978-0073403267 Chapter 10 Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises

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Module 10 – Informative and Positive Messages

Module 10

Informative and Positive Messages

LO 10-1 Create subject lines for informative and positive messages.

LO 10-2 Apply strategies for informative and positive message organization.

LO 10-3 Identify situations for reader benefits use with informative and positive

messages.

LO 10-4 List common kinds of informative and positive messages.

LO 10-5 Apply strategies for informative and positive message analysis with PAIBOC.

LO 10-6 Create goodwill endings for informative and positive messages.

Module Overview

Many business messages can be categorized as informative or

positive (PP 10-4). Informative messages convey information that

is likely to cause a neutral reaction in the reader. Positive messages

are likely to be taken as good news.

While all business messages contain information, and many contain

positive news, informative and positive messages are unique in that

the primary purpose is to convey informative or positive information.

Some persuasion may be in the message, but this quality is secondary.

Common types of informative and positive messages include

Acceptances.

Positive answers to reader requests.

Information about procedures, products, services, or options.

Announcements of policy changes that are neutral or positive.

Changes that are to the reader’s advantage.

As shown on PP 10-5 primary purposes include

To give information or good news to the reader or to reassure

the reader.

To have the reader read the message, understand it, and view

the information positively.

To deemphasize any negative elements.

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Module 10 – Informative and Positive Messages

and secondary purposes (PP 10-6) include

To build a good image of the writer.

To build a good image of the writer’s organization.

To cement a good relationship between the writer and reader.

To reduce or eliminate future correspondence on the same

subject.

In-Class Exercise: Bring in examples of common

informative or positive messages you might have received (blocking out any

personal information). Don’t tell students which are which but ask them to analyze

the messages for type. What is it about the language and content that makes the

message purpose clear? Do the students feel the messages do an adequate job

conveying information? How did they feel after reading the messages?

Tell students to use Figure 10.6 on p. 156 as a checklist when composing informative and

positive messages.

What’s in This Supplement

This supplement is organized around the major questions posed in Module 10. It covers

Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises Page 143

Part 2: Answers to Textbook Assignments Page 157

Part 3: Appendixes of Handouts/Transparency Masters Page 163

PowerPoint presentations can be found at our Web page at www.mhhe.com/bcs6e.

Questions (with answers) suitable for quizzes are in the Instructor’s Test Bank. For student

practice quizzes with answers, see our Web page.

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Module 10 – Informative and Positive Messages

Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises

What’s the best subject line for an informative or positive

message? LO 10-1

One that contains the basic information or good news.

Students should think of a subject line as essentially the title of a document. As such, subject

lines can give the reader a clear sense of the importance of the document,

its content, and even its purpose. For informative and positive messages,

readers should make subject lines (described on PP 10-9)

Specific.

Concise.

Appropriate for the kind of message to be conveyed (positive,

negative, persuasive).

In-Class Exercise: Because subject lines can act as titles, have students consider

what they believe are effective titles of films, novels, short stories, or songs. What is

it about these titles that make them effective? How do the titles reveal something

about the content of the work? Its tone? Its theme? What similarities might subject

lines have to these titles? Differences?

How should I organize informative and positive messages?

LO 10-2

Put the good news and a summary of the information first.

As described on PP 10-10 a common pattern for informative and positive

messages is

Give any good news and summarize the main points.

Give details, clarification, and background.

Present any negative elements—as positively as possible.

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Module 10 – Informative and Positive Messages

 Teaching Tip: Have students review the principles of using positive emphasis

discussed in Module 7.

Explain any reader benefits.

 Teaching Tip: Have students review the principles of using reader benefits discussed

in Module 8.

Use a goodwill ending: positive, personal, and forward-looking.

 Teaching Tip: Have students review the letters and memos included in this module

for goodwill endings. As them if the examples follow the principles in the book.

What makes them work? Would students change any of the goodwill endings?

What alternatives would they use instead? Why?

In-Class Exercise: As a group, have students brainstorm as many kinds of goodwill

endings as they can think of. When finished, make a master list and let the class

critique each possibility. Which are acceptable? Which seem frivolous or

unprofessional? Which seem unfriendly? What criteria should writers use when

selecting goodwill endings? How do their concepts compare to the Building a

Critical Skill Box information on p. 154?

When should I use reader benefits in informative and positive

messages? LO 10-3

When you want readers to view your policies and your organization positively.

While reader benefits can help when writing informative and positive messages, they are not

always necessary. As shown on PP 10-13, reader benefits are unnecessary when

You’re presenting factual information only.

The reader’s attitude toward the information doesn’t matter.

Stressing benefits may make the reader sound selfish.

The benefits are so obvious that to restate them insults the

reader’s intelligence.

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Module 10 – Informative and Positive Messages

As shown on PP 10-14, reader benefits are necessary when

You’re presenting policies.

