Chapter 7 Delivering Bad-News Messages

Chapter 7

Delivering Bad-News Messages

Learning Objectives

  1. Explain the steps in the inductive outline and understand its use for specific situations.
  2. Discuss strategies for developing the five components of a bad-news message.
  3. Prepare messages refusing requests and claims.
  4. Prepare messages handling problems with customers’ orders and denying credit.
  5. Prepare messages providing constructive criticism, communicating negative organizational news, and responding to crises.

Chapter Overview

Chapter 7 focuses on the bad-news messages that typically require an inductive strategy. Situations covered include sharing bad news, refusing a request, denying a claim, refusing an order, denying credit, delivering constructive criticism, and communicating negative organizational news. Because the construction of bad-news messages involves more delicate human relations issues than were encountered with good news and neutral messages, plan to devote more discussion time to Chapter 7.

Key Terms

Counterproposal 108

Fair Credit Reporting Act 115

PowerPoint Slides

·  Lecture Slides — Students can review key chapter concepts on the Lecture Slides (found on the companion website (Student’s Resources)). Slides can be downloaded for convenient printing of handouts for taking class notes.

Slide Number and Title

1.  Chapter 7 Delivering Bad-News Messages

  1. Learning Objectives
  2. Indirect Outline for Bad-News Messages
  3. Types of Bad-News Messages
  4. Channel Choice for Bad News: Showing Tact
  5. Advantages of Inductive Outline
  6. Exceptions to Inductive Approach for Bad News
  7. Developing the Opening
  8. Effective Openings for Bad-News Message
  9. Guidelines for Composing Reasons
  10. Wording the Bad-News Statement
  11. Offering a Counterproposal or “Silver Lining”
  12. Techniques for Closing Positively
  13. To Close Positively, Avoid . . .
  14. Delivering Constructive Criticism
  15. Sharing Negative Organizational News

·  E-lectures — Slides with engaging narration of key concepts—useful as reinforcement of lectures and exam reviews—are available through the CourseMate site for BCOM3.

·  Resource Slides — A larger deck of slides for instructors for displaying in the classroom; these slides for class enrichment and solutions to activities and applications are also available at the companion website (Instructor’s Resources) and on the Instructor’s CD.

Slide Number and Title

1.  Chapter 7 Delivering Bad-News Messages

  1. Learning Objectives
  2. Learning Objective 1 Explain the steps in the inductive outline and understand its use for specific situations.
  3. Indirect Outline for Bad-News Messages
  4. Using the Inductive Approach to Build Goodwill
  5. Types of Bad-News Messages
  6. Channel Choice for Bad News: Showing Tact
  7. Advantages of Inductive Outline
  8. Exceptions to Inductive Approach for Bad News
  9. Learning Objective 2 Discuss strategies for developing the five components of a bad-news message.
  10. Developing the Opening
  11. Effective Openings for Bad-News Message
  12. Perfecting Buffer Statements
  13. Guidelines for Composing Reasons
  14. Wording the Bad-News Statement
  15. Examples of De-Emphasis Techniques
  16. Examples of De-Emphasis Techniques (cont.)
  17. Offering a Counterproposal or “Silver Lining”
  18. Perfecting Refusal Statement
  19. Techniques for Closing Positively
  20. To Close Positively, Avoid . . .
  21. Closing Positively: What Would You Do
  22. Closing Positively: What Not to Do
  23. Refusal of a Favor: Why It Works
  24. Learning Objective 3 Prepare messages refusing requests and claims.
  25. Refusal of Employee Request: What Does Not Work
  26. Refusal of Employee Request: Why It Works
  27. Refusal of Employee Request: Why It Works (cont.)
  28. Learning Objective 4 Prepare messages handling problems with customers’ orders and denying credit.
  29. Denying a Claim: What Doesn’t Work
  30. Denying a Claim: Why It Works
  31. Credit Denial: Why It Works
  32. Adhering to the Fair Credit Reporting Act
  33. Learning Objective 5 Prepare messages providing constructive criticism, communicating negative organizational news, and responding to crises.
  34. Delivering Constructive Criticism
  35. Constructive Criticism: What Does Not Work
  36. Constructive Criticism: Why It Works
  37. Sharing Negative Organizational News
  38. Negative Organizational News: What Does Not Work
  39. Negative Organizational News: Why It Works
  40. Negative Organizational News (cont.)

