BAD NEWS MESSAGES

RAFIA NAZIR

1511-112002

BBA-VI

Plan for Bad - News Messages

• Every bad-news massage has an underlying objective,

• To present the unpleasant facts in such a way that the reader will consider you fair and reasonable and preferably remain a friend of the organization you represent.

Indirect Plan

• Most often, you will use an Indirect organizational approach for bad-news messages.

• Buffer

• Explanation and analysis of circumstances

• Decisions implied or expressed with resale and / or helpful suggestion

• Friendly positive close

BUFFER

• Buffer should be natural in tone, avoid misleading the reader into thinking the news is good.

Ways to Begin a Bad-News Letter

• Agreement

• Appreciation

• Assurance

• Compliment

• Cooperation

• Good-News

• Neutral Courtesy

• Understanding

AGREEMENT

• Agree with your reader on something, if possible (perhaps business conditions, cost, or any other pertinent item).

APPRECIATION

• Thank the reader (for a check, information, application, request, inquiry, cooperation, or whatever applies).

ASSURANCE

• Assure the reader of your careful consideration and honest explanation of all available facts about the problem.

COMPLIMENT

• Try to compliment the reader on something good about his or her past record or request ( sincerity, careful listing facts, or others).

COOPERATION

• Show a sincere desire to be as helpful as possible.

GOOD NEWS

• If you can grant any part of a request, and you think your reader will be pleased, begin with that good news.

NEUTRAL COURTESY

• Keep your opening paragraph noncommittal. For instance, if you must announce a price increase or service decrease, use a neutral word such as “change”.

UNDERSTANDING

• Show that you understand or sympathize with the reader’s problem.

Explanation & Analysis

• Try to convince the reader you are acting in his or her best interest in the long run or according to a policy that is enforced equally for all.

• Explain courteously all relevant facts behind your decision.

• Show that the request has been carefully considered for reader’s benefit as well as your company’s.

Decision

• Implied: If the reasons are so clear that your reader will conclude you must refuse the request.

• Expressed: If an implied decision might be misunderstood, express your decision clearly at the end of explanation.

Decision CONT,..

• Constructive suggestion: If you can offer a constructive suggestion, or alternative course of action. By emphasizing what can be done, you may clearly imply what cannot be done without actually using negative language.

• Resell: If desirable resell the reader on your company’s services or policies.

Friendly Positive Close• Endings should be positive, with reader friendly requests,

assurance and reader benefits.

• Offer assurances that you appreciate reader as a customer (or as an interested inquirer and possible future customer).

• Invite Future, patronage, cooperation, or compliance with decision.

• Make clear whatever action is required, when to do it, and how to do it.

• Express continued interest, service & reader benefit or sincere wishes for reader’s success with alternatives.

Direct PlanA direct approach can be used when the messages is

routine, when the reader is known for preferring directness, or when the message is urgent.

• A Routine matter on which the reader is likely not to be seriously disappointed or emotionally involved.

•

• A Reader who is known to prefer reading Bad News in first paragraph.

• An Urgent message that should be called to the reader’s attention forcefully.

Negative Replies to Requests

• Honesty, tactfulness, and precautions are necessary when responding to a request for a recommendation for a person about whom you have unfavorable information.

Credit Refusals• A request refusal is written when a business must refuse a

request for contributions, use of facilities, preferential treatment, or special discounts.

• Begin with a pleasant or neutral statement that relates to the receiver.

• Give at least one reason for the refusal.

• Imply or state the refusal.

• Offer a helpful solution or suggestion.

• End positively without reference to the refusal.

Recommendations

• Consider the following three options for providing poor recommendation messages:

• Inform the person who made the request why you cannot provide a positive response.

• Provide only employment dates and omit references to poor performance or unsatisfactory evaluations.

• Prepare and transmit an unfavorable written recommendation using the bad news strategy.

Adjustment Refusals

• When you cannot make the requested adjustment, follow the bad news strategy to write an adjustment refusal.

• Begin with a pleasant, relevant statement.

• Give a factual basis for the refusal.

• Imply or state an impersonal refusal.

• Include a resale statement and/or an offer to help.

• End pleasantly

Credit Refusals

• A credit refusal for a loan, credit card, extended line of credit, or credit purchase should apply the bad news strategy.

• Give reasons for the refusal.

• Imply or state the refusal.

• Make a counterproposal.

• End with attention on the receiver’s benefits.

Order Refusals

• Write an order refusal message when you are unable to fulfill or ship an order in a timely manner.

• Begin with a buffer.

• Ask for needed information for incomplete orders; give a reason for delayed and unfilled orders.

• State or imply the delay plan or the refusal.

• Offer a resale or an alternative solution.

• End with a positive statement.

Unfavorable Unsolicited messages

You may sometimes have to send bad-news messages that are not in response to inquiries.

This section illustrates unfavorable announcements about prices and services, rules and procedures, plus miscellaneous bad news.

Announcing Bad News About Prices or Services

• When your firm finds it necessary to increase prices or cut services to customers, a buffer opening followed by reasons before starting the negative decision will help break the news gently,

Penalizing for Non Conformity to Rules or Procedures

• The direct plan should be used especially when the situation is urgent or when the writer wants the reader to be sure to read the main idea.

Conveying Other Bad News

• Yon may have to write other bad news or unsolicited or solicited messages.

• As a rule, you can handle most of them well by the bad-news plan.

• One exception to the usual rule for customer bad-news letters is when you must confess that you made a mistake that is not in the customer's favor.

• In such cases, it is often better to admit you're in the opening.

THANK YOU...