Exam 10: Writing Routine and Positive Messages

If the middle section of your request letter contains a series of questions, the most important question should be saved for last.

In a routine request, the ________ of the message should contain an explanation of what you are asking the audience to do.

If you are sending an informative memo to employees about policy statements or procedural changes, you should

When writing a claim letter, you should assume that you will receive a fair adjustment.

Thanks to the Internet and social media, many companies now rely on ________ news releases, in which they communicate directly with customers and other audiences instead of going through the media.

Most routine informative messages are

When you're responding to a complaint from a customer and your company is at fault,

You're preparing an internal blog posting providing information on this year's annual company picnic. The message is generally positive, but you need to say that-unlike past picnics-the event will not be catered. What approach is best for conveying mildly disappointing information such as this in the context of a positive message?

If you have serious concerns about the qualifications of a job candidate who has asked you for a written recommendation, you should

Because informative messages such as meeting announcements and reminder notices are generally neutral, it is not necessary to worry too much about the reader's attitude toward the information.

If your routine message must convey some mildly disappointing information, put the negative portion into as ________ a context as possible.

Most routine requests in business should be organized using the ________ approach, with the main idea at the beginning of the message.

When making a claim or requesting an adjustment from a company, you should document your initial complaint and every correspondence after that.

A claim is ________; an adjustment is ________.

When responding to a request for adjustment when a third party is at fault, the best approach is to

Since a social media release emphasizes bullet-point content over narrative paragraphs, bloggers, editors, and others

List four guidelines to follow in preparing the opening of a routine request in the direct format.

Messages of ________ need not be poetic to express sympathy.

In corresponding with customers, making statements such as, "Thank you for purchasing the most durable notebook computer you can buy" is

List the three major categories of common routine requests.