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8.1
Chapter 8
Writing Bad-News Messages
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.2
Chapter 8 Objectives
 Apply the three-step writing process to
bad-news messages.
 Show how to achieve an acceptable
audience-centered tone.
 Differentiate between the direct and
indirect approaches, and discuss when
it’s appropriate to use each one.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.3
Chapter 8 Objectives
continued
 List three techniques for saying “no.”
 Define defamation.
 Discuss guidelines for delivering bad
news to job applicants.
 Discuss performance reviews.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.4
“I just wanted to get your reaction to that memo.”
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Step 1: Planning Your BadNews Message
 When your message is negative, analysis
8.5
is extremely important:
 You want to be sure that your purpose is
specific so that you can word it in the
best way.
 You want to be sure that your bad news
should be sent at all and that it should be
in writing.
 You want to know more than ever how
your audience will receive your negative
message.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Step 2: Writing Your Bad-News
Message
 When sending a bad-news message, you
8.6
want to be careful about
 Defining your main idea
 Covering relevant points thoroughly and
logically
 Choosing between the direct and indirect
approaches
 Choosing your words, creating your
sentences, and constructing your
paragraphs carefully
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Step 3: Completing Your BadNews Message
 Since bad-news messages require such
care, this last step is just as important as
the first two.
 Revision helps you make sure that
 Your messages are well organized
 You’ve said what you intended to say
 You’ve communicated your message
concisely and clearly
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.7
Step 3: Completing Your BadNews Message
8.8
 Good design helps you ensure that nothing
detracts your readers from
 Your message
 Your efforts to be sensitive
 Proofreading guarantees that your reader
will not misunderstand because of
mistakes such as
 Typos
 Spelling errors
 Misalignment
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Strategies for
Bad-News Messages
When delivering bad news, you have five
main goals:
 Convey the bad news
 Gain acceptance for it
 Maintain as much goodwill as possible
 Maintain a good image for the
organization
 Reduce or eliminate the need for future
correspondence on the matter
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.9
8.10
Audience Centered Tone
 An audience-centered tone helps readers
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Accept your bad news as a firm decision
Understand that your decision is fair and
reasonable
Remain well disposed toward your
business
Preserve their pride
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.11
Using the Direct Approach
 The key is to analyze your reader first.
Decide if the reader would like the bad
news right away or needs to be eased
into it.
 If you know your audience can handle
bad news first, use the direct approach.
The direct approach starts with a clear
statement of bad news then proceeds
to reasons.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.12
Using the Direct Approach
 You may use the direct approach for a negative
message in a variety of circumstances:
 When writing a routine memo that has little or
no personal impact
 When your manager expects all internal
correspondence to be brief and direct
 When routine negative messages to other
companies have little or no personal impact
 When the indirect approach would cause ill will
 When your audience prefers reading the bad
news first
 When you want to present an image of
firmness and strength
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.13
Using the Indirect Approach
 The indirect approach eases your audience into
your message by explaining your reasons before
delivering the bad news.
 When using the indirect approach, bad-news
messages
 Open with a buffer
 Continue with a logical and neutral explanation
of the reasons for the bad news
 Follow with a clear but diplomatic statement of
the bad news
 Close with a positive forward-looking
statement that is helpful and friendly
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.14
Buffers
 A buffer is a neutral, noncontroversial statement
that is closely related to the point of the
message.
 A good buffer
 Expresses your appreciation for being thought
of
 Assures the reader of your attention to the
request
 Compliments the reader
 Indicates your understanding of the reader’s
needs
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.15
How to Write a Buffer
Avoid saying no
Avoid using an arrogant tone
Avoid wordy and irrelevant language
Avoid apologizing
Avoid writing a long buffer
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Characteristics of Good
Refusal Messages
Provide sufficient detail to make reader
accept the message
Imply the reader is better off
Explain company policy as being logical
Offer no apology
Avoid personal assaults
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.16
8.17
Bad-News Messages
 Do not include reasons in your bad-news
message when
 They involve confidential information
 They involve excessively complicated
information
 They involve purely negative information
 They benefit only you or your firm
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.18
Ending Bad-News Message
 To keep your close upbeat, you might
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
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Propose an attainable solution to
your audience’s problem
Include off-subject resale material or
sales promotion in letters to current
or potential customers
Make sure your readers know what to
do next, when to do it, and how to do
it with ease
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Types of Routine
Bad-News Messages
 Refusing information
 Refusing invitations and
other requests
 Giving bad news about
orders
 Refusing claims and
Claims
requests for adjustments
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.19
8.20
Refusals
 When refusing requests for information,
you can choose either the direct or the
indirect approach, depending on how
emotionally involved your audience is.
