Exam 9: Negative Messages

Martin must write a negative-news message to his boss to tell her that his monthly sales report will be late.He has just completed Phase 1 of the prewriting process and is beginning Phase 2.What should he do first?

Select the best closing paragraph of a bad-news letter.

When you have negative news to deliver, one of your first considerations is how the message will affect its receiver.

The bad feelings associated with disappointing news can generally be reduced if the receiver

When the reader may overlook the bad news or when firmness is necessary, the ____________________ organizational pattern should be used.

Capital Management is in a budget crunch and plans to make major layoffs next month.What is the best advice for communicating this crisis to employees?

The purpose of a buffer statement in a negative message is to

Which of the following is the best advice when presenting the reasons for the bad news?

Bad-news messages to customers differ from other bad-news messages in what one major way?

List three times when the direct organizational pattern can effectively be used to deliver negative bad news; then give an original example of each.

The ____________________ Credit Reporting Act and Equal Credit Opportunity Act state that consumers who are denied loans must receive a notice of "adverse action" explaining the decision.

Which of the following is the best example of an effective buffer in a bad-news letter telling a job applicant that she didn't get the position for which she interviewed?

When abusive language is written, it is called ____________________.

Charles sent a letter to a teacher who had requested a tour of his company.In the letter he included the sentence "Although we would love to have your class visit our company, much of the work area is too dangerous for group tours." What has Charles done that might lead to legal difficulties?

Caroline must deny a request made by one of her employees.The most effective statement in a bad-news message denying this request would be

Showing thanks to the reader for doing business in the opening is a good way to start a negative-news letter.

When communicating bad news, business communicators have five important goals.List and explain four of these goals.

An important goal when delivering negative-news messages is to strive to project a professional and positive image of you and your organization.

When should the direct pattern be used to communicate negative news?

To be actionable (likely to result in a lawsuit), abusive language can be written or spoken.