Chapter 7- Writing Routine and Positive Messages – Flashcards

Explanation, benefits and questions.

Action, Contact, and Appreciation. (1) A specific request that includes any relevant deadlines, (2) Information about how you can be reached, if it isn't obvious a (3) An expression of appreciation or goodwill.

Information or action *State the request *Support the request *Introduce reader benefits.

*Ask for a recommendation *Support the request. *Express your appreciation.

*State the problem. *Explain your situation. *Request for specific action.

Message Goals *Communicate Information *Answer all Questions *Provide the details. *Leave a Impression

*Main Idea *Support * Close Clear Details Thank you Concise Tone Follow-up

*Prompt *Gracious *Thorough

*Interpret policy *Determine fault

*Acknowledge the claim or complaint. *Sympathize with the customer. *Take responsibility for the outcome. *Explain your plan of action. *Work to repair the relationship. *Follow up on your response.

*Refuse Claim *Grant Claim Adjustment Cost. Deter mistakes Business Cost. Keep customers.

*Assess the situation *Offer feasible solutions *Avoid the blame game.

Candidate Objective Relationship Evidence Comparison Evaluation

*Updates *Status *Policies *Procedures

*Facilities. *Executives. *Products *Services *Community

*Select relevant, newsworthy items **Focus on one subject. *Put the most important information first. ***Use short sentences and paragraphs. **Eliminate clutter and extraneous facts. ******Be as specific as possible. *****Avoid being self-congratulatory *****Follow accepted industry standards

*Direct-to-customers **Social media releases

*Messages *Information. *Entertainment.

*Congratulations. **Appreciation. ***Condolences. ****Sympathy.

*Pay Attention to tone. Instead of demanding action ("Send me the latest version of the budget spreadsheet"), show respect by using words such as please and I would appreciate. **Assume that your audience will comply. Because the request is routine, you can generally assume that your readers will comply when they clearly understand the reason for your request. ***Be Specific. State precisely what you want. For example, if you request the latest market data from your research department, be sure to say whether you want a 1-page summary or 100 pages of raw data.

*Ask the most important questions first. If cost is your main concern, you might begin with a question such as "How much will it cost to have our new website created by an outside firm?" Then you may want to ask more specific but related questions, such as whether discounts are available for paying early. **Deal with only one topic per question. If you have an unusual or complex request, break it down into specific, individual questions so that the reader can address each one separately. This consideration not only shows respect for your audience's time but also gets you a more accurate answer in less time.

*Asking for Information or Action Routine requests can have up to three basic elements: What you want to know or what you want your readers to do Why you're making the request (not required in all cases) Why it may be in your readers' interest to help you (not applicable in all cases). For simple requests, using the direct approach gets the job done with a minimum of fuss. In more complex situations, you may need to provide more extensive reasons and justification for your request. If applicable, point out any benefits to the reader of complying with your request. Naturally, be sure to adapt your request to your audience and the situation. **Asking for Recommendations The need to inquire about people arises often in business. Requests for recommendations and references are routine, so you can organize your inquiry using the direct approach. Open your message by clearly stating why the recommendation is required (if it's not for a job, be sure to explain its purpose) and that you would like your reader to write the letter. If you haven't had contact with the person for some time, use the opening to trigger the reader's memory of the relationship you had, the dates of association, and any special events or accomplishments that might bring a clear and favorable picture of you to mind. Use the body of the request to list all the information the recipient would need to write the recommendation, including the full name and address or email address of the person to whom the recommendation should be sent. Consider including an updated résumé if you've had significant career advancement since your last contact. Close your message with an expression of appreciation. When asking for an immediate recommendation, you should also mention the deadline. If you are requesting a printed letter, always be sure to enclose a stamped, preaddressed envelope as a convenience to the other party. ***Making Claims and Requesting Adjustments If you're dissatisfied with a company's product or service, you can opt to make a claim (a formal complaint) or request an adjustment (a settlement of a claim). In either case, it's important to maintain a professional tone in all your communication, no matter how angry or frustrated you are. Open with a clear and calm statement of the problem along with your request. In the body, give a complete, specific explanation of the details. Provide any information the recipient needs to verify your complaint. In your close, politely request specific action or convey a sincere desire to find a solution. Be prepared to back up your claim with invoices, sales receipts, canceled checks, dated correspondence, and any other relevant documents. Send copies and keep the originals for your files. If the remedy is obvious, tell your reader exactly what you expect from the company. In some cases, you might ask the recipient to resolve a problem. However, if you're uncertain about the precise nature of the trouble, you could ask the company to make an assessment and then advise you on how the situation could be fixed. Supply your contact information so that the company can discuss the situation with you, if necessary.

