Correspondence is one of the main ways of business communication. In addition to such types of business messages as invitations, information requests, and letters of recommendation, to name but a few, managers must also share negative information in the form of requests, refuse requests, claim letters, letters of dismissal, and others. It should be kept in mind, that such messages require special care to avoid damaging the quality of the relationship (âWriting Negative Messagesâ par. 1); the ability to correctly convey negative information to the recipient is the key to a successful company.
Let us review the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of the negative news communication as exemplified by a letter of M. Juhasz to the Traveling Executives. It starts with a polite address âDear Traveling Executivesâ, and then proceeds to convey the negative information:
âWe need you to start using some of the budget suggestions we are going to issue as a separate memorandumâ (Juhasz).
It is a shining example of an ineffective negative message, as there is no opening in the form of a buffer beginning; that is, the writer does not attempt âan indirect approachâ and âgives awayâ the bad news (Thill and BoveÌe 309).
âThese include using videoconference equipment and web conferencing instead of traveling to meetings, staying in cheaper hotels, arranging flights for cheaper times, and flying from less-convenient but also less-expensive suburban airports.â
In this case, the repetition of the word âcheaperâ is tantamount to ârubbing somebody’s nose in the dirtâ. It leaves no room for diplomatic ambiguity and appears as an accusation of spendthrifts.
âThe company needs to cut travel expenses by fifty percent, just as weâve cut costs in all departments of Black & Decker. It means youâll no longer be able to stay in fancy hotels and make last-minute, costly changes to your travel plans.â
The latter sentence is a generalization, as it implies that all of the employees have been making last-minute changes to their plans.
âYouâll also be expected to avoid hotel surcharges for phone calls and internet access. If the hotel you want to stay in doesnât offer free wireless, go somewhere else.â
The last phrase is an imperative, which should be omitted in business and formal writing.
âAnd never, NEVER return a rental car with an empty tank!â
Another imperative. The sentence is further enhanced with an exclamation mark, which should not be used in formal messages. Neither is it allowed to use capitalization. According to Alice Robb, âwriters have used capital letters to convey anger in printâ (Robb par. 5). Furthermore, the word âneverâ is too strong.
âThat causes the rental agency to charge us a premium price for the gas they sell when they fill it up upon your return.â
The pronouns âusâ and âyouâ contrapose the employees within a company. By dividing the personnel into groups, M. Juhasz places him/herself above the traveling executives.
âYouâll be expected to make these changes in your travel habits immediately.â
The closing sentence sounds like a straightforward command. It is advisable to replace the word immediately with âpromptlyâ, âas soon as you canâ, or âat the earliestâ, that is, the expressions that convey the sense of urgency in a formal way.
Works Cited
Robb, Alice. âHow Capital Letters Became Internet Code for Yelling.â New Republic. 2014. Web.
Juhasz, M. âLetter to the Traveling Executives.â n.d.
Thill, John V, and Courtland L BoveÌe. Excellence In Business Communication. Upper Saddle, NJ: Prentice Hall. 2015. Print.
âWriting Negative Messages.â. 2002. Web.