Writing Negative Business Messages (see Chapter 7)

Routine business correspondence also includes conveying bad news. Writing negative messages can be challenging because you not only want to resolve an issue but also want the audience to accept your decision. That doesnt mean they will like the decision, but they should find your decision to be reasonable & substantiated. A few situations requiring negative messages include declining requests, announcing an emergency situation, terminating employment, & rejecting job applicants.

Awareness of the emotional impact of negative news is important. You want to avoid language, tone, & style that can result in an angry response that escalates the situation rather than resolving it calmly. Be sensitive to words & phrases that may come across as dismissive, insulting, or remonstrative. Positive words can be used effectively in negative messages to soften the impact. Your audience should not be made to feel like a number, childish, or lacking intelligence.

A major decision when writing a negative message is choosing between the direct approach & the indirect approach. The direct approach gets right to the point & presents the bad news in the opening statement. The indirect approach uses a buffer to help ease into the bad news.

Each approach has its appropriate application. For example, in the case of a crisis situation such as a toxic waste spill, the direct approach is necessary to convey the seriousness & urgency of the moment. In contrast, the indirect approach is useful when sending a rejection letter to a job applicant. Starting with something neutral or positive can help prepare the rejected applicant for the bad news.

For Discussion:

During a conference I attended, a professor used the following real-world negative message as an example of poor business correspondence. Keep in mind as youre reading it, that the message was actually sent by a CEO to his employees.

After the message was made public, the companys stock plummeted 22% in 3 days.

Click on the link below to read the CEO’s message:

Cerner Corporation CEOs Negative Email to Managers Online.pdf

Part A: After reading Pattersons negative message, identify at least 3 disastrous statements he made, discuss why theyre problematic, & how they could be corrected for a more professional approach. Cite specific examples to explain. (Minimum 200 words.)

Part B: Reply to at least 2 other students posts & compare your responses to Pattersons message. How did the other students analysis help you gain a better perspective on the message? What was similar in your reactions to the negative message? Cite specific examples to explain. (Minimum 100 words for each reply.)

FYI: If you’re unable to open the PDF for the Cerner Corporation CEO’s email linked above, you can find the full text in the Module 4 area.