1. Writing Routine and Positive Messages
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, you will be able to do the following:
Apply the three-step writing process to routine and positive messages
Outline an effective strategy for writing routine requests
Explain how to ask for specific action in a courteous manner
Describe a strategy for writing routine replies and positive messages
Discuss the importance of knowing who is responsible when granting claims and requests for adjustment
Describe the importance of goodwill messages and explain how to make them effective
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2. The Three-Step Process
Analyze Situation
Gather Information
Select Medium
Get Organized
Revise
Produce
Proofread
Distribute
Adapt to
the Audience
Compose
the Message
Planning
Completing
Writing
Most business communication is about routine matters. Such messages are rarely long or complex, but the three-step process still gives you a great way to produce effective messages efficiently:
Planning business messages. To plan any message, first analyze the situation by defining your purpose and developing a profile of your audience. With that in mind, you can gather information that will meet your audience’s needs. Next, select the right medium (oral, written, or electronic) to deliver your message. With those three factors in place, you are ready to organize the information by defining your main idea, limiting your scope, selecting an approach, and outlining your content.
Writing business messages. Once you have planned your message, adapt to your audience by being sensitive to their needs, maintaining the “you” attitude with polite, positive, bias-free language. Then you are ready to compose your message. In most cases, your audience will be interested, or at least neutral, so you can adopt the direct approach for routine messages, stating the main idea, providing necessary details, and closing cordially.
Completing business messages. After writing your first draft, revise your message to make sure it is clear, concise, and correct. Next, produce your message, giving it an attractive, professional appearance. Proofread the final product for typos, spelling errors, and other mechanical problems. Finally, distribute your message using the best combination of personal and technological tools.
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3. Routine Requests State the Request Support the Request
Business
Willing
Audience
Direct Approach
State the Request
Support the Request
Close the Message
Whenever you ask for something, you are making a request. A request is routine if it is part of the normal course of business and you anticipate that your audience will want to comply.
Like all routine messages, routine requests may be thought of as having three parts: an opening, a body, and a close. Using the direct approach, you place your main idea (a clear statement of the request) in the opening. Use the middle to give details and justify your request. Then, close by requesting specific action and concluding cordially.
The three parts of a routine request are presented on the next three slides.
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4. State the Request Use the Right Tone Assume Compliance Be Specific
Begin routine requests by placing your request first—up front is where it stands out and gets the most attention. Of course, getting right to the point should not be interpreted as a license to be abrupt or tactless:
Pay attention to tone. Even though you expect a favorable response, the tone of your initial request is important. Instead of demanding action, soften your request with words such as please and I would appreciate.
Assume your audience will comply. An impatient demand for rapid service is not necessary. Make the assumption that your audience will comply with your request once the reason for it is clearly understood.
Be specific. State precisely what you want.
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5. Support the Request Explain the Request Propose Benefits Ask Questions
Use the body of your message to explain your initial request. Make the explanation a smooth and logical outgrowth of your opening remarks. If possible, point out how complying with the request could benefit the reader.
Whether you are writing a formal letter or a simple instant message, you can use the body of your request to list a series of questions. This list of questions helps organize your message and helps your audience identify the information you need. Just keep in mind a few basics:
Ask the most important questions first.
Ask only relevant questions.
Deal with one topic per question.
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6. Close the Message Specific Request
Contact Information
Appreciation and
Goodwill
Specific Request
Close your message with three important elements: (1) a specific request, (2) information about how you can be reached, and (3) an expression of appreciation or goodwill. Use the closing to request a specific action and to ask that readers respond by a specific and appropriate time. Help your reader respond easily by including your phone number, office hours, and other contact information.
Conclude your message by expressing your goodwill and appreciation, but do not thank the reader “in advance” for cooperating. If the reader’s reply warrants a word of thanks, send it after you have received the reply.
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7. Information and Action
Common Requests
Information and Action
Recommendations
Claims or Adjustments
Most of the routine messages that you will be writing will likely fall into a few main categories: asking for information and action, asking for recommendations, and making claims and requesting adjustments.
