Deck 9: Delivering Negative Messages

Question 1

It is always better to work out a customer problem in a public forum, so that the public can see how you deal with customers.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Using the phrase "I am sorry that we are unable to" will help to soften a negative message.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Which of the following is most likely to be a positive message rather than a negative one?

A) a rejection or refusal
B) an announcement of a policy change that suits the audience
C) a highly critical performance review
D) a disciplinary notice
E) a notice of defect for a product and a product recall

Answer 3

B

Question 4

All shipments from a kitchen supply company are delayed because products are stuck in customs overseas. Jacqueline, a delivery manager, is required to inform a client that she will not be able to make his delivery by the required date. Since Jacqueline has a good relationship with this client, she expects him to understand. In which of the following ways should she express the negative message to her client?

A) She should first inform him about the customs issue and then state that the delivery will be delayed.
B) She should clearly and unemotionally tell him that there might be a delay in delivery, but she should avoid providing any other information.
C) She should begin by telling him that one of her team members had forgotten to inform her of the delivery date.
D) She should mention the delay at least a few times in the body to ensure the message is clear to him.
E) She should end her message with an apology and a statement of regret.

Question 5

A negative message to a customer should end with

A) an account of how the problem occurred.
B) a statement restating the problem.
C) clear data about the negative information.
D) explanation of the history of the problem.
E) a positive, forward-looking statement.

Question 6

Having the audience accept the bad news is a secondary purpose of negative messages.

Question 7

Which of the following ways is the right way to deal with criticism?

A) Focus more on your response than the criticism.
B) Listen carefully even if you don't value the person.
C) Defend yourself, but do not express anger.
D) Accept the criticism without asking questions.
E) Consider it a misunderstanding if it cannot be clarified and let it go.

Question 8

All negative messages should contain an apology in order to sound sincere.

Question 9

Ann has been called into an unplanned meeting with her supervisor, who wants to give her feedback on her recent project. During the meeting, Ann's supervisor criticizes her style of working and her inability to focus on her tasks. Which of the following should Ann do to deal with the criticism effectively?

A) She should focus on her response instead of on the criticism.
B) She should attempt to determine the accuracy of the criticism.
C) She should express her true feelings about the criticism.
D) She should clarify her stance and then forget about the criticism.
E) She should avoid asking any questions as this will encourage further criticism.

Question 10

When you present a good alternative in a negative message, it is better to place the alternative in the opening of the message.

Question 11

Which of the following is recommended while conveying bad news to customers?

A) Present good reasons for a refusal at the end of a message.
B) Convey the negative news twice in a message in order for it to be clear.
C) Present negative information ambiguously to avoid offending the customer.
D) Present an alternative or compromise if one is available.
E) Ask for an action that will help the customer accept the consequences easily.

Question 12

Stanislaw is in charge of the efficient shipping department of a well-known automobile manufacturing company. On Monday, Stanislaw faced a problem that caused shipping to be stopped for two hours. This caused a possible financial loss to the company. While informing his boss of the delay, Stanislaw should remember to

A) tell him the problem emotionally.
B) state only one alternative to the problem, even though there are more.
C) avoid making suggestions to fix the problem.
D) wait for his boss to suggest a solution.
E) describe the underlying factors that led to the specific problem.

Question 13

You should present disciplinary notices and negative performance appraisals indirectly with buffers.

Question 14

When choosing a channel for delivering bad news, you should consider the type and complexity of the explanation.

Question 15

Messages that at first appear to be negative cannot be structured to create a positive feeling.

Question 16

Which of the following is an effective way to begin a negative message to a customer to make it more likely that the customer will read the letter?

A) turning the negative message into a persuasive one
B) presenting the negative information in a positive way
C) using a buffer and then presenting the bad news
D) putting the bad news first, while pairing it with an alternative
E) presenting only alternatives without mentioning the bad news

Question 17

One of the primary purposes of a negative message is to

A) reduce further communication on the same subject.
B) retain a good image of the communicator's organization.
C) avoid creating more work for the sender.
D) maintain as much goodwill as possible.
E) maintain a good image of the communicator.