*Positive Messages. Just as you'll make numerous requests for information and action throughout your career, you'll also respond to similar requests from other people. ****^^^ When you are responding positively to a request, sending routine announcements, or sending a positive or goodwill message, you have several goals: 1.Communicate the information 2.The good news, 3.Answer all questions, 4. Provide all required details, and 5. leave your reader with a good impression of you and your firm. Communicate the information Answer all questions Provide all required details Readers receiving routine replies and positive messages will generally be interested in what you have to say, so use the direct approach. Place your main idea (the positive reply or the good news) in the opening. Use the body to explain all the relevant details, and close cordially, perhaps highlighting a benefit to your reader. *Starting With the Main Idea By opening with the main idea or good news, you prepare your audience for the details that follow. Make your opening clear and concise. The best way to write a clear opening is to have a clear idea of what you want to say. Before you begin, ask yourself, "What is the single most important message I have for the audience?" **Providing Necessary Details and Explanation Use the body to expand on the opening message so that readers get all the information they need. As you provide the details, maintain the supportive tone established in the opening. This tone is easy to continue when your message is entirely positive. However, if your routine message is mixed and must convey mildly disappointing information, put the negative portion of your message into as favorable a context as possible. The more complete description is less negative and emphasizes how the audience can benefit from the change. However, if the negative news is likely to be a shock or particularly unpleasant for the reader, you'll want to use the indirect approach. ***Ending with a Courteous Close The close of routine replies and positive messages is usually short and simple, because you're leaving things on a neutral or positive note and not usually asking for the reader to do anything. Often, a simple thank you is all you need. However, if follow-up action is required or expected, use the close to identify who will do what and when that action will take place.

A prompt, gracious, and thorough response will positively influence how people think about you and the organization you represent. When you're answering requests from a potential customer or other decision maker, look for subtle and respectful ways to encourage a decision in your favor.

Your response to a customer complaint depends on your company's policies for resolving such issues and your assessment of whether the company, the customer, or some third party is at fault.

1.Answers to Routine requests for information. 2.Grants of Claims and requests for adjustment. 3.Recommendations. 4. Routine informational messages, 5. Good-news announcements, 6.Goodwill messages.

As a general approach, take the following steps: *Acknowledge receipt of the customer's claim or complaint. **Sympathize with the customer's inconvenience or frustration. **Take (or assign) personal responsibility for setting matters straight. **Explain precisely how you have resolved, or plan to resolve, the situation. **Take steps to repair the relationship. **Follow up to verify that your response was correct. In addition to taking these positive steps, maintain a professional demeanor.

If you choose to grant the claim, open with that good news. However, the body needs special attention because you want to discourage similar claims in the future. Close in a courteous manner that expresses your appreciation for the customer's business.

Evaluate each situation carefully and know your company's policies before responding. Regardless of who eventually resolves the problem, though, if customers contact you, you need to respond with messages that explain how the problem will be solved

A successful recommendation letter contains a number of relevant details: **The candidate's full name **The position or other objective the candidate is seeking **The nature of your relationship with the candidate **Facts and evidence relevant to the candidate and the opportunity **A comparison of this candidate's potential with that of peers, if available **Your overall evaluation of the candidate's suitability for the opportunity

Many messages involve sharing routine information, such as project updates and order status notifications. Use the opening of these routine messages to state the purpose and briefly mention the nature of the information you are providing. Provide the necessary details in the body and end your message with a courteous close.

External good-news announcements are often communicated in a news release, also known as a press release, a specialized document used to share relevant information with the news media. **To write a successful news release, keep the following points in mind: **Above all else, make sure your information is newsworthy and relevant to the specific publications or websites to which you are sending it. **Focus on one subject; don't try to pack a single news release with multiple, unrelated news items. **Put your most important idea first. Don't force editors to hunt for the news. **Be brief: Break up long sentences and keep paragraphs short. **Eliminate clutter, such as redundancy and extraneous facts. **Be as specific as possible. **Minimize self-congratulatory adjectives and adverbs; if the content of your message is newsworthy, the media professionals will be interested in the news on its own merits. **Follow established industry conventions for style, punctuation, and format. *****The newest twist on news releases is the social media release, which has several advantages over the traditional release. 1 .First, the social media release includes bullet-point content that is blog- and Twitter-friendly, making it easy for enthusiasts and others to share key points. 2. Second, as an electronic-only document (a specialized webpage, essentially), the social media release offers the ability to include videos and other multimedia elements. 3.Third, social bookmarking buttons make it easy for people to help publicize the content.

**All business messages should be written with an eye toward fostering positive relationships with audiences, but some messages are written specifically to build goodwill. You can use these messages to enhance your relationships with customers, colleagues, and other businesspeople by sending friendly, even unexpected, notes with no direct business purpose. ***You can craft almost any routine message in a way to build goodwill. Two ways to do this are by providing information that your readers might find helpful and by using the content and tone of your message to provide an element of entertainment.

Taking note of significant events in someone's personal life helps foster the business relationship. If you're already friendly with the reader, a more personal tone is appropriate.

Your praise does more than just make the person feel good; it encourages further excellence. A message of appreciation may also become an important part of someone's personnel file, so provide specific information wherever possible.

Condolence letters are brief personal messages written to comfort someone after the death of a loved one. The primary purpose of condolence messages is to let the audience know that you and the organization you represent care about the person's loss. Follow these three principles: Short, Simple, and Sincere. As you decide what to include in the message, keep two points in mind. *First, make it a personal expression of sympathy, but don't make the whole message about you and your sense of loss. **Second, don't offer "life advice," and don't include trite sayings that you may have heard or read. Do NOT USE ELECTRONIC MEDIA. Condolences messages ARE most important messages you will ever have to write.

1. State your request 2. Give necessary details 3. Close with a cordial request 4.What you want to know 5. Why you're making the request 6.Why it may be in your readers' interest to help you State the request: Tone, Audience, and specifics.

1. Explain the problem. 2. Request specific action. 3.Provide backup infomrsation

TRUE

a specialized document used to share relevant information with the news media

brief personal messages written to comfort someone after the death of a loved one

a formal complaint

a settlement of a claim