 When refusing invitations and requests for
favors, you can choose the direct or the
indirect approach, depending on your
relationship with the reader.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.21
Bad News About Orders
 For bad news about orders, help readers
feel good about continuing to do business
with you by
 Working toward an eventual sale along
the lines of the original order
 Keeping instructions or additional
information as clear as possible
 Maintaining an optimistic, confident tone
so that your reader won’t lose interest
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.22
Backorders
 When backordering, you have one of two types
of bad news to convey:
 You’re able to send only part of the order.
 You’re able to send none of the order.
 When sending part of an order, you can
 Use the good news (that part of the shipment
is coming) as a buffer for the bad news (that
part of the shipment is on back order)
 Give the reasons for the delay of the
remainder of the shipment
 Encourage a favorable attitude toward the
transaction with a strong close
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Refusing Claims and Requests
for Adjustments
 Avoid language that would have a negative







impact on the reader.
Don’t be guilty of defamation.
Avoid abusive language.
Express your personal opinions in a letter
using your own stationery.
Provide accurate information; stick to facts.
Don’t send messages out of anger or malice.
Consult your company’s legal department
Communicate honestly.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.23
8.24
Defamation
 Defamation is a false statement that tends
to damage someone’s character or
reputation:
 Written defamation is called libel.
 Spoken defamation is called slander.
 Someone suing for defamation must prove
that
 The statement is false
 The language is injurious to the person’s
reputation
 The statement has been published
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Bad News About Products and
Operations
 When providing bad news about products,
be careful to determine your readers’
emotional reaction to your message.
 Bad news about company operations may
be required in at least three situations:
 A change in company policy that will
have a negative effect on the reader
 Problems with company performance
 Controversial or unpopular company
operations
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.25
Negative Employment
Messages
 When refusing requests for recommendation
letters,
 Your message may be brief and direct when
communicating with prospective employers
 Your message must be diplomatic and tactful
when communicating with a job applicant
 When delivering bad news to job applicants,
 Open with the direct approach
 Clearly state why the applicant was not
selected
 Close by suggesting alternatives
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.26
8.27
Performance Reviews
 The main goals of a performance review are to
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Set organizational standards
Communicate organizational values
Improve employee performance by
Emphasizing and clarifying job requirements
Giving employees feedback on their efforts
toward fulfilling those requirements
Developing a plan of action for continued
efforts (including rewards and opportunities)
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Guidelines: Negative
Performance Reviews
 Confront the problem
right away.
 Plan your message.
 Deliver the message
in private.
 Focus on the problem.
 Ask for a commitment from the
employee.
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
8.28
8.29
Termination Letters
 When writing a termination letter, you have
three goals:
 To present the reasons for this difficult
action
 To avoid statements that might involve
the company in legal action
 To leave the relationship between the
employee and the firm as favorable as
possible
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Let’s
Discuss
Test Your
Knowledge
8.30
 Why is it particularly important to adapt
your medium and tone to your
audience’s needs and preferences when
writing a bad news message?
 What are the five main goals in
delivering bad news?
 What are the advantages of using the
direct approach to deliver bad news at
the beginning of a message?
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Let’s
Discuss
Test Your
Knowledge
8.31
continued
 What is the sequence of elements in a
bad-news message using the indirect
approach?
 What is a buffer, and why do some
critics consider it unethical?
 When using an indirect approach to
announce a negative decision, what is
the purpose of presenting your reasons
before explaining the decision itself?
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall
Let’s
Discuss
Test Your
Knowledge
8.32
continued
 What are three techniques for deemphasizing bad news?
 What is defamation, and how does libel
differ from slander?
 What are three guidelines for writing
rejection letters to job applicants?
 When giving a negative review to an
employee, what five steps should you
follow?
To accompany Excellence in Business Communication, 5e , Thill and Bovée © 2002 Prentice-Hall