Question 18

In business documents, apologies should be provided at the beginning and end of a message.

Question 19

Which of the following statements about negative messages is true?

A) They are separate from business and administrative communication.
B) They rarely attempt to maintain goodwill.
C) They have a single purpose of eliminating future communication on an issue.
D) They are unable to be restructured to create a positive feeling.
E) They should make readers feel that the decision made is fair and reasonable.

Question 20

Giving your audience an alternative or a compromise in a negative message allows you to end on a positive note.

Question 21

Jessica has been a loyal customer of the Deluxe Bank for more than ten years. Over the years, she has never faced any major problems with the bank. However, when she applied for a house loan recently, her request was rejected. In response, Jessica closed her current account with the bank and switched to another bank. Her response illustrates the phenomenon of

A) psychological repression.
B) emotional regression.
C) psychological reactance.
D) psychodynamics.
E) psychodrama.

Question 22

If Tina is angry about her team's failure to meet a deadline, how should she communicate this to her team?

A) She should single-handedly determine a way to prevent the problem from happening again.
B) She should communicate with each team member individually.
C) She should point out how the problem affects her and no one else.
D) She should point out how the problem impacts other people or the company.
E) She should use "should have" statements to tell the team what they should have done.

Question 23

DeLawn's supervisor has asked him to send her the progress report of a campaign he worked on. To send the report, he needs to collect updates from other managers on the project. He does not receive an update from the communication manager and is, therefore, unable to send the report on time. Which of the following illustrates the most appropriate apology for DeLawn to send to his supervisor?

A) Please consider my sincere apologies for the delay. I had to wait for the update from the communication manager. It was not my fault.
B) I am sorry I could not send the report in on time. The communication manager sent the update this afternoon.
C) I needed an update from the communication manager to send you the report. Now that I have it, please find the report enclosed with this email.
D) Do consider apologies from our entire team for not sending the report on time.
E) I am sorry I could not meet the deadline for submitting the report. I can assure you it will not happen again.

Question 24

Which of the following is a result of providing a reason for a negative message?

A) It results in the audience being "totally surprised" by the negative news.
B) It results in the audience having stronger feelings about the negative message.
C) It prepares the audience for the negative, resulting in people who more easily accept it.
D) It prepares the audience for an appropriately angry response.
E) It helps dilute the negative message so that the audiences are not expecting it.

Question 25

Which of the following statements about cross-cultural apologizing is true?

A) Western cultures assume that apologies are ways of expressing regret.
B) Group-oriented cultures assume that apologies are a way to take responsibility for mistakes.
C) The reactions to apologies are deeply tied to culture.
D) Cultural differences in interpreting apologies are relevant mainly in social situations.
E) Cross-cultural apologizing rarely applies to international businesses based in the United States.

Question 26

April needs to tell her subordinate Naila that she will not be given a raise despite her excellent work. Before sending the message, April considers the severity of the message, the degree of surprise the subordinate will experience, her corporate culture, and her relationship with the subordinate. In this scenario, April is most likely considering these factors in order to

A) identify a language in which to deliver the bad news.
B) decide whether or not she should deliver the bad news at all.
C) determine the level of honesty she should include in the bad news.
D) determine who she can recommend to make the presentation instead of her.
E) choose a channel for delivering the bad news.

Question 27

Lupe is an advertising manager for a business. She notices that one of her subordinates, Althea, has not achieved any of her objectives for an ongoing advertising campaign. After speaking to the other advertising managers, Lupe discovers that Althea has not achieved her objectives for some other projects as well. After her discussion with the HR department, Lupe decides that Althea should be terminated. Which of the following would be the most effective way for Lupe to convey this news to Althea?

