Writing 2111F/G Chapter 8: Negative Messages

• School: Western University
• Department: Writing
• Course: Writing 2111F/G
• Professor: Melanie Chambers

Document Summary

Reasons: readers who are totally surprised had much more negative feelings than those who expected the negative, don"t hide behind company policy, avoid saying you cannot do something. Negatives: de-emphasize the negative by putting it in the same paragraph as the reason, rather than in a paragraph by itself, sometimes you can imply it rather than stating it. Alternatives: give the reader an alternative or a compromise, when you give an alternative, give readers all the information. Endings: the best endings will look into the future, avoid endings that seem insincere. Checking tone in negative messages: tone the implied attitude of the author towards the reader and the subject. Handling apologies: don"t apologize when you are not at fault. If you apologize, do it early, briefly, and sincerely. If the negative information will directly lead to a benefit that you know readers want, use the pattern of organization for informative and positive messages: humor can defuse negative messages.