M5E1 - BUSINESS COMMUNICATION &
REPORT WRITING
ENS ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
Heba El-Hendi
Ch 8-Negative Messages Objectives
1. Understand what is a negative message
2. Understand the indirect plan and its advantages for
negative messages
3. Understand the five guidelines for using the indirect
plan
4. Practice by writing a negative message using the
indirect plan
Objective 1: Understanding a negative
message
 A negative message is one that is likely to be viewed as
unpleasant, disappointing, or unfavorable by the receiver.
A refusal of a request that has been made by you or your
organization
Challenging to compose
Objective 2: Understanding and using the
indirect plan
Indirect plan: opens on neutral ground or on
a point of agreement and then leads into the
main idea later in the message.
Advantages of the indirect plan:
Enables receiver to……
Accept negative information
Maintain a satisfactory relationship with you
Objective 2: Understanding and using the
indirect plan , contin….
The negative sentence or section is followed by reasons
explaining refusal/unfavorable information.
Prepares reader for negative information
Goal: achievement of a positive receiver reaction
Objective 3: How to use the indirect plan
The Indirect Plan
• Determination of content by asking yourself :
What ideas can I use in the opening to establish
coherence and build goodwill in this particular situation?
Why is it in the receiver’s interest for me to refuse the
request or present the unfavorable information?
Is there an alternative course of action that I can
recommend to this receiver?
What friendly message can I convey in the off-the-subject
close?
Indirect Plan: Opening Buffer
Must: provide coherence, build goodwill, be positive,
maintain neutrality, and introduce explanation.
One to three sentences
Providing Coherence: tying the negative message to a
previous interaction (conversation, a point of agreement,
prior transaction, etc).
Example: Thank you for interviewing with us for the
program director position
Indirect Plan: Opening Buffer Contin…
Build Goodwill: use courteous, polite words such as thank you,
please, and I appreciate.
Positive words, avoid negative
Helps set a favorable tone and makes message more acceptable to
reader
Maintains Neutrality: Do not suggest negative information in
the beginning. It should not be a yes or a no.
Introduce explanation:
The last sentence of the buffer should have the indication of the
explanation.
This method sets up for the logical explanation and helps provide
coherence.
Indirect Plan: II. Logical Explanation
After the opening buffer and usually one paragraph
The reasons should show how the negative information
will be in the best interest of the receiver
Reasoning then should be: calm, convincing, and
pleasant by using the “you-viewpoint”
Indirect Plan: II. Logical Explanation
Contin
Beginning of logical explanation should use coherence
techniques relating it to the opening.
Should be composed with the receiver’s interest or
benefits as the focal point
Use rules of emphasis:
Start with emphasizing the points most favorable to your
receiver
Least favorable information should be deeper in the
paragraph
Indirect Plan: II. Logical Explanation
Contin
Positivity: logical explanation should be positive and
negative words should be avoided
situation vs. problem
needed change vs. correction
avoid: failure, cannot, trouble, inadequate, and defective
Indirect Plan: III. Negative Information
Consists of the request refusal, unfavorable decision, or
other disappointing information
Receivers will be expecting this information if the
opening buffer and logical explanation were effective
Goal: present negative information in a format that is
clear to the receiver by explicitly stating the decision or
implying.
Depends on situation
Indirect Plan: III. Negative Information
Contin….
Example of implying negative information
“Smoking is permitted in the hallways only”
Explicit:
“Smoking is prohibited in the classrooms and offices”
For effective communication of negative information, it is better
to say what can be done rather than what cannot be done.
Explicit terms
“therefore, the committee has not approved your application for
admission”
leaves no doubt in the receiver’s mind
*depends on culture
Indirect Plan: III. Negative Information
Contin….
De-emphasis techniques:
Place negative information in middle of a paragraph
Never have negative information in a separate paragraph
Negative news may be followed by an additional reason
or suggested alternative(s)
Negative news should be given in as few words as
possible
Can place negative news in a dependent clause.
Indirect Plan: III. Negative Information
Contin….
Be positive and avoid negative words.
Say what can be done
Avoid apologies
Indirect Plan: Follow-up and Friendly
Close
Constructive Follow-Up
provide other solutions to the problem, if possible.
suggest other alternatives
Friendly Close
Goal is to move the receiver’s mind away from the
problem
Be warm, friendly, and optimistic
Objective 4: Differentiate between poor
and good negative messages
• Kerbs Furniture has manufacturing plants in six locations within
the United States. Its Georgetown, Texas, plant manufactures
collective reproductions and has been operating for 35 years. It
currently has 150 employees who have excellent fringe benefits
and earn above-average salaries for the Georgetown area. Krebs
began its operation in Georgetown with 12 employees and
steadily grew to more than 250 employees. About five years ago
competition in producing collectible reproductions, especially
from international companies, increased tremendously. This
competition forced Krebs to downsize its workforce to its present
size of 150 employees. Now Krebs’ management, realizing that it
cannot compete with the lower production costs due to the low
wages that international companies pay, has decided to close its
Georgetown plant at the end of the year. Your task is to write a
memo conveying the negative information to the employees and,
at the same time, to make the information acceptable and maybe
even desirable for them.