A) Lupe should send Althea a Facebook posting telling her that she has been terminated.
B) Lupe should send Althea a tweet informing her that she must not resume work the next day.
C) Lupe should present the reasons for Althea's termination ambiguously to avoid offending her.
D) Lupe should deliver this news to Althea in person if possible.
E) Lupe should present the news in such a way that it comes as a surprise to Althea.

Question 28

Which of the following parts of a negative message allows you to delay the negative with the help of a neutral or positive statement?

A) subject line
B) buffer
C) reason
D) alternative
E) ending

Question 29

Which of the following must be true of a buffer for it to be effective?

A) It should put the reader in a negative frame of mind to accept the bad news.
B) It should convey the bad news explicitly in the beginning of a message.
C) It should convey bad news to a reader ambiguously to avoid antagonizing him or her.
D) It should provide a smooth, natural transition to the body of the letter.
E) It should convert bad news into good news through persuasion.

Question 30

Jetline Airways regularly emails its customers with quarterly statements of their earned frequent flier miles. Now, to save money, the company is going to stop mailing statements and ask customers to look up the information on the airline's website. Which of the following illustrates the most effective way to recast the situation as a positive message?

A) This is your last Preferred Passenger paper statement.
B) Next month onward, we will be unable to mail you frequent flier miles earned.
C) New, convenient online statements will replace this quarterly mailing.
D) Please check our website every time you need details about frequent flier miles earned.
E) If you need updates about frequent flier miles earned, refer to our website.

Question 31

Aurora is an HR manager at a cell phone business in Denaria, a developing country. She is organizing a bazaar for the business's customers and employees. The funds from this event will contribute to a project for the education of underprivileged children. However, the event is just a week away and the participation has been extremely low. This may cause Aurora's company to cancel the event. Aurora needs to inform her manager about the low participation so that he can take an immediate decision on it. Which of the following would be the most effective subject line for Aurora 's email?

A) Status of the Denaria bazaar
B) Low participation for Denaria bazaar
C) Update on the Denaria bazaar
D) Details: Denaria bazaar
E) Urgent: Bazaar update for your reference

Question 32

In business communication, ________ is particularly important when you want readers to feel that you have taken their requests seriously.

A) tone
B) apologies
C) excuses
D) commands
E) buffers

Question 33

Mateo's employee made an error in a quotation that was sent to one of Mateo 's valued customers. This placed Mateo in an extremely awkward position with the customer. Mateo was furious with his employee and wanted to communicate this to him in the best way possible. Which of the following statements illustrates the most effective use of a phrase that communicates an appropriate tone?

A) I want you to have your documents reviewed by a peer before you send them to the customer.
B) Are you always this incompetent?
C) You should have double-checked the document before you sent it to our customer.
D) Please learn from your mistakes.
E) You have put me in an awkward position and this should not happen again.

Question 34

Which of the following is recommended while providing refusals in a message?

A) De-emphasize the refusal by placing it in a different paragraph from that of the reason.
B) Ensure that the implication is ambiguous, so that the reader is not easily offended.
C) Ensure that another message is not required for conveying the same message again.
D) Emphasize the refusal by putting it in a separate paragraph by itself.
E) Present both strong and weak reasons for a refusal and let the audience choose between them.

Question 35

Lian works as a campaign manager at a marine conservation organization. For the past five years, she has been working on a campaign that has gained a lot of support from the public. This has resulted in a huge number of volunteers for the campaign. Recently, however, due to lack of budget, the campaign was temporarily closed. Lian needs to convey this negative message to the volunteers. Which of the following illustrates the most effective buffer statement that Lian should employ in her message?

A) I am sorry to inform you but work on the campaign is closed for now.
B) Due to the negative response from the wildlife department, work on the campaign is temporarily closed.
C) The campaign is over for this year and we will start again in 2015.
D) Thank you for working with us to help the campaign gain force.
E) We will no longer be working on the campaign this year. Thank you for all your support.

Question 36

Which of the following actions is recommended when dealing with criticism?

