Deck 10: Delivering Negative Messages

Question 1

To maintain a good image of the communicator and the communicator's organization is a secondary purpose of a negative message.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: Secondary purposes of negative messages are to maintain, as much as possible, a good image of the communicator and the communicator's organization and to reduce or eliminate future communication on the same subject so the message does not create more work for the sender.

Question 2

Negative message that at first appears to be negative can be structured to create a positive feeling.

Answer 2

True
Explanation: Some messages that at first appear to be negative can be structured to create a positive feeling. For instance, a decision that may be negative in the short term may be shown to be a positive one in the long term.

Question 3

While giving an alternative in a negative message,one should give the audience all the information they need to act on it,but avoid taking necessary steps.

Answer 3

True
Explanation: While giving an alternative in a negative message, one should give the audience all the information they need to act on it, but avoid taking necessary steps. Giving the audience an alternative or a compromise, if one is available, is a good idea because it offers the audience another way to get what they want.

Question 4

A buffer is a statement that allows a communicator to present bad news in the beginning of a message.

Question 5

In a negative message,one should ensure that good alternatives are mentioned in the ending.

Question 6

A neutral subject line in a message ensures that the audience reads the message.

Question 7

In a negative message,it is best to deemphasize the refusal by placing it in a paragraph by itself.

Question 8

The best way to organize a negative message depends on the audience and on the severity of the negative information.

Question 9

A person should write a buffer only when one is sure that he/she can write a good buffer.

Question 10

Chronology of events is an example of a buffer statement in a message.

Question 11

When conveying bad news to a superior,one should recommend a way to deal with the problem.

Question 12

While apologizing in business communication,one should do so twice,i.e.,once at the beginning of the message and another time at the end of the message.

Question 13

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

Question 14

While stating reasons in a negative message,it is good to use as many reasons as possible,including weak and strong ones.

Question 15

A way for managers to prepare for possible negatives is by giving full information as and when it becomes available.

Question 16

While delivering negative messages to clients,one should make inconspicuous refusals so that it does not offend the reader.

Question 17

A message which contains a serious negative should always be delivered by e-mail.

Question 18

A secondary purpose of a negative message is to convey bad news to the audience.

Question 19

An audience's reaction can be influenced by whether it has been warned of possible negatives.

Question 20

Negative communications such as refusals,rejections,recalls,and apologies are difficult to compose.

Question 21

Which of the following should be undertaken while conveying bad news to customers?

A) Present good reasons after 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 client
D) Present an alternative or compromise if one is available
E) Ask for action which will help them accept the consequences easily

Question 22

One of the easiest categories of negative messages to write comprise of claims and complaints.

Question 23

It is important to double-check the words in a refusal in order to be sure that the reason stated does not backfire if it is applied to other contexts.

Question 24

When one needs to convey a bad news through a message,it is good to put the explanation first.

Question 25

The phrase "unfortunately" is appropriate to be used in a negative message and helps a writer empathize with the audience.

Question 26

One should provide an explicit apology irrespective of whether the mistake is minor or major.

Question 27

April Burton who works at an art gallery in Paris recently worked on marketing their line of renaissance exhibits.The marketing strategies worked very well across the city and the gallery sold a large number of paintings during the month of the marketing campaign.Burton was asked by her manager last week to give a presentation to the board of directors on the marketing strategies she implemented.Though she initially agreed,due to a personal emergency,she now realizes that she cannot make it to the date of the presentation.Which of the following should she do to convey the negative message in the best manner possible to her manager?

A) Let her manager know at the earliest that she will be unable to give the presentation
B) Ask her manager to postpone the date of presentation to another day
C) Ask if she can send her colleague who also worked on marketing the exhibits
D) Ask her manager for possible solutions to solve the problem and take action
E) Inconspicuously mention her unavailability to give the presentation

Question 28

Which of the following is an example of a negative message?

A) Fundraising brochure
B) Product recalls
C) Job offer letter
D) Approval letter
E) Rack card

Question 29

Which of the following is a primary purpose of a negative message?

