negativemessage-blog

[negativemessage-blog]

Negative Messages

By: Jashanpreet Singh, Harkanwarjit Singh, Gurpreet Singh Purewal

 What are Negative Messages?

                                                                                    By Jashanpreet Singh

Nobody likes getting awful news! Have you at any point been let go from an occupation or gotten a dismissal letter for work and school acknowledgement? Negative messages are dismissals because of occupation applicants, advancement demands, Poor assessments, Firings, Cutbacks or new strategy changes that can make a hardship of a worker. Often, Supervisors and human asset administrators must be the bearers of negative message. (Lombardo, n.d.)

 What are Articulating Goals in communicating Negative News?

Receiving Negative news may not be very pleasing to the receiver. To deliver negative news in efficient manner there are some goals and strategies, which you can apply in your writing.

  ·       Explaining clearly and completely

·       Projecting a professional image

·       Conveying Empathy and sensitivity

·       Being Fair

·       Maintaining friendly relations

  Use of 3X3 writing process. There are certain things, which can help you conveying your negative message in an appropriate manner one of them is 3 X 3 Writing Process.

  Avoiding Legal Liability in conveying Negative new

By: Jashanpreet Singh

Sarcasm, profanity, shouting, or abusive or derogatory language is an obstacle to clear communication. Represent yourself, the business, and the receiver of your message with professionalism and avoid abusive or defamatory language. (Business Communication for Success, 2015).

Sometimes, choice of words or language for negative messages can get you into legal trouble. There are three causes of legal difficulties which you should consider while conveying negative news.

Abusive Language

Any false information that harm individual reputation should be avoided.

For legal action to take place abusive language must have all three of the following characteristics:

A) False Language

B) Damaging someone's name

Or Published within others.

You may be prosecuted for sending a harassing message to someone on social networking sites or on email. Company may incur liability for messages sent through their computer system by their employees

(Lenhart, 2011)

  Careless Language

Careless Language is one of the three explanations behind legal issues. Concerning being indiscreet with the language you use it by and large infers using a sentence or word that you think would not be taken in the wrong way but instead gets misjudged by the user. You ought to make certain when you say or pass on a message that your words simply grant what you wanted to state.

According to a case in Business Communication processes and Product Textbook.

A factory worker was injured while working and his lawyer got company documents and discovered a letter that was sent to a group about a factory tour. It said, "although we are honoured at your interest on our company, we cannot give your group a tour of the plant operations as it would be too noisy and dangerous". This harmless letter was used in court to prove that there were dangerous working conditions in the factory and that resulted in the employee getting hurt. 

 Although the letter did not mean to say the factory is an unsafe place to work, the words were taken and interpreted in a unique way and used in court. 

 Here’s a video showing Deputy Mayor Stocks uses racist phrase and dismissive language.

Good Guy Syndrome

No one want to reveal the unwelcome news. To make the receiver comfortable, we make statements that are legally dangerous. For private opinions, you should use plain paper instead of company letter head. Moreover, sign of name should be without title or affiliation. Do not make promises if you cannot fulfill them. Also, addition information which can be misused should be avoided.

[negativemessage-blog]

Negative Messages

Analysing Negative News Strategies

By: Harkanwarjit Singh

You may use one of two fundamental methods while passing on negative news: Direct or Indirect. Your choice of which framework to use will be controlled by the situation and the recipient of the message. Understanding which framework is legitimate in which situation will help improve the social event of your message. (Bovée, Thill, and Schatzman, n.d.) Start with analysing how your receiver will react to the negative news.

The video below shows How and when to use the two approaches while writing a negative message

Using the Direct strategy

When you use the direct approach, the main idea (such as a recommendation, conclusion, or request) comes in the "top" of the document, followed by the evidence. This approach is utilized when your gathering of people will be constructive about your message.

In the direct Strategy, disappointed messages sometimes may be mixed with positive news to reduce the effect of negative message.

According to the textbook Business Communication Process and Product, there are many scenarios when you should use direct strategy to deliver unpourable news

 For example. If you are writing a security breach message, information should be clearly explained and to the point. Explain how it occurred and what was stolen. If there is a risk to privacy of employees like social insurance is stolen, urge them to check on their credit reports.

 Using the Indirect Strategy

You may need to send a negative message to its reader for news of a lay-off, a refund refusal etc. As your goal is to maintain goodwill, this can be tricky sometimes. So, a strategy must be used for delivering unwelcome news in an effort to minimize its effect. It is often referred to as the indirect approach (englishonline.net, n.d.)

Using direct or Indirect strategy mainly depend on the situations. The behaviour and reaction of receiver. The direct method is considered more professional and ethical by some experts than indirect method. However, Indirect method is used to reveal negative news slowly to show sensitivity.  There are still many messages conveyed using indirect strategy. Here are some situations when indirect strategy is appropriate:

  How to Compose a Negative Message?

By: Harkanwarjit Singh

There are multiple parts of negative messages like buffer, reasons, bad news and closing. This article will help you understand how to compose a negative message to reduce bad feelings from your message.