A) Focus on your response, not on the criticism.
B) Ask questions to show that you are listening.
C) Ignore criticism that seems off base.
D) Express your anger honestly.
E) Clarify the misunderstanding, but do not make any changes.

Question 37

Which of the following is an example of a negative message recast as a persuasive message?

A) A newspaper informs subscribers about a discount on the Sunday edition.
B) A newspaper urges subscribers to send in renewals early to avoid rate increases.
C) A newspaper informs subscribers that rates will increase by 10 percent.
D) A newspaper urges subscribers to get print as well as electronic versions of the paper.
E) A newspaper informs subscribers about expanded coverage of sporting events.

Question 38

When receiving criticism from a supervisor, which of the following actions will help you judge the quality of the criticism?

A) focusing on your response
B) expressing your resentment
C) ignoring the criticism
D) asking questions
E) criticizing the supervisor

Question 39

Which of the following is recommended while providing alternatives in a negative message to an audience?

A) Execute the alternatives stated in the message and ask the audience for approval.
B) Provide limited information to the audience to act on the alternatives.
C) Limit the audience's psychological freedom to refuse the alternatives.
D) Allow the audience to decide whether they want to try the alternatives.
E) Take the necessary steps to implement the alternatives.

Question 40

Which of the following should you do while creating a subject line for a negative message?

A) Use a generic subject line when readers may ignore the message.
B) Use a negative subject line when the reader needs the information to make a decision.
C) Use a neutral subject line to ensure that the reader reads the message.
D) Use an ambiguous subject line when the reader needs to make a decision.
E) Use a buffer in the subject line so that it stands out and draws the reader's attention.

Question 41

Which of the following statements about using technology for negative messages is true?

A) Employers should avoid using social media for communicating negative messages.
B) Handling communication on social media is a rote operation for most companies.
C) An ill-conceived response to a posting rarely goes viral.
D) Getting into a heated discussion on a public forum probably will benefit business.
E) It is far better to work out a customer problem online.

Question 42

Many large corporations now have ________ handling negative social media posts.

A) the CEO
B) outside firms
C) one specialist
D) two or three employees
E) teams of employees

Question 43

After a company fixes a problem, it should respond to further references

A) by emphasizing that one or two employees caused the problem.
B) with a brief statement that the situation has been handled, but should avoid giving an apology.
C) by emphasizing that the problem wasn't their fault to begin with.
D) with a brief, nondefensive statement that they handled the situation and regret the mistake.
E) with a lengthy explanation of the steps involved in fixing the problem.

Question 44

Give an example to illustrate two primary purposes of a negative message.

Question 45

David Mason is a sales manager at a telecom company, and he recently reviewed the sales report of one of the company's outlets. He is disappointed to see the low sale of mobile connections and now needs to convey the message to his subordinates. What kind of an organization should he follow while conveying his message?

Question 46

Which of the following should be undertaken while creating disciplinary notices?

A) Present them directly to increase their importance.
B) Present them by starting and ending with a positive statement.
C) Minimize the severity of an issue with the help of buffers.
D) Use generalizations and inferences for all statements made.
E) Avoid citing quantifiable observations of the employee's behavior.

Question 47

List the steps for organizing a message conveying bad news to superiors.

Question 48

Haruka's business flight back to the city where she works was delayed by two days, and she was very upset about having to pay for two additional nights at her hotel. While writing a complaint to the airline, which of the following should Haruka follow?

A) She should ask for reimbursement of her accommodation expenses for those two days.
B) She should write in length explaining her predicament.
C) She should threaten to never fly with the airlines again.
D) She should begin the letter with a buffer.
E) She should ask the airlines to pay her for her entire trip's accommodation.

Question 49

Which of the following statements about resignation letters written by employees is true?

A) The best letters try to neutralize the feeling that the organization is not good enough.
B) The best letters try to convey the message that the employee has better things to do.
C) Positive letters can reduce your chances for receiving a positive recommendation in the future.
D) If the letters are negative, they will help the organization to improve itself in the future.
E) Resignation letters are easy to write because they do not have serious future implications.