A) To convey a piece of bad news to the audience
B) To maintain a good image of the communicator
C) To reduce further communication on the same subject
D) To retain a good image of the communicator's organization
E) To establish additional correspondence on the same issue

Question 30

If the problem is a large one,it is good to demonstrate you-attitude by asking the audience whether they want to confirm the original plan or make different arrangements.

Question 31

Which of the following factors influence an audience's reaction to a negative message?

A) Does the organization treat people well?
B) What is the company's revenue in the current year?
C) How large is the company's workforce?
D) Is the company a part of the fortune 500?
E) What is the financial history of the company?

Question 32

While refusing requests within an organization,it is important to use one's knowledge of the organization's culture.

Question 33

A negative message to a customer should end with:

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

Question 34

Which of the following is true of negative messages?

A) They are no longer a part of business and administrative communication.
B) They comprise of offer letters, appointment letters, and sales brochures.
C) They have a single purpose of eliminating future communication on the issue.
D) They can never be restructured to create a positive feeling.
E) They should make readers feel their request has been taken seriously.

Question 35

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

Question 36

The tone refers to the implied attitude of the author toward the reader and the subject.

Question 37

Andrea works as a campaign manager at a non-profit organization.She and her team recently finished working on a project and she has noticed that Wanda,the communications executive in the team did not achieve any of her objectives in publicizing the campaign.On checking her previous performance appraisals,she realizes that Wanda has been an underperformer for several projects.Andrea,after her discussion with the human resource department,decides to fire Wanda.Which of the following would be the best way to convey the negative message to Wanda?

A) Send Wanda an e-mail explaining her mistakes and ways to perform better
B) Send her an instant message briefly stating about her underperformance
C) Present the details about her performance ambiguously to avoid offending her
D) Deliver her performance appraisal in person instead of through e-mail or phone
E) Present the news in such a way that it comes as a surprise to Wanda

Question 38

To check the tone of a message,one should check the draft carefully for positive emphasis and you-attitude.

Question 39

While creating messages regarding layoffs and firings,it is good to state the reasons in a way that is clear but does not expose the organization to legal liabilities.

Question 40

A negative message to subordinates and peers should start with:

A) a buffer which uses a positive statement and allows one to delay a negative.
B) a clear description of the problem explaining precisely what is wrong.
C) a request to the employees to ask them to form teams and find a solution.
D) a good reason to show that one is not at fault and justifying one's actions.
E) an alternative to the problem and convincing them that it is workable.

Question 41

Racquets and Billiards,a popular club in California,has increased their membership fee for the year 2012.They now need to inform all their members about the update.They know that many of their members will not be happy to hear about this change.In the letter,they want to use a buffer before proceeding to give details about the change in membership rates.Which of the following is the club most likely to use as a buffer if they want to present good news before the bad news?

A) "Thank you for being a loyal member of our 150-year-old club."
B) "January 2012 onwards, you can avail facilities for lawn tennis and squash."
C) "Continue enjoying full facilities of the club with our revised membership rates."
D) "We would like to inform you that the membership rates have been revised."
E) "Please refer to the enclosure for details on our revised membership rates."

Question 42

Deborah Banks has been asked by her manager to send the progress report of a campaign she worked on.To send the report,she needs to collect updates from the communication,advertising,and media manager of the project.Though she receives updates from the advertising and media manager on time,update from the communication manager comes in late.She could thus,not send the report on time.Which of the following should she say when she writes to the manager while sending the report?

A) "Please consider my sincere apologies for the delay. I had to wait for the update from the communication manager."
B) "I am sorry I could not send the report in on time. The communication manager sent the update this afternoon."
C) "I needed the communication update before sending you the report. Now that I have it, please find enclosed the report."
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 43

Which of the following is true of apologies in a negative message in business communication?

A) They should not take timing into account because it is irrelevant.
B) They should be an integral part of all negative messages.
C) They should always be placed at the end of a message.
D) They should be said twice in a message in order to sound sincere.
E) They should not be used when one is not at fault.

Question 44

Which of the following is a good subject line for a negative message and ensures that it will not be ignored by a reader?

