Writing for the Workplace: Business Communication for Professionals
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| statement about which both the writer and reader can agree The recent renovation of the University Club has made it a much sought-after venue. Alternately, you may wish to start with a statement of appreciation: Thank you for your well researched proposal to include Mayweather House in this year’s Giving Back volunteer day. You can offer any good news that is part of the message (as long as it doesn’t mislead the reader into thinking the message contains all good news) or offer praise to open your bad news message All departments have done a great job decreasing their operating budgets. 54 WRITING FOR THE WORKPLACE Start the second paragraph of the bad news message by providing logical reasons leading to the bad news itself. Slip in the bad news in a subordinate clause, and never repeat it. Make sure the negative message is clearly stated so you don’t create misunderstanding or encourage further communication. For example, following the previous buffer statement, our next sentence might read: Since we have expanded our facility to accommodate parties of over 100 and added a gourmet chef, the number of organizations and individuals requesting to use the University Club for events has tripled Our bylaws require that we give priority to members of the club before opening up our schedule to nonmembers, so we are unable to accommodate your request to use the Dean’s Room on the date you have requested. The closing of the bad news message must be polite and promote goodwill to the reader, who has just heard unwelcome news. Avoid being too conciliatory by offering to provide additional assistance or to callus if you have further questions If you are able to offer an alternative, do so. For example, if you know that another facility is available to accommodate the faculty retreat mentioned earlier or you can hold it on a different day, say so. If not, simply end on a positive note Thank you for considering the University Club for your event, and we look forward to helping you in the future. See Appendix B for an example of a bad news letter. Conclusion Writing to audiences who are not interested or pleased to be hearing from you requires tactful and skillful word crafting. Whether you are called upon to write persuasively to convince readers to do something they may object to or to deliver negative news, you will have greater success by thinking about the needs and reactions of the reader to achieve the purpose for which you are writing. |