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8. Information and Action
Adapt to
Situation
Audience
Straightforward Style
State the Request
Support the Request
Offer Reader Benefits
When you need to know about something, to elicit an opinion from someone, or to request a simple action, you usually need only ask. In essence, simple requests say:
What you want to know or what you want readers to do
Why you are making the request
Why it may be in your readers’ interest to help you
If your reader is able to do what you want, such a straightforward request gets the job done fast. In more complex situations, you may need to provide more extensive reasons and justification for the request. Therefore, be sure to adapt your request to your audience and situation.
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9. Recommendations The Direct Approach Make the Request Establish Rapport
Express
Appreciation
The Direct Approach
Because requests for recommendations and references are routine, assume your reader will honor your request and organize your inquiry using the direct approach.
Opening. Clearly state that you are applying for a position and that you would like your reader to write a letter of recommendation. If you have not had contact with the person for some time, use the opening to recall the nature of the relationship you had, the dates of your association, and any special events that might bring to mind a clear, favorable picture of you.
Body. Include any information about yourself that the reader might use to support a recommendation. Consider including an updated résumé if you have had significant career advancement since your last contact.
Close. Express your appreciation and include the full name and address of the person to whom the recommendation letter should be sent. When asking for an immediate recommendation, you should also mention the deadline. To increase the chances of a positive response, include a stamped, preaddressed envelope.
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10. Claims and Adjustments
Expect a Fair Adjustment
Document Correspondence
Remain Positive
Be Professional
Problem Statement
Explanation and Verification
Specific Actions or Solutions
If you are dissatisfied with a company’s product or service, you can opt to make a claim (a formal complaint) or request an adjustment (a claim settlement). In either case, it is important to maintain a professional tone in all your communication, no matter how angry or frustrated you might be. Keeping your cool will help you to resolve the situation sooner. In addition, be sure to document your initial complaint and every correspondence after that.
In most cases, and especially in your first letter, assume that a fair adjustment will be made, and follow the plan for direct requests. Open with a straightforward statement of the problem. In the body, give a complete, specific explanation of the details. Provide verification to support your complaint, such as sales receipts, cancelled checks, and other relevant documents. In your close, politely request specific action or convey a sincere desire to find a solution.
If the remedy is obvious, tell your reader exactly what you expect from the company. In some cases you might ask the reader to resolve a problem. However, if you are uncertain about the precise nature of the trouble, you could ask the company to make an assessment and then advise you on how the situation could be fixed. Supply your contact information so that the company can discuss the situation with you if necessary.
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11. Routine Replies and Positive Messages
Overall Goals
Offer
Information
Answer
Questions
Provide
Details
Make an
Impression
Announcements
Goodwill
Responses
When responding positively to a request, giving good news, or sending a goodwill message, you have several goals: (1) to communicate the information or good news, (2) to answer all questions, (3) to provide all required details, and (4) to leave your reader with a good impression of you and your firm. Routine positive messages can be quite brief and to the point, so you may use the direct approach. Just remember to be courteous, stay upbeat, and maintain a “you-oriented” tone.
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12. Routine-Message Strategy
The Message
Receptive Audience
Main Idea
Relevant
Details
Cordial
Close
Like requests, routine replies and positive messages will generally be of interest to your readers, so use the direct approach. Open with your main idea (the positive reply or the good news). Use the body to explain all the relevant details. Then, close cordially, perhaps highlighting a benefit to your reader.
By opening your routine and positive messages with the main idea or good news, you are preparing your audience for the details that follow.
Use the body of your message to explain your point completely so that your audience will experience no confusion or lingering doubt. In addition to providing details in the body, maintain the positive, supportive tone established in the opening.
Your message is most likely to succeed if your readers are left feeling that you have their best interests in mind. You can accomplish this task either by highlighting a benefit to the audience or by expressing appreciation or goodwill. If follow-up action is required, clearly state who will follow up and when it will be done.
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13. Common Routine Replies and Positive Messages
Information and Action
Claims and Adjustments
Recommendations
Informative Messages
Good-News
Announcements
Goodwill Messages
As with routine requests, you will encounter the need for a wide variety of routine replies and positive messages. Most routine replies and positive messages fall into six main categories: answers to requests for information and action, grants of claims and requests for adjustment, recommendations, informative messages, good-news announcements, and goodwill messages.