A) Office closed on 24^th April
B) Holiday in the coming week
C) Celebrate Easter on April 24^th
D) Easter Holiday next week
E) Office Update on Holidays

Question 45

Which of the following should be undertaken while providing refusals in a message?

A) Deemphasize the refusal by placing it in a different paragraph from that of the reason
B) Ensure the implication is ambiguous so that the reader is not easily offended
C) Ensure that another message need not be written to convey the same message again
D) Emphasize the refusal by putting it in a separate paragraph by itself
E) Present both strong and weak reasons to a refusal and let the audience choose from them

Question 46

Grace Morrison works as a marketing executive at the Citizens Bank in China.She is organizing a marathon event for its customers and employees,the participation funds for which will be contributed toward homeless children in Beijing.However,the event is just a week away and the participation so far has been extremely low.This may cause the bank to cancel the event.She now needs to write to her manager about the update so that she can take an immediate decision on it.Which of the following would be the best subject line for Morrison's e-mail?

A) Status of the Beijing Marathon Event
B) Low participation for Beijing Marathon Event
C) Update on the Beijing Marathon Event
D) Details: Beijing Marathon Event, 2011
E) Marathon Update for your Reference

Question 47

Which of the following is true of claims in a business communication?

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

Question 48

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

A) Subject line
B) Buffer
C) Reason
D) Alternative
E) Ending

Question 49

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

A) Present them directly to prevent reducing importance of the notice
B) Present them by starting and ending with a positive statement
C) Minimize 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 50

Which of the following should be undertaken while providing alternatives in a negative message?

A) Implement alternatives stated in the message to solve the problem
B) Provide only limited information to the audience to act on it
C) Limit the audience's psychological freedom to refuse the alternative
D) Allow the audience to decide whether they want the alternative
E) Avoid mentioning a good alternative in the ending of a message

Question 51

Alicia Watkins works at a fashion house in London and recently received an e-mail from a new client requesting for a discount on the 50 pieces of winter overcoats that they ordered.However,the company offers only a 20 percent discount on bulk orders of 200 pieces.Watkins knows that she can offer free delivery charges but cannot offer the discount the client is asking for.Which of the following would be the best way to offer a reason to support her refusal in the letter?

A) "I cannot offer you a discount on the order because our company does not allow me to do so."
B) "I know it is an unreasonable rule to not offer discounts to new customers. But I am unable to help you because of company policy."
C) "Our company cannot offer this discount because of our financial constraints due to the economic slump in the market right now."
D) "Our company offers discounts only for orders of 200 pieces or more. However, we offer deliveries free of charge."
E) "I know it is a terrible decision by my manager to not offer this discount. I wish I could help you."

Question 52

Jetline Airways regularly mails quarterly statements of frequent flier miles earned to their customers.To save money,they are going to stop mailing statements and ask customers to look up the information at their website.Which of the following should Jetline Airways state in their message to the customers which would convert the negative message into a positive one?

A) "This is your last Preferred Passenger paper statement."
B) "Next month onwards, 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 53

A negative _____ in a message should be used when one feels that readers may ignore what they believe is a routine message.

A) body
B) subject line
C) illustration
D) conclusion
E) summary

Question 54

Michelle Oliver works at a fashion boutique in California and recently received an e-mail from a client enquiring about details on their new line of winter clothing.In response,she sent all the important details on time; however,she made a small blunder of leaving out information on minor handling tips for the clothing.Which of the following should she say in her follow-up e-mail to the client?

A) "I am extremely sorry about skipping out the details on handling tips. Please find enclosed the details on the same."
B) "Please accept my sincere apologies for missing out information on handling tips for the clothing line."
C) "I am sorry I missed out information on handling tips for the clothing line. I can ensure you this will not happen again."
D) "Please find enclosed the details on handling tips for the winter line of clothing which I missed out last time."
E) "I think I missed out on sending the details on handling tips because it was on my other folder. Please accept my apologies."

Question 55

Which of the following must be undertaken by a good buffer?

