Oct 11: Negative Messages

Negative Messages

• Information conveyed is negative
• Audience’s reaction is negative
  - Message does not benefit them
  - Usually they experience disappointment or anger
• Varieties
  - Rejections, refusals
  - Policy changes not benefiting customer
  - Poor performance appraisals
  - Disciplinary notices
  - Insulting, intrusive requests
  - Product recalls

Purposes...

Primary

• To give audience negative news
• To have audience read, understand, and accept message
• To maintain as much goodwill as possible

Secondary

• To build good image of communicator
• To build good image of communicator’s organization
• To avoid future messages on same subject
• Want audience to feel
  - They have been taken serious
  - Your decision is fair and reasonable
  - If they were in your situation, they would make the same decision

Organizing Negative Messages: Clients and Customers

1. When you have a reason that the audience will understand and accept, give the reason before the refusal
2. Give the negative information, just once
3. Present an alternative or compromise
4. End with positive forward-looking statement

Organizing Negative Messages: Superiors

1. Describe problem clearly
2. Tell how it happened
3. Describe the options for fixing it
4. Recommend a solution and ask for action

Organizing Negative Messages: Peers and Subordinates

1. Describe problem objectively, clearly
2. Present an alternative or compromise
3. Ask for input or action, if you can
   - May suggest helpful solutions
   - Audience may accept outcomes better

Context Crucial In Messages

• Do you and audience have good bond?
• Does organization treat people well?
• Has audience been warned about possible negatives?
• Has audience accepted criteria for decision?
• Do follow-ups build goodwill?

Parts of Negative Messages

• Subject lines
• Buffers
• Reasons
• Refusals
• Alternatives
• Endings

Parts: Subject Lines

• Put the topic, not the specific negative
• Use negative subject lines when the audience—
  - May ignore message
  - Needs information to act
• Keep in mind not everyone reads all their messages
  - Be cautious of neutral subject lines

Parts: Buffers

• Buffer—neutral or positive statement that delays the negative
• Use a buffer when—
  - Audience values harmony
  - Buffer serves another purpose
  - You can write good buffer

Parts: Reasons

• Clear, convincing reasons precede refusal
  - Prepare audience for refusal
  - Help audience accept refusal
• Don’t hide behind company policy
  - Show how policy benefits audience
  - If no benefit, omit policy from message

Parts: Refusals

• Put refusal in ¶ with reason to deemphasize
• Imply—don’t state—refusal if you can
• Make it crystal clear
• Finalize message on subject
  - Don’t write 2nd message to say no

Parts: Alternatives and Endings

• Offers way to get what audience wants
• Shows you care about audience’s needs
• Returns audience’s psychological freedom
• Allows you to end on positive note
• Best endings look to future
• Avoid insincere endings:
  Please let us know if we can be of further help.

Tone in Negative Messages

• Tone—implied attitude of the author toward the audience and subject
• Show you took request seriously
• Use positive emphasis and you-attitude
• Think about visual appearance
• Consider timing of message
  

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Content attributed to Locker, Kitty O. and Donna Kienzler. Business and Administrative Communication, 9/e. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 2010.