Introduction
A convicted murderer wrote this to his victim mother when he heard the news that the victims had got the news the capital punishment that he was given (he was to be executed by going through the hangman’s noose). “Mr. X I am very very sorry for the pain that I have made you and your family go through, please forgive me”. What would you think of the reaction of Mr. X? Here is a man who murdered his daughter in cold blood, now asking him to find a heart to forgive him. It will never bring back his daughter to life, will it?. Would there be any difference if the offender just kept mum? My take is that it is never too late to change one’s mind and say sorry if one really means the words. It is far much better for the offended to see that whoever wronged them has apologized, because with time he/she will put the incident behind and the faster and more genuine an apology comes, the sooner it will be to forgive and forget. The same scenario applies to applauding one for a great personal achievement, the more immediate a congratulatory message comes, the greater its effect will be…too late a response will be hardly appreciated. This incident brings as to the definition of what a goodwill message is; basically these are short letters which are intended to wish someone well in one way or another as an indication that the sender cares and has thought about the recipient’s situation. Messages of this nature show that the sender understands the recipient’s predicament to a point that drove him/her to sending a goodwill message. The “I am Sorry” message that the convict in question wrote to Mr. X is just one type among the numerous types of goodwill messages. Goodwill messages can take several forms and as much as they seem short, they can be the most difficult piece of message to pass; putting your exact feelings in one sentence can prove to be quiet a task. A simple “Thank you” phrase can easily be misinterpreted, where the recipient claims that the writer is not genuine enough and on the other hand if a goodwill message is too long, the recipient can say that the writer is justifying himself with many words, he probably might be covering up something (his real feelings) about the subject matter./ (Jonathan, pp.14-17). One of the world’s greatest historical goodwill messages was the Apollo 11 Goodwill Messages sent by over 73 Countries. The congratulatory messages were left on the surface of the moon by U.S astronauts on their first visit to the space. This research paper contains the definition of goodwill messages, categories, uses and the guidelines of writing them. The paper also gives some highlights on the use of goodwill messages to boost commercial activities.
Uses and Important Phrases and Guidelines of a Goodwill Message
Goodwill messages can be used for a variety of purposes, but they all have a basic commonality in them. Such common phrases are the ones that need to be used if the real meaning of the message is to be affected properly. Some of the guidelines that cut across every nature of a goodwill message include:- Beginning a goodwill letter by a simple statement like “Thank You for…”. And in an event of writing a goodwill message to reflect the view of a group of people, ensure that the message includes a phrase like “On behalf of…”, the effect of such aforementioned phrases in a goodwill message will score much (Mackay, pp.19).
On top of the above, it is advisable to end with “Thank You Again” at the conclusion part. The following additional points should guide the writer when composing a goodwill message.
- In all the cases whether it is an expression of gratitude, recognition or just condolence, be very sincere. A tone showing insincerity can be detected by the recipient.
- Focus on the recipient who the message is targeted to please, not the company that you represent or yourself.
- Be specific on the point you want the recipient to get.
- Keep the message as brief as possible.
- Make the message as creative as possible…avoid forwarded messages and be original.
There are several forms of goodwill letters or messages. Some of these messages fall in the following categories. Announcements Messages, Apology Messages, Appreciation, Congratulations, Farewells, Get-well/Sympathy, Invitations, Thank You and Welcome Messages (Ellen et. al. pp.176-208). When one receives a goodwill message, he/she tends to feel better…this feeling is so good that it surpasses any measure of monetary value, the recipient will at least have the knowledge that someone cares for him/her and appreciated his/her efforts. Further, note that formality and protocol do not matter when composing goodwill messages.
There are instances where the writer is not pleased with the gift or the service accorded to him/her. In such cases, one is still encouraged not just to sit back and ignore getting to the service provider, but he needs to send a goodwill message. But never should the writer forget to throw a challenge or two to the reader. That will bring to their attention the fact the service did not really match the expectations. The composer of the goodwill message in this case should on top of the challenge, drop a positive comment and say a big thank you for the time, thoughtfulness and generosity for the service provider.
Other Uses of Goodwill Messages
It has been reported that business firms have in the past employed the use of goodwill messages to promote their sales ad the results were found to be outstanding. Such messages like “Thank You” that appear after buying a good or those ones that give update information about a particular product both fall under this category (goodwill messages of commercial use). Such messages can go a long way to boost the revenue of a company especially from loyal customers. The goodwill messages used in this concept are said to be having a number of advantages. First, they are simple to create due to their basic nature, secondly, they are easy to understand and finally, they do not need much elaboration; but above all, they are less costly.
Commercial goodwill messages can be automated such that by the purchase of an item or change of a calender, the messages automatically get triggered. The follow up letters sent to a customer after he/she has bought an item have also got a positive effect on the customer. It acts as a slight approval to the customer to show that the company cares about him/her. “The intention of such letters or messages is for the business enterprise to build a goodwill bond with the customers to keep them coming again, again and again” (Roy, pp.26-27). From these findings, we therefore find out the importance of goodwill messages both in the society (to promote peace and harmony) as well as in the commercial arena (to boost a companies bargaining power-competitiveness).
Conclusion
A goodwill message if drafted well using the above highlighted guidelines will never miss to impress the recipient and will definitely meet its purpose. For an Apology message, the result might not come soon enough, but eventually, and its positive effect will only be felt if it is done with genuineness and sincerity. It has also been illustrated that goodwill messages need to be written immediately following the event that makes the subject matter, lest its purpose is lost.
The next section of this summary section gives in point form the “Do’s and Don’ts” in the composition of a goodwill message. The points show the actions that have to be taken into consideration in order to write a quality goodwill letter. But, before that the writer has to know one thing that should never leave his mind. That is the intention of the expected impact derived from the message. The writer should always remember that goodwill messages need to be generated with no intention of getting anything in return. Goodwill messages need to be generated simply because it is the right thing to do, not with an expectation of a quick back. An overall goodwill messages construction considers the following Do’s and Don’ts points as found in (Wilbers, pp.5).
Do’s
- Send a goodwill message for interviews, orders, favors, lunches, hospitality and gifts.
- Since hand written letters are very rare these days, they are preferred more to the typed and printed letters when appreciating a service well done. They seem more genuine and show that the writer took his/her time to show appreciation [printed letters can just be edited-showing no exact feeling of the writer].
- Give reference to the service done, avoid being abstract.
Don’ts
- Never include additional requests for favors in goodwill (thank you) messages and neither should the messages appear to be setting conditions
- Never send a goodwill message via the E-Mail, unless the gift is a routine one. E-mail messages do not have a personal touch as required a goodwill message (Rosalie Maggio-How to say it)
- Avoid the phrase “Thank you in advance” in the complementary close. This statement kind of sounds presumptuous [assuming that you have already got the help back].
Now to my dear readers, “Does one stand to lose anything by being nice? Or by showing appreciation for a work well done?…if anything it is the ability of keeping a positive attitude and being nice to everyone that draws the line between “men” and “gentlemen”.
References
Clark Jonathan. (2008). “Get over it:Writings Worst Myth”. Business Solutions. pp.14-17.
Guffey Ellen, Kathleen Rhodes and Patricia Rogin. (2006). “Routine Letters and Messages”. (Ed.) Natalia Ontario: Educational Publishing. pp.176-208.
Harvey Mackay. (1988). “Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive”. New York. pp 19.
Poe W. Roy. (1994). “Handout of Business Letters”. 3rd Ed.: McGraw hill. pp.26-27.
Stephen Wilbers. (2002). “The Do’s and Don’ts of Saying Thank You”: Minneapolis Star Tribune. pp.2-7.