 Opening of Indirect Message

What is a buffer? It is just an announcement of proclamations that reduces the blow of the awful news that is going to be given. It calls for sympathy at beginning. The length of buffer is nearly three sentences. Do not use too lengthy buffer as it may confuse the reader. Likewise, the words "I'm sad," or "we're extremely sad" don't constitute a buffer. Any apology can be exaggerated and can sound negative. "Sorry" is a negative word. A support should work in softening the terrible news. (H, 2007)

Ø  Start the message with best or positive news

Ø  Give Compliment for receiver’s achievements and efforts with honesty

Ø  Draft a letter in such way that if you are writing to refuse employment, you should do it with appreciation.

Ø  Write from both perspectives so that reader and sender can agree.

  Apology

Don’t use language that removes you or your company from responsibility. Avoid saying things like:

 ��        I am sorry you feel that way.

·        I am sorry if you are offended.

·        Mistakes were made.

·        It is unfortunate that things turned out this way (Jerez, 2017)

  The 5Rs Model of apology

 How to present the Reasons?

Ø  Explain everything clearly such as legal liabilities, Errors, and dates

Ø  Explain other benefits because readers are more likely to accept bad news if there is some benefit in it.

Ø  Do not hesitate from explaining your company’s policies to the readers.

Ø  Use indirect strategy but choose positive words to justify sad news.

[negativemessage-blog]

Negative Messages

Announcing Negative News to Employees

By: Gurpreet Singh Purewal

Announcing negative message to a worker before a gathering of associates can be thought about criticism or hurt, and in the coming cases might be noteworthy and include legitimate implications. Notwithstanding the lawful obligation, you have the general objective of exhibiting polished methodology as you speak to yourself and your organization in keeping up the association with the representative, regardless of whether the ultimate objective is end.

Workers have struck back against their associations from numerous points of view, from debilitating comments to vandalism and PC infections. You will probably maintain a strategic distance from such conduct, not out of dread, but rather out of polished skill and regard for yourself and your association. Open lines of correspondence show in a relationship can help decrease the danger of social weakening or ill will. The sidebar underneath gives an agenda to conveying a negative message.

Negative Message Checklist (unknown, 2014)

1.         Clear goal in mind

2.         Clear instructions from supervisor (legal counsel)

3.         Clear understanding of message

4.         Clear understanding of audience/reader

5.         Clear understanding of procedure and protocol

6.         Clear, neutral opening

7.         Clear explanation without admission of guilt or culpability

8.         Clear statement of impact or negative news

9.         Clear redirect with no reminders of negative news

10.       Clear results with acceptance or action on negative news

Ways to deliver Bad news

By: Gurpreet Singh Purewal

Presenting Negative News in personal

The greater part of us detest struggle. It might entice to keep away from vis-à-vis association because of a paranoid fear of showdown, however conveying antagonistic news in person can be very viable, even vital, in numerous business circumstances. While considering a one-on-one gathering or a huge, formal gathering, think about the readiness and usage of the dialog.

Here are some methods to deliver negative news in person:

·        Collect all the information needed

·        Prepare and plan what you are going to say

·        Explain cause, current situation and the method to solve it.

·        If you are not fully confident, take a partner

·        Do deliver bad news when the listener is already stressed, think about timing

 Presenting negative news in Writing

Composing can be intrapersonal, between two individuals, gather correspondence, open correspondence, or even mass correspondence. One unmistakable preferred standpoint of exhibiting negative news in composing is the arranging and arrangement that goes into the message, making the underlying correspondence more unsurprising.

At the point when a message is conveyed orally in a relational setting, we may interfere with each other, we in some cases hear what we need to, and it regularly takes arrangement and listening abilities to get a handle on significance. While a composed message, similar to all messages, is available to elucidation, the scope of conceivable outcomes is limited and introduced inside the edge and configuration planned by the source or creator.

While revising the message check if:

1.     Buffer includes nice praise

2.     Move smoothly from buffer to reasons

3.     Explain refusals clearly

4.     Be realistic while closing

  References

Bovée, Thill, and Schatzman. (n.d.). Direct Approach vs. Indirect Approach. Retrieved from winthrop.edu: http://faculty.winthrop.edu/kosterj/writ465/management/directapproach.htm

Business Communication for Success. (2015). 17.1 Delivering a Negative News Message. In Business Communication for Success. University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing edition, 2015. This edition adapted from a work originally produced in 2010 by a publisher who has requested that it not receive attribution. . Retrieved from http://open.lib.umn.edu.

Chf, M. (Director). (2016). Writing a negative message [Motion Picture].

englishonline.net. (n.d.). Business Writing. Retrieved from www.englishonline.net: https://www.englishonline.net/mywriting/business/lessons/bnews.html

H, L. (2007, May 16). Using a “Buffer” to Tell Customers Bad News. Retrieved from http://cascadebusnews.com: http://cascadebusnews.com/business-tips/customer-service/101-using-a-buffer-to-tell-customers-bad-news

Jerez, C. (2017, September 21). How to Apologize to Customers Effectively. Retrieved from www.comm100.com: https://www.comm100.com/blog/how-to-apologize-to-customers.html

Lenhart, A. (2011). Part 2: Social Media and Digital Citizenship: What teens experience and how they behave on social network sites. Washington: Pew Research Center.

Lombardo, J. (n.d.). Strategies for Delivering Negative Messages. Retrieved from Study.com: https://study.com/academy/lesson/strategies-for-delivering-negative-messages.html