Communicating negative messages is an important part of business communication because no operations can take place without failures or disruptions once in a while. According to the useful advice provided by Bovee and Thill (2017) in the chapter “Writing negative messages,” the final objectives of communicating negative information include:
- Conveying unfortunate news;
- Gaining the target audience’s acceptance of the news;
- Maintaining the audience’s goodwill at the highest level possible;
- Preserving a good image of a company or organization;
- Reducing or eliminating the need for communicating the same message again.
In order to reach the mentioned objectives, the author of a negative message should determine whether the audience’s attention should be captured immediately and whether recipients prefer a direct communication style. After answering these two questions, the author can proceed to write a message. The most important thing is using clear and concise language that conveys respect for readers and avoids accusing tone. Overall, such messages required special care since they aim to avoid disappointments and counterproductivity.
An example of an effective negative message within the context of business communication is the customer service e-mail that the Forever 21 support team sent the company’s customers. The message is effective because the language used in it is light and conversational: “our cat ate our website speed.” There is also a humorous tone to the message that the authors used intentionally to get the audience’s acceptance of the news. The large image of a grey cat that says “sorry” gets immediate attention. The same can be said for the words “free shipping” printed in a large black font which attracts attention as well and makes the audience understand that the negative message comes with a bonus (Figure 1). It should also be mentioned that the personality of the message’s writers shines through and signals that the news is unfortunate but should not be treated very seriously because the company took time to apologize in a tasteful way.
Another effective part of the negative message above is that it is short and is composed of only four lines. When reading the message, the audience does not feel overwhelmed and disengaged. The bright colors and the funny image of a cat contribute to the overall presentation of the negative message. If, for example, the image had been replaced by a generic written note and sent to Forever 21 customers, it would not have had the same impact as the example above (Figure 1). Overall, the customer support message apologizing for the low speed of the Forever 21 website is a brilliant example of the negative message in business communication because it met all five criteria:
- It conveyed negative news about the low website speed;
- Got the audience’s acceptance through using humor;
- Maintained the goodwill of Forever 21 customers, who could not be angry at a funny message that involved a cat;
- Preserved the company’s reputation by offering a discount code;
- Had all the information necessary to avoid repetitions.
To conclude, negative messages are hard to compose because they require careful planning to ensure their effectiveness. The example of the Forever 21 customer support message is a brilliant illustration of how wit and a sense of humor can both help communicate valuable information and preserve a positive message of a company.
References
Bovee, C. L., & Thill, J. V. (2017). Business communication today (14th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education.
Forever 21 customer service message [Image]. (n.d.). Web.