Chapter Outline

CHOOSING AN APPROPRIATE CHANNEL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN 102

Channel Choice and Commitment to Tact 102

Use of the Inductive Approach to Build Goodwill 104

Exceptions to the Inductive Approach 105

DEVELOPING A BAD-NEWS MESSAGE 105

Writing the Introductory Paragraph 105

Presenting the Facts, Analysis, and Reasons 106

Writing the Bad-News Statement 107

Offering a Counterproposal or “Silver-Lining” Idea 108

Closing Positively 108

REFUSING A REQUEST 110

DENYING A CLAIM 111

DENYING CREDIT 113

DELIVERING CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM 115

COMMUNICATING NEGATIVE ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS 116

Breaking Bad News 116

Responding to Crisis Situations 118

Teaching Suggestions

Learning Objective 1

Explain the steps in the inductive outline and understand is use for specific situations.

CHOOSING AN APPROPRIATE CHANNEL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN

·  Describe the close tie between customer loyalty and an organization’s ability to handle difficult situations with tact and empathy.

·  Discuss real world examples that support this point, e.g., the Sago Mine tragedy and the community response or how Radio Shack laid off more than 400 people via email.

·  Encourage students to share examples based on their own experience. Show the visual previewing the types of bad-news messages they will study in this chapter.

Resource slide 6: Types of Bad-News Messages

Channel Choice and Commitment to Tact

·  Make a reference to the TV program, “The Apprentice,” and discuss Donald Trump’s use of “you’re fired.” Remind students that his directness is not the usually the best choice of organizational pattern and word use when letting an employee go.

Resource slide 7: Channel Choice for Bad News

·  Show the visual and begin discussion of channel choice for negative communication with this question: “Have you ever been fired from an employment position? How did your supervisor handle firing you or laying you off — in person, over the phone, via a letter, or via email?”

·  Discuss face-to-face communication as an ideal channel for negative messages because of the rich nonverbal messages and opportunity for feedback to minimize the misinterpretation of highly sensitive messages.

·  Discuss the increase in email to deliver bad-news messages because of honesty, accuracy, and lessened discomfort. However, stress the importance of considering the impersonal nature of email for bad-news messages.

·  Assign Activity 3 that requires students to choose an effective channel based on receiver reaction and the need for a “personal touch.”

Use of the Inductive Approach to Build Goodwill

·  Before introducing the inductive approach for conveying bad news, initiate a discussion about best and worst outcomes for sender when sharing bad news.

·  Show the visual of the inductive outline as you discuss the sequence of the bad-news messages. Stress the possible negative reactions to bad news positioned before the explanations as you show the visual.

Resource slide 4: Indirect Outline for Bad-News Messages

·  Show the visuals as you discuss the advantages of the inductive sequence. Use the “Check Your Communication” checklist as a basis for discussion.

Resource slide 5: Using the Inductive Approach to Build Goodwill

Resource slide 8: Advantages of Inductive Outline

Exceptions to the Inductive Approach

·  Have students complete Activity 2 in small groups. Have students justify their choice of deductive or inductive outline with the class.

·  Lead a class discussion of occasions when the deductive approach for a negative message may better serve the writer’s purpose.

·  Refer students to circumstances listed in the text that may justify deductive writing of bad news. Emphasize that circumstances are rare. Encourage students to share personal incidents supporting this idea.

Resource slide 9: Exceptions to Inductive Approach for Bad News

·  Remind students that different cultures prefer different delivery styles, based on their preferences for obtaining information. Emphasize differences in cultures emphasized in photo caption. Discuss how corporate culture also impacts the delivery of bad news, as seen in Donald Trump’s delivery style on “The Apprentice”.

·  A trend exists in some U.S. firms to use a more direct style for all types of messages. Study is needed as to how audiences react to such messages and whether they best serve the interests of all parties involved.

Learning Objective 2

Discuss strategies for developing the five components of a bad-news message.

DEVELOPING A BAD-NEWS MESSAGE

·  Point out that a bad-news outline has five sections with specific principles involved in writing each: (a) introductory paragraph, (b) explanation, (c) bad-news statement, (d) counterproposal or “silver lining idea,” and (d) closing paragraph.

·  Have students study the ineffective and effective applications of the inductive outline illustrated in the sample documents. Point out the ineffective icon that appears above the examples of poor writing. Additional model documents appear on the Student website for additional review of effective writing.

Writing the Introductory Paragraph

·  Show the visual (below left) as you lead a discussion about techniques for developing the introductory paragraph.

·  Show the visual (below right) as you review six possible beginnings of bad-news messages. Assign Activity 7 that requires students to write the opening and the close for one of the situations in Activity 2. Have them consider the approaches used in the opening paragraphs of the model documents in the chapter.