Prompt Exercise
Remember:
Determine appropriate content, write an effective opening
buffer, provide a convincing logical explanation, give
negative information positively, assist the receiver with
constructive follow-up (if possible), and build goodwill and a
friendly close.
Chapter 9: Persuasive Messages
Objectives:
1. Describe a persuasive message.
2. Understand the purposes of a persuasive message.
3. Know the four specific guidelines for using the indirect
plan for persuasion.
4. Practice the new methods.
Objective 1: Describe a Persuasive
Message
• A persuasive message is a request for action when you
believe the receiver may be unknowing, disinterested, or
unwilling. It is also a communication maneuver trying to
change the opinion of the receiver.
•
• Objective of persuasive message is to get the receiver to
read/listen to the entire message AND have the receiver
react positively to the request.
Objective 1: Describe a Persuasive
Message
• Will be viewed neither as positive nor negative by the receiver.
• Used for both internal and external communication
• Internal: speech asking employees to volunteer, requesting
initiation of a policy, requesting donations for a charity your
company endorses
• External: sales message- a communication that has a
description of a product, its benefits, available options and
models, price, and related services.
• ***Most common***
• Request to respond to a questionnaire, letters requesting
employment with an organization.
The Purpose of Indirect Plan for
Persuasive Messages
• Should be used for messages attempting to convince the
receiver to take an action.
• First present the benefits that the receiver may gain from
fulfilling the request.
• Puts the receiver in the proper frame of mind to consider
the request.
The Purpose of Indirect Plan for
Persuasive Messages
• Ensure that the reader reads the benefits first.
• Requires use of more words than the direct plan
• If positively constructed in the ‘you-viewpoint’, the receiver
will more likely be in a positive mood and consider the
rest of the message
Objective 3: Four Specific Guidelines for
Using the Indirect Plan for Persuasion
• Before implementing the plan, analyze your recipient, and
use the ‘you-viewpoint’ to stress the receiver’s interests
and benefits
Objective 3: Four Specific Guidelines for
Using the Indirect Plan for Persuasion
• I. Attention
• A. attract the receiver’s attention in opening sentence
• B. cause the receiver to read or to listen to rest of message.
• C. be positive and brief.
II. Interest
• A build attention gained in the opening
• B. show benefits
• C. Motivate receiver to continue reading
III. Desire
• A. Build on receiver’s attention and interest by providing proof of benefits.
• B. Re-emphasize benefits to the receiver
• C. Downplay any negative points or obstacles.
IV. Action
• Motivate receiver to take immediate action
• Be positive
• Make action easy
Indirect Plan
• I. Attention: attract the receiver’s attention in opening
structure
• Increases the chances that the receiver will continue to
read/listen to the entire message and then take desired
action
• Opening should be concise and positive that intrigues the
receiver’s curiosity
I. Attention:
• Types:
• Mechanical devices (color or drawings)
• Use the receiver’s name in the sentence
• Rhetorical questions Interjections
•
• Must consider the ‘you-viewpoint’
• Can use any gimmicks but should not give receiver the
impression that he/she will be mislead
• “Your investment of $10 may grow to a million dollars by
the end of the year”
II. Interest
• Must hold receiver’s interest of his/her attention is gained
through the opening
• Maintained when the receiver sees benefits for himself or
herself
III. Desire
•
• After gaining attention and interest, offer proof of the
benefits for the receiver
• Purpose is to motivate the receiver to take requested
action
• Facts and figures can be valuable but should not be
overused
• Attempt to anticipate the receiver’s negative reactions
IV. Action
• Ask the receiver to take immediate action
• Action requested of the receiver should be a logical next
step
• Ensure that minimal effort is required for receiver to take
the necessary action
• State clear date if needed by a certain date
Objective 4: Practice new methods
• Jeri Matthews has been a computer specialist for Samson
Foods Distribution in Jackson, Tennessee, for seven
years. Samson Foods is opening a new distribution center
in Little Rock, Arkansas, this fall. The vice president for
operations recently spoke to Jeri about the new facility. At
that time, he did not tell Jeri about the responsibility of her
transferring to Little Rock. Now, he would like Jeri to make
a lateral transfer to Little Rock and assume the duties of
computer analyst. It would not be a promotion for Jeri nor
would there be an increase in pay; however, the company
will pay moving expenses and a relocation allowance. Jeri
would have to move to a new city and get a system
operating for the new distribution center.
•