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14. Information and Action
Promptness
Graciousness
Thoroughness
If your answer to a request is “yes” or some other straightforward information, use the direct plan. Open with the main idea (or good news), use the body for explanation and detail, and close courteously. Your prompt, gracious, and thorough response will positively influence how people think about your company, its products, your department, and you.
When you’re answering requests and a potential sale is involved, you have three main goals: (1) to respond to the inquiry and answer all questions, (2) to leave your reader with a good impression of you and your firm, and (3) to encourage the future sale.
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15. Claims and Adjustments
Who Is At Fault?
The Company?
The Customer?
A Third Party?
Even the best-run companies make mistakes. In other cases, a customer or a third party might be responsible for a mistake. Each of these events represents a turning point in your relationship with your customer. If you handle the situation well, your customer is likely to be even more loyal than before because you have proven that you are serious about customer satisfaction. However, if a customer believes that you mishandled a complaint, you will make the situation even worse.
Your response to complaints will depend on your company’s policies for resolving such issues and your assessment of whether the company, the customer, or some third party is at fault.
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16. Company Is At Fault Acknowledge the claim or complaint
Take responsibility for the outcome
Sympathize with the customer
Explain your plan of action
Work to repair the relationship
Follow up on your response
When your company is at fault, most routine responses should consider your company’s specific policies and address the following points:
Acknowledge receipt of the customer’s claim or complaint.
Take (or assign) personal responsibility for setting matters straight.
Sympathize with the customer’s inconvenience or frustration.
Explain precisely how you have resolved, or plan to resolve, the situation.
Take steps to repair the relationship.
Follow up to verify that your response was correct.
In addition to these positive steps, maintain a professional demeanor. Do not blame anyone in your organization by name, do not make exaggerated apologies that sound insincere, do not imply that the customer is at fault, and do not promise more than you can deliver.
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17. Customer Is At Fault Refuse the Claim Grant the Claim
Cost of Adjustment
Cost of Lost Business
Discourage Mistakes
Maintain the Customer
Communication about a claim is a delicate matter when the customer is clearly at fault. You can refuse the claim and attempt to justify your refusal or simply do what the customer asks.
If you refuse the claim, you may lose your customer—as well as many of the customer’s friends and colleagues, who will hear only one side of the dispute. You must weigh the cost of making the adjustment against the cost of losing future business from one or more customers.
If you choose to grant the claim, simply open with that good news. However, the body needs special attention because you need to discourage repeated mistakes without insulting the customer. Close in a courteous manner that expresses your appreciation for the customer’s business.
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18. Third Party Is At Fault Evaluate Situation Offer Solutions
Avoid Blame Game
Sometimes neither your company nor your customer is at fault. No general advice applies to every case involving a third party, so evaluate the situation carefully and know your company’s policies before responding. Regardless of who eventually resolves the problem, if customers contact you, you need to respond with messages that explain how the problem will be solved. Pointing fingers is both unproductive and unprofessional; resolving the situation is the only issue customers care about.
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19. Nature of Relationship
Recommendations
Candidate’s Name
Position or Objective
Nature of Relationship
Why You Are Writing
Relevant Evidence
Overall Evaluation
When writing a letter of recommendation, your goal is to convince readers that the person being recommended has the characteristics necessary for the job, project assignment, or other objective the person is seeking. A successful recommendation letter contains a number of relevant details:
The candidate’s full name
The position or other objective the candidate is seeking
The nature of your relationship with the candidate
An indication of whether you are answering a request from the person or taking the initiative to write
Facts and evidence relevant to the candidate and the opportunity
Your overall evaluation of the candidate’s suitability for the opportunity
To enhance your credibility—and the candidate’s—illustrate your general points with specific examples that highlight the candidate’s abilities and fitness for the job opening.
If the candidate has shortcomings that are relevant to the opportunity, you will need to decide how to handle the situation. You do not have to present the shortcomings as simple criticisms, however. A good option is to list them as areas for improvement, particularly if the person is already committed to making improvements.
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20. Informative Messages Notices Policies
All companies send routine informative messages, such as reminder notices and policy updates. Use the opening to state the purpose and briefly mention the nature of the information you are providing. Unlike the replies discussed earlier, informative messages are not solicited by your reader, so make it clear up front why the reader is receiving the message. In the body, provide the necessary details and end your message with a courteous close.