Resource slide 11: Developing the Opening

Resource slide 12: Effective Openings for Bad-News Message

·  Have students complete Activity 4 in small groups and share revisions with class. Project the visual (right) as you emphasize the contrast between the deductive opening and revised inductive opening to help students understand the value of presenting bad news inductively.

Resource slide 13: Perfecting Buffer Statements

Presenting the Facts, Analysis, and Reasons

·  Show the visual as you discuss techniques for writing the explanation section.

·  Refer students to Figure 7-2 on p. 107 as you reinforce principles of writing the introductory paragraph and the explanation section.

·  Present the following scenarios as an in-class group assignment. Ask students to write the body of the letter. Discuss their solutions.

Resource slide 14: Guidelines for Composing Reasons

Because sales numbers are down for the quarter, your supervisor is implementing a new program for restricting employee access to eBay, Facebook, and other entertainment websites. He has asked you to write the new policy and inform employees of the policy and the sanctions for not adhering to the policy. When communicating this message to employees, how can you counteract resistance to the limit while minimizing any ill feelings toward the company?

Writing the Bad-News Statement

·  Show the visuals as you discuss ways to minimize the impact of bad news and techniques for writing the bad-news statement.

Resource slides 16: Examples of De-Emphasis Techniques

Resource slides 17: Examples of De-Emphasis Techniques (cont)

·  Refer students to Figure 7-2 on p. 107 as you reinforce principles of writing the bad-news statement.

·  Have students complete Activity 5 in small groups and share revisions with class. Project the visual (right) as you emphasize the contrast between the deductive opening and revised inductive opening to help students understand the value of presenting bad news inductively.

Resource slide 15: Wording the Bad-News Statement

Resource slide 19: Perfecting Refusal Statement

·  Have students complete Activity 6 in small groups and share revised statements that portray a positive tone.

·  Ask student to compose and contrast two statements: one that implies management’s refusal to sponsor a volunteer program and one sentence of direct refusal. If necessary, provide the following example for a refusal to adopt a business casual dress policy: “If our clients expected us to dress casually, we could adopt a casual dress policy” for the implied bad news and “We cannot adopt a casual dress policy because our clients expect us to dress professionally” for the direct statement of refusal.

Offering a Counterproposal or “Silver Lining” Idea

·  Show the visuals below as you discuss the difference between a counterproposal and a silver lining (left) and introduce the concept of using these approaches for delivering bad news.

Resource slide 18: Offering a Counterproposal or “Silver Lining”

·  Emphasize that offering an alternative instead of a flat “no” keeps communication open and avoids damage to egos. Discuss possible analogies to help students understand the effect of the counterproposal: The counterproposal is to the “no” response as a highway detour is to the desired route. Although the detour may require more time and be less desirable than the desired route, the driver will reach his or her destination.

·  Remind students that effective counterproposals or the “silver lining” approach are the best approach to continuing customer loyalty. Customers satisfied with the handling of a bad-news situation and with the offered counterproposal will be the customers who return to a business.

·  Project the visuals as you discuss examples of how the counterproposal and silver lining might work in a message, and use the fourth visual to wrap up the discussion showing the alternatives as a way to maintain a relationship with the receiver.

Resource slide 22: Closing Positively—What Would You Do

Resource slide 23: Closing Positively—What Not to Do

Closing Positively

·  Show the visuals as you discuss techniques for writing the closing paragraph.

Resource slide 20: Techniques for Closing Positively

·  Refer students to Figure 7-2 on page 107 as you reinforce principles of writing the closing paragraph.

·  Assign Activity 7 that requires students to study the approaches used in the closing paragraphs in the model documents in the chapter.

Learning Objective 4

Prepare messages handling problems with customers’ orders and denying credit.

Types of Bad News Messages

·  Show the visual as you introduce all the types of bad-news messages.

·  Remind students that determining whether a message is bad news focuses on received reaction to the message.

Resource slide 6: Types of Bad-News Messages

REFUSING A REQUEST

·  Show the visual (also Figure 7-3 on page 110) as you lead in a discussion of successful refusals for requests/favors. Point out that refusing employee requests is just as important as refusal letters that must build customer goodwill. The same type of sensitivity and honest explanations are needed.

·  Show the visuals (also Figure 7-4, poor example, and Figure 7-5, good example, on pages 111-112) as you discuss refusal to employees.

Resource slide 26: Refusal of Employee Request: What Does Not Work

·  Assign Activity 8 (employee refusal) or Activity 9 (external refusal) for classwork/homework. Project the solution provided on resource slides as you review the assignment.