Business Communication Today, 11e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 9 Writing Negative Messages
1) When composing a negative message, you should try to
A) choose a buffer that will distract your reader from the main point of your message.
B) gain the audience’s acceptance of the bad news.
C) leave the reader with hope that you will change your decision.
D) avoid stating the bad news.
2) Use the direct approach with a negative message if
A) the message will have a great deal of personal impact on members of the audience.
B) the situation is one in which people readily acknowledge the likelihood of receiving bad
news.
C) an order is unfillable or portions of it must be back-ordered.
D) you are refusing to make an adjustment on a claim.
3) Which of the following is a negative phrasing?
A) Please confirm that your payment will be late.
B) We recognize that you have cash flow problems.
C) You are late on your payment.
D) Thank you for informing us about your attempt to make a payment.
4) When you deliver negative messages, you
A) should always begin with a buffer.
B) should not include reasons for the decision or information.
C) should use language that conveys respect.
D) can expect your audience to be offended.
5) If you choose to apologize in a negative message, you should
A) phrase the apology in a conditional manner (“If I have offended anyone …”).
B) imply that not all of the blame lies with you or your company.
C) be sincere and make it a true apology.
D) always demonstrate sincerity, but never accept blame.
6) Instead of beginning your negative message with a blunt announcement of the news, you can
use
A) the direct approach.
B) a buffer.
C) a combination of the direct and indirect approaches.
D) the deductive approach.
7) The buffer of a negative message
A) should be neutral and noncontroversial.
B) implicitly says no.
C) is a form of apology.
D) should be very vague about the subject of the message.
8) A poorly written buffer
A) opens your message in a neutral manner.
B) is specifically related to the topic of the message.
C) may mislead the reader into thinking good news follows.
D) shows appreciation or empathy to the audience.
9) One important goal of a buffer is to
A) delay stating the bad news.
B) establish common ground with your reader.
C) make your reader wonder what the message is about.
D) divert the reader’s attention to a more pleasant subject.
10) If you up to now you have failed to respond to a request, a buffer
A) comes right out and says no to the request.
B) ignores the request altogether.
C) automatically misleads the reader.
D) explains why you have so far not responded to the request.
11) An effective indirect opening for a negative message would be:
A) I’m sorry to say I have some bad news.
B) In reply to your application for the management position I am sorry to say that we cannot use
you.
C) Your résumé clearly shows why you are interested in becoming a management trainee with
our company.
D) We have no openings at this time.
12) In a negative message organized using the indirect approach, the reasons that justify the
negative decision
A) are so obvious that you don’t need to mention them.
B) come directly after the buffer and follow naturally from it.
C) should be glossed over quickly.
D) should be long and roundabout to cushion the negative aspects.
13) In the reasons section of a negative message, you should
A) present enough detail to make your conclusion compelling.
B) explain what your decision is before you explain why you have reached it.
C) apologize for the negative decision.
D) do all of the above.
14) One way to be tactful when giving your reasons for bad news is to
A) explain why the decision is good for you and your company.
B) highlight, if possible, how your negative decision benefits the recipient.
C) explain that the decision is based on company policy.
D) apologize for having to be the bearer of bad news.
15) Using the indirect approach, the negative news comes
A) immediately after the buffer.
B) immediately before the reasons.
C) immediately after the reasons.
D) at the very end.
16) A good way to deliver bad news kindly is to
A) maximize the space devoted to it.
B) say, “I trust our decision is satisfactory.”
C) avoid stating it and hope that the reader understands what you mean.
D) deemphasize it by embedding it in the middle of a paragraph or use parenthetical expressions.
17) When rejecting a job applicant, you can soften the blow by
A) expressing appreciation for his or her application.
B) mentioning the qualifications of the person who was hired.
C) telling the applicant how many others he or she was competing against.
D) apologizing for wasting the person’s time.
18) To reject someone as clearly and kindly as possible, do all of the following except
A) use phrases such as, “Much as I would like to help you.”
B) de-emphasize the bad news.
C) use a conditional statement.
D) tell the audience what you can or will do rather than what you cannot or will not do.
19) Which of the following statements does the best job of delivering bad news clearly and
kindly?
A) I am sorry to have to tell you that you were not selected for the position.
B) Because you do not have the experience we clearly listed in the job posting, we cannot offer
you the position.
C) Although you currently do not have the master’s degree that we require for this position, we
would be happy to reconsider your application once you have completed your degree.
D) Several other applicants were far more qualified for the position than you were, so we cannot
offer you the job.
20) When delivering bad news, wording such as “We must turn down,” “I am unable to,” and
“We cannot afford to”
A) softens the blow by drawing attention away from the reader and onto the sender.
B) will impress the reader as being straightforward and forceful.
C) is likely to cause pain and anger in the reader.