Most informative communications are neutral and straightforward, but some may require additional care. For instance, policy statements or procedural changes may be good news for a company (perhaps by saving money). However, if the reader may not initially view the information in a positive way, use the body of the message to highlight the potential benefits from the reader’s perspective.
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21. Good-News Announcements
Employment
Offers
News
Releases
Careful
Planning
Legal
Issues
Relevant
Information
Public
Relations
Direct Approach
To develop and maintain good relationships, companies recognize that it is good business to spread the word about positive developments. These can include opening new facilities, appointing a new executive, introducing new products or services, or sponsoring community events.
Writing to a successful job applicant is one of the most pleasant good-news messages you might have the opportunity to compose. Although messages like these are pleasant to write, they require careful planning and evaluation in order to avoid legal troubles. Because these messages can be interpreted as legally binding contracts, consult your company’s legal staff for specific advice and guidelines.
Good-news announcements are usually communicated via a letter or a news release, a specialized document used to share relevant information with the local or national news media. In most companies, news releases are usually prepared (or at least supervised) by specially trained writers in the public relations department. The content follows the customary pattern for a positive message: good news, followed by details and a positive close.
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22. Effective News Releases
Pick Newsworthy Events
Focus On One Subject
Stress Important Ideas
Keep Statements Brief
Until recently, news releases were intended only for members of the news media and were crafted in a way to provide information to reporters who would then write their own articles if the subject matter was interesting to their readers. Thanks to the Internet, however, the nature of the news release is changing. Many companies now view it as general-purpose tool for communicating directly with customers and other audiences, creating direct-to-consumer news releases.
To write a successful news release, keep the following points in mind:
Make sure your information is newsworthy and relevant. Editors at most media outlets are overwhelmed with news releases, so those without real news content are discarded quickly.
Put your most important idea first. Do not force editors to hunt for the news.
Be brief. Break up long sentences and keep paragraphs short.
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23. Effective News Releases
Minimize Verbal Clutter
Focus On Specifics
Exercise Restraint
Follow Industry Practices
Eliminate clutter, such as redundancy and extraneous facts.
Be as specific as possible.
Minimize self-congratulatory adjectives and adverbs; if the content of your message is newsworthy, the media professionals will be interested in the news on its own merits.
Follow established industry conventions for style, punctuation, and format.
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24. Goodwill Messages Congratulations Appreciation Condolences Business
Achievements
Personal Highlights
Create
Good Feelings
Promote Further
Excellence
Express Caring
Convey Sympathy
You can enhance your relationships with customers, colleagues, and other businesspeople by sending friendly, unexpected notes with no direct business purpose. To come across as sincere, avoid exaggeration and back up any compliments with specific points.
One prime opportunity for sending goodwill messages is to congratulate someone for a significant business achievement—perhaps for being promoted or for attaining an important civic position. Other reasons for sending congratulations include recognizing the personal highlights in someone’s life.
It is important to recognize the contributions of employees, colleagues, suppliers, and other associates. Your praise does more than just make the person feel good; it encourages further excellence. Moreover, a message of appreciation may become an important part of someone’s personnel file. Therefore, when you write a message of appreciation, try to specifically mention the person or people you want to praise.
In times of serious trouble and deep sadness, written condolences and expressions of sympathy leave their mark. Begin condolences with a brief statement of sympathy, such as “I was deeply sorry to hear of your loss.” In the middle, mention the good qualities or the positive contributions made by the deceased. State what the person meant to you. In closing, you can offer your condolences and your best wishes.
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25. Writing Routine and Positive Messages
This concludes the PowerPoint presentation on Chapter 8, “Writing Routine and Positive Messages.” During this presentation, we have accomplished the following learning objectives:
Applied the three-step writing process to routine and positive messages
Outlined an effective strategy for writing routine requests
Explained how to ask for specific action in a courteous manner
Described a strategy for writing routine replies and positive messages
Discussed the importance of knowing who is responsible when granting claims and requests for adjustment
Described the importance of goodwill messages and explained how to make them effective
For more information about these topics, refer to Chapter 8 in Business Communication Today.
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