A) Put the reader in a negative frame of mind to accept the bad news
B) Convey the bad news explicitly in the beginning of a message
C) Convey bad news to a reader ambiguously to avoid antagonizing him
D) Provide a smooth, natural transition to the body of the letter
E) Convert a bad news into a good piece of news through persuasion

Question 56

Ann Dunn works as a campaign manager at a Marine Conservation Organization.For the past five years,she has been working on "Protection of the Olive Ridley Turtles Campaign." The campaign has over the years,gained a lot of support from the public resulting in a huge number of volunteers for the campaign.Recently,due to lack of budget,the campaign was temporarily closed.Dunn now needs to write to the volunteers with this update.Which of the following buffer statement that uses a fact should Dunn employ before presenting the negative news?

A) "I am sorry to inform you but work on the Olive Ridley Turtles campaign is closed for now."
B) "Due to the negative response from the wildlife department, work on the campaign is temporarily closed."
C) "The Olive Ridley Turtles campaign is over for this year and we will start again in 2012."
D) "Thank you for working with us for the Olive Ridley Turtles' fight for life."
E) "We will no longer be working on the Olive Ridley Turtles campaign this year. Thank you for all your support."

Question 57

Which of the following guidelines should be followed 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 in order for the reader to take it seriously
C) Double-check the words to ensure the message means different things in different situations
D) Use one's knowledge of the organization's culture for messages within the organization
E) Avoid using knowledge about the specific individual while crafting the message

Question 58

Which of the following needs to be followed 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 in order to ensure the reader reads the message
D) Use an ambiguous subject line when the reader needs to make a decision
E) Use a neutral subject line so that it stands out and draws the reader's attention

Question 59

Jessica George has been a loyal customer of the International Bank of Japan for over ten years now.Over the years,she has never faced any major problem with the bank.However,when she applied for a house loan recently,her request got rejected.Which of the following is most likely to be a psychological reactance by George toward the bank?

A) Recommending the bank's customer service to a friend
B) Opening a current account there to help grow her money better
C) Closing her current account and switching to another bank
D) Opting for Internet banking to keep track of her expenses
E) Discussing with the loan manager why her application was rejected

Question 60

Which of the following negative messages are the most difficult to write?

A) Product recalls
B) Pamphlets
C) Sales letters
D) Press releases
E) Brochures

Question 61

Identify the three criteria that effective buffers must fulfill.What are some statements that are often used as buffers?

Question 62

What are some guidelines to follow for rejections and refusals?

Question 63

What are some points to keep in mind while stating a reason for a negative message?

Question 64

List the factors by which an audience's reaction is influenced.

Question 65

Explain briefly the phenomenon of psychological reactance.

Question 66

How can one best project refusals in a message? Explain.

Question 67

When should a buffer be used?

Question 68

How should one organize a message while conveying bad news to superiors?

Question 69

When is it appropriate to apologize in a negative message?

Question 70

During layoffs and firings,a company should:

A) avoid communicating the problem with employees.
B) ensure layoff notices come as a surprise to employees.
C) state reasons ambiguously to avoid confrontation.
D) give the employee an honest reason for the layoff or firing.
E) be professional by avoiding empathizing with affected employees.

Question 71

Illustrate with the help of an example,two primary purposes of a negative message.

Question 72

What are some key guidelines to follow while writing a claim?

Question 73

List out some reasons why giving an audience an alternative is a good idea.

Question 74

Sullivan and Sons,a financial firm in New Jersey,has been facing financial problems for a year now and has decided to lay off a large number of their workforce to cut costs.Which of the following should they undertake to ensure an appropriate and smooth layoff procedure?

A) Fire employees through e-mails instead of oral communication so that the process is quick and hassle free
B) Share information with employees to ensure the news about layoff is not new to them
C) Avoid providing reasons for firing because it makes employees more upset
D) Avoid trying to understand how they feel because it interrupts with the layoff process
E) Create fictitious reasons for firing to prevent legal cases against the company

Question 75

David Mason is a sales manager at a telecom company and 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 76

What is the importance of tone in a negative message?

Question 77

Identify secondary purposes of negative messages.