You want to shape readers’ attitudes toward the information

or toward the organization.

Stressing benefits presents readers’ motives positively.

Some of the benefits may not be obvious to readers.

In-Class Exercise: Bring in flyers, direct-mail pieces, or advertisements

(including those in your school newspaper or a TV commercial) and have students

review them. Put students into groups of 3-5 and have each group review a

separate item. How many benefits can they identify? Are the benefits effectively

described? Can they think of additional or alternative benefits that would work?

Next, swap each group’s findings with those of another group. Do the two groups

concur? If not, what is missing or could be improved?

What are the most common kinds of informative and positive

messages? LO 10-4

Transmittals, confirmations, summaries, adjustments, and thank-you notes.

Each of these documents can perform several functions—being

informative or positive, being persuasive, or being negative. The

discussion in this module concerns their use as informative and positive

messages. Use PP 10-15 to introduce each to your students. Use

Appendix 10-A as a checklist when writing any informative or positive

message.

Transmittals: A letter of transmittal is essentially a cover page about what you are sending.

 Teaching Tip: Letters of transmittal are common with large documents, such as

reports. Use the letter of transmittal from the report example in Module 24 (p.

396) for further illustration for your students.

As illustrated on PP 10-16, letters of transmittal should be organized in the following order:

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Module 10 – Informative and Positive Messages

1. Tell the reader what you’re sending.

2. Summarize your main point(s).

3. Indicate any special circumstances or information that would

help the reader understand the document.

4. Tell the reader what will happen next.

Confirmations: As the name implies, confirmations simply confirm information from oral

conversations. Sending a confirmation—through e-mail especially—is good, both to confirm a

conversation and to create a written record. Start the message by indicating that it is a

confirmation, not a new message. Indicate information discussed. Use Appendix 10-B and

Appendix 10-C to show a sample confirmation message.

Summaries: These can include conversations, documents, and

meetings. For internal use for a conversation, identify the people

present, the topic of discussion, decisions made, and who does what

next. To summarize a document, start with the main point, give

supporting evidence and details, evaluate the document, and identify

actions that your organization should take (PP 10-17).

Adjustments and Responses to Complaints: Responding to customer complaints can help

improve the likelihood of repeat business. As with many messages, you-attitude is important.

Students should avoid focusing on their company’s processes for deciding whether to make an

adjustment. When you grant a customer’s request for an adjusted price, discount, replacement,

or other benefit to resolve a complaint, do so in the very first sentence. Don’t talk about your

own process in making a decision, nor say anything that sounds grudging.

 Teaching Tip: Students should review Module 6 for information on you-attitude.

Thank-You Notes: Sending a thank-you note helps builds goodwill, especially in situations

where you have requested something of an individual or organization, such as a job interview.

Put the good news up front, use specifics, and keep the message short.

 Teaching Tip: Have students return to this section of the module when reviewing job

hunt strategies in Unit 7.

Appendix 10-A shows a checklist for writing informative/positive messages.

How can I apply what I’ve learned in this module? LO 10-5

Plan your activities and answer the PAIBOC questions.

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Module 10 – Informative and Positive Messages

PAIBOC can help students to create solutions for problems. For more

information on PAIBOC, review Module 1 (PP 10-18 and 10-19 list the

PAIBOC components).

In-Class Exercise: Have students for groups (of 3-5,

depending on your class size). Let each group explain one

of the PAIBOC components and how it helps with the

analysis of the problem.

Writing a goodwill ending LO 10-6

Goodwill endings are essential in informative and positive messages, as they help cement a

positive relationship between the writer and the reader. But writing a goodwill ending may not be

as straightforward as it appears, and using a stock ending is often a bad idea.

For instance, depending on the circumstances, a compliment at the end of a message may be

completely appropriate—or it may not. Imagine complimenting someone being offered a job

versus someone simply being told that the office copier will get a fresh toner cartridge.

Writers should choose from among several strategies to write effective goodwill endings

(described on PP 10-20 and PP 10-21):

Goodwill endings focus on the business relationship you share

with your reader.

When you write to one person, a good last paragraph fits

that person specifically.

When you write to someone who represents an

organization, the last paragraph can refer to your

company’s relationship to the reader’s organization.

When you write to a group (for example, to “All

Employees”) your ending should apply to the whole group.

Possibilities include

Complimenting the reader for a job well done.

Describing a reader benefit.

Looking forward to something positive that relates to the

subject of the message.

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Module 10 – Informative and Positive Messages

Last Word: Informative and positive messages can be among the easier business

communication documents to write. As such, teach them early in your course. Let

students see how basic principles of language choice, building goodwill, and audience

analysis help in composing informative and positive messages. Later, when you

discuss negative messages, contrast the concepts in that module to the ones discussed

here.

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