcher

3. Which approach will work best?

Combination of direct and indirect approaches

You're a division manager for a large machine parts manufacturing organization. Your company has, over the years, developed an extensive set of policies and procedures governing pay increases and promotions. After six months at any one classification, an employee can ask you to consider him or her for a pay increase. After considering the request, the manager must respond in writing to the employee.

The company promoted Robert Wang to the position of office manager exactly six months ago. Now you have received a memo from him asking for a raise in pay. Your department's budget doesn't allow for any pay increases for the remainder of the current fiscal year, so you must refuse the request. But in refusing the request, you want to maintain the positive working relationship you've had with Robert over the past six months.

Which of the following approaches lets you communicate the bad news to Robert, while still maintaining a positive working relationship?

1. Begin by telling Robert that you are refusing his requested raise.

2. Follow with a description of why it's being refused.

3. Include a few complimentary comments about his work over the past six months.

4. End with an apology for not granting the raise.

or:

1. Begin with a complimentary statement thatneither says norimplies that the request must be refused.

2. Follow with a description of the current budget limitations.

3. Encourage Robert to request consideration of a raise when the limitations ease.

4. Close with a forward-looking statement that emphasizes the importance of working toward the long-term success of the company.

The fact that Robert is not going to receive a raise is the central idea you want to communicate in both approaches. However, the second approach for structuring this memo will work better to communicate the refusal and the reasons for it. Why?

When someone refuses a request, the person refused almost reflexively starts to think about reasons why the refusal should not have occurred. If the message writer refuses first and explains later, the explanation stands a lesser chance of being read and understood. However, if the writer explains before refusing, the reader is more likely to read the explanation because he or she has not yet read the verdict. As a writer you must carefully choose words to present your points. Then you have a better chance of convincing your reader that circumstances prevent you from giving the raise now. The same points apply when delivering a spoken message.

If you have provided a sound explanation with logical and objective facts, the reader or listener will likely know and accept the refusal before reading or hearing it.

Summary of Message Situation Three:

1. What is the message?

« You’re not receiving the raise».

2. How will the reader react?

The reader will be displeased.

3. Which approach will work best?

Indirect-inductive.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-26