D) is unavoidable.
21) In the close of a negative message, you should
A) encourage the person to write or call to discuss the situation further.
B) avoid uncertainty.
C) ask for feedback on whether the decision is acceptable to the reader.
D) express concern over possibly losing the reader’s business.
22) Which of the following is the most effective close for a letter rejecting a job applicant?
A) If you have any questions about our decision, don’t hesitate to call.
B) We hope that despite this rejection you will continue to frequent our establishments.
C) Again, we are very sorry that we cannot offer you a position at this time.
D) I wish you the best in your job search. I am confident you will find a match for your skills and
interests.
23) The tendency to delay, downplay or distort bad news
A) is natural, and you should de-emphasize the news at all costs.
B) can lead to problems with internal communication, but generally not with external audiences.
C) can lead to unethical decisions, and even lawsuits.
D) can be eliminated by punishing employees who regularly deliver bad news.
24) When you are refusing a routine request, you
A) should always use the direct approach.
B) should invoke company policy if that is a possible out.
C) don’t need to invest as much time and effort as you would for other kinds of negative
messages.
D) should use the indirect approach when you’re forced to decline a request that you might have
said yes to in the past.
25) Negative messages about business transactions are designed to
A) confirm the customer’s expectations.
B) explain how you plan to resolve the situation.
C) show the audience that whatever has happened, your company is not at fault.
D) let the audience know which of your employees caused the problem.
26) Whether or not you should apologize when delivering bad news about transactions depends
mainly on
A) how much the customer has purchased from your company in the past.
B) the medium you are using for the message.
C) how long it has been since the problem occurred.
D) none of the above.
27) A woman returns a formal dress to your store. It is stained and has a rip at the hem line, but
she says she is returning it unworn because it doesn’t fit. Which of the following would be the
best way to inform her of your refusal to give a refund?
A) State that company policy prevents you from accepting the return but that if you had anything
to say about it you’d take it back, no questions asked.
B) Restate her complaint to let her know you understand it, explain as positively as possible that
you are unable to accept the return of damaged merchandise, and recommend a tailor who can
fix the tear and alter the dress for her.
C) Challenge the woman to try on the dress and prove that it doesn’t fit.
D) Use humor to soften the blow of your refusal.
28) To avoid being accused of defamation, you should
A) refuse to communicate with unhappy clients.
B) make it clear to disgruntled customers that you refuse to be intimidated.
C) avoid any kind of behavior that could be considered abusive.
D) frequently refer to company policy.
29) In refusing a customer’s request for adjustment, you are concerned about possible defamation
charges. You should
A) make all refusals by phone instead of in writing.
B) explain why you are making the refusal.
C) consult your company’s legal department or an attorney if you think a message might have
legal consequences.
D) do all of the above.
30) When you need to inform employees that a benefit or privilege will be eliminated
A) the best approach is to leak the news as a rumor rather than make a public announcement.
B) minimize the impact of the bad news by presenting it in as positive a light as possible.
C) use the direct approach.
D) use as many hedging words as possible.
31) A crisis management plan
A) defines operational procedures to deal with a crisis.
B) is not helpful for small to mid-sized organizations.
C) should avoid limitations on who is authorized to speak to the media.
D) does all of the above.
32) Compared to traditional letters of recommendation, social networking recommendations
A) require the same amount of detail.
B) pose less of a risk to your professional reputation.
C) become a part of your brand.
D) are none of the above.
33) A letter rejecting a job applicant should
A) avoid explaining why he or she was not selected.
B) point out the applicant’s shortcomings.
C) be as personal as possible.
D) be as long as possible.
34) If you must give an employee a negative performance review,
A) do so by email or fax.
B) support your claims with careful documentation.
C) limit your discussion to the areas where the employee needs improvement.
D) do all of the above.
35) When writing an employment termination letter, you should
A) include words that are open to interpretation, such as difficult and untidy.
B) clearly present the reasons for the action.
C) not get too caught up in trying to preserve a good relationship with the employee.
D) make clear to the employee that you have carefully researched relevant employment laws.
36) When delivering bad news, your only goal is to make the recipient feel good about him- or
herself.
37) To avoid awkward situations, it is best to deliver bad news for employees in writing
whenever possible.
38) You can help establish the right tone in a negative message by using positive words rather
than negative, counterproductive ones.
39) The direct approach is never used for negative messages.
40) You should use the direct approach for negative messages when the message has a relatively
minor impact on the audience.
41) An advantage of the direct approach for communicating bad news is that it keeps the
message short.
42) No matter what the situation is, you should always provide an extensive explanation of the
bad news in negative messages.
43) Using a buffer to begin a negative message is generally manipulative and unethical.
44) The buffer for a negative message should be positive.
45) When writing negative messages, you should begin with a buffer to make the reader think
that good news will follow.