Chapter 8

Process and Product, 8e

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy
Business Communication:
Positive Messages

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e
Ch. 8, Slide 1

©©2015
2015Cengage
CengageLearning.
Learning.All
AllRights
RightsReserved.
Reserved.May
Maynot
notbe
bescanned,
scanned,copied
copiedororduplicated,
duplicated,ororposted
postedtotoaapublicly
publiclyaccessible
accessiblewebsite,
website,ininwhole part.
wholeororininpart.
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Positive Messages—
Characteristics
• Positive messages share the
following traits:
 Are routine and straightforward
 Help workers conduct everyday
business
 Make up the bulk of workplace
communication
 Require solid writing skills

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 2
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Positive Messages—Types

• Simple requests for information

or action
• Replies to customers
• Explanations to coworkers
• Instructions
• Direct claims and complaints

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 3
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Channels Used for Positive
Messages
• E-mails • Social media
• Memos networks
• Letters • Blogs
• IM and text
messages

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 4
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Effective Positive Messages and
the Writing Process
• Phase 1: Analysis, Anticipation,
and Adaptation
 Do I really need to write this e-mail,
memo, or letter?
 Why am I writing?
 How will the reader react?
 What channel should I use?
 How can I save my reader’s time?

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 5
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Effective Positive Messages and
the Writing Process
• Phase 2: Research, Organization,
and Drafting
 Collect information.
 Choose the best organizational
strategy.
 Compose the first draft.
 Group similar information together.
 Keep your paragraphs short.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 6
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Effective Positive Messages and
the Writing Process

• Phase 3: Revision,
Proofreading, and Evaluation
 Is the message clear?
 Is the message correct?
 Did you plan for feedback?
 Will this message achieve its
purpose?
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 7
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Creating Request Messages

• Opening—main idea first:

 Ask a question or issue a polite
command.
 Avoid long explanations
preceding the main idea.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 8
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Creating Request Messages

• Body—provide details and explain

your purpose:
 Express questions in numbered or
bulleted form.
 Use open-ended questions instead
of yes-or-no questions.
 Suggest reader benefits, if possible.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 9
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Creating Request Messages

• Closing—end with appreciation

and a call for action:
 State specifically, but courteously,
what action is to be taken.
 Set an end date, if one is
significant. Provide a logical
reason for the end date.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 10
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Creating Request Messages

• Closing—end with appreciation

and a call for action:
 Avoid cliché endings.
 Show appreciation, but use a
fresh expression.
 Make it easy for the receiver to
respond.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 11
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
“Before”—Ineffective Request
E-Mail
To: Kim Johnson <kjohnson@smi.com>
From: Tim Rudolph <trudolph@smi.com>
Subject: New Policy

This e-mail is written to inform you that I continue to receive disturbing reports
about the misuse of e-mail by employees. In the course of the past three months I
have heard of defamatory messages, downloads of pornography for all the staff to
see, and even a basketball pool that turned into a gambling operation.
In view of the foregoing, I am herewith instructing your office that an e-mail policy
for the staff is needed. By October 1 a rough draft of a policy should be
forthcoming. At the very minimum it should inform each and every employee that
e-mail is for business only. Employees must be told that we reserve the right to
monitor all messages. No pictures or attachments should be in the e-mail system
without there being a valid reason. And we should not be using e-mail to be saying
anything about personnel matters—such as performance reviews and salaries.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 12
 “After”—Improved Request E-

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Mail
To: Kim Johnson <kjohnson@smi.com>
From: Tim Rudolph <trudolph@smi.com>
Subject: Developing Staff E-Mail Policy
Please draft a policy outlining appropriate e-mail use for employees.
We need such a policy because I have received reports of misuse including
defamatory messages, pornography downloads, and even gambling. Here are a
few points that the policy should cover:
 E-mail is for business use only.
 E-mail messages may be monitored.
 No pictures or attachments should be sent without a valid reason.
 E-mail should not be used to discuss personnel matters.
Please submit a draft to me by October 2 because we hope to have a final policy
completed by November 5. Call if you have questions.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 13
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Responding to Requests

• Opening
 Open directly.
 Deliver the information the
reader wants.
 When announcing good news,
do so promptly.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 14
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Responding to Requests

• Body
 Explain the subject logically.
 Use lists, headings, boldface,
italics, or other graphic devices
to improve readability.
 Promote your products and your
organization to customers.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 15
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Responding to Requests

• Closing
 Offer a concluding thought,
perhaps referring to the
information or action requested.
 Avoid cliché endings.
 Be cordial.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 16
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Responding to Customers
Online

• Be positive.
• Be transparent.
• Be honest.
• Be timely.
• Be helpful.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 17
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Direct Claims and Complaints

• Opening
 Explain immediately what you
want done.
 State the remedy briefly when it is
obvious.
 Explain your goal when the
remedy is not obvious.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 18
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Direct Claims and Complaints

• Body
 Explain the problem and justify
your requests.
 Provide details objectively and
concisely.
 Be organized and coherent. Don’t
ramble.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 19
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Direct Claims and Complaints

• Body
 Avoid becoming angry or trying to
fix blame.
 Include names and dates with
previous actions.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 20
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Direct Claims and Complaints

• Closing
 End courteously with a tone that
promotes goodwill.
 Request specific action, including
end date, if appropriate.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 21
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Adjustment Messages

• Opening
 When approving a customer’s
claim, announce the good news
(adjustment) immediately.
 Avoid sounding grudging or
reluctant.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 22
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Adjustment Messages

• Body
 Strive to win back the customer’s
confidence.
 Explain what went wrong (if you
know).

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 23
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Adjustment Messages

• Body
 Apologize if it seems appropriate,
but be careful about admitting
responsibility.
 Check with your boss or legal
counsel first.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 24
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Adjustment Messages

• Body
 Concentrate on explaining how
diligently your organization works
to avoid disappointing customers.
 Avoid negative language.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 25
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Adjustment Messages

• Body
 Avoid blaming customers– even if
they are at fault.
 Avoid blaming individuals or
departments in your organization.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 26
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Adjustment Messages

• Closing
 Show appreciation that the customer
wrote.
 Consider expressing confidence that
the problem has been resolved.
 Thank the customer for past business.
 Refer to your desire to be of service.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 27
 © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
The Five Ss of Goodwill
Messages

• Be selfless.
• Be specific.
• Be sincere.
• Be spontaneous.
• Keep it short.

Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Ch. 8, Slide 28