Question 50

Which of the following is recommended while writing rejections and refusals?

A) Avoid providing an alternative because it tends to shift focus from the refusal.
B) Make the message short and aggressive so that the reader takes it seriously.
C) Double-check the words to ensure that the message means different things in different situations.
D) Use your knowledge of the organization's culture for messages within the organization.
E) Avoid using knowledge about the specific individual while crafting the message.

Question 51

Which of the following statements about layoffs is true?

A) They never happen for personal reasons.
B) They provide long-term savings.
C) They should be delivered with little empathy.
D) They hurt the productivity of remaining employees.
E) They require little explanation by the employers.

Question 52

RVM Corp. is currently in the process of hiring recent college graduates for its internship positions. Which of the following should the company do when emailing candidates who did not qualify for an in-person interview round?

A) Suggest an alternate position for which the candidates can apply.
B) State that the procedures of the hiring process are confidential.
C) Keep the email short and concise.
D) Phrase the refusal bluntly.
E) List out the reasons why the candidates were not selected.

Question 53

Which of the following statements about claims in business communication is true?

A) They should always be conveyed through a paper trail instead of a phone call.
B) They should invariably start with a buffer because this will ensure that they are seen as valid.
C) They should include supporting facts such as what went wrong and the extent of damage.
D) They should be free from identifiers because those tend to cloud a reader's judgment.
E) They should ambiguously state the problem at the end of a message.

Question 54

Lynn has received repeated negative feedback about her attitude toward her co-workers. In spite of this, she has continued to behave disrespectfully with a few of them. A suitable response from the company in this situation is to

A) present Lynn with a disciplinary notice with no buffer in the beginning.
B) make inferences about Lynn based on her behavior.
C) draw conclusions from Lynn 's behavior patterns.
D) cite general observations about Lynn 's behavior while giving her feedback.
E) fire Lynn without any warning before productivity is affected.

Question 55

Give an example of how you should convey a negative message to a customer.

Question 56

Which of the following messages would most likely be the hardest to compose?

A) product recalls
B) instructional pamphlets
C) sales letters
D) press releases
E) advertising brochures

Question 57

Which of the following is the most likely result of communicating honest reasons for a company's layoffs?

A) It is unlikely to protect the company from legal liabilities.
B) It is less likely to cause employees to sue the company.
C) It may make it more difficult to save jobs.
D) It makes layoff notices necessary.
E) It will permanently help the bottom line.

Question 58

Acme Electronics received a complaint on Twitter about an mp3 player that transmitted a shock to a user who was listening to it as it was charging. The employee who responded to the complaint tweeted back, "Maybe you should learn to read. The instruction booklet cautions against doing that." What is the most likely consequence of this response?

A) The customer will withdraw her complaint after learning the problem was her own fault.
B) The employee will be praised for giving a reply that absolves the company from responsibility.
C) The employee's tweet will go viral and create negative publicity for the company.
D) Other Twitter users will defend the company and criticize the original poster.
E) The exchange will probably go unnoticed because of the high volume of traffic on Twitter.

Question 59

Performance reviews will be positive when they are designed to

A) expose the company to legal liabilities.
B) help the company build a dossier to support firing an employee.
C) help an underperforming employee excel.
D) help when an employee violates company policy.
E) help a basically good employee improve.

Question 60

How can you best express refusals in a message? Explain.

Question 61

List the phrases which you should avoid in negative messages? Why?

Question 62

List several reasons why giving the audience an alternative is a good idea.

Question 63

What are the differences between writing a complaint and writing a rejection?

Question 64

Explain why social media are not effective channels to solve customer complaints.

Question 65

Insta Bank cannot increase the credit amount for Mr. Davis's credit card because of his poor credit history with the bank. While explaining this to Mr. Davis in an email, what should the bank manager, Yolande, consider?