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Business Communication: In Person, In Print, Online
INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDE
Chapter 6
Neutral and Positive Messages
Overview
Neutral and positive messages typically are written in clear language
using the direct organizational plan. Similarly, replies are written
Learning Objectives
• Compose a neutral message.
9e
Quick Links for Chapter 6
PPT Slides | Solutions to Exercises | Handouts | Video Suggestions | Company Examples | BizCom in the News
Teaching Suggestions
Resources
LO1: Compose a neutral message.
INTRODUCE the role neutral messages play in business, and discuss the
direct organizational plan that usually is used for such messages.
SHOW a sample way to organize a request, one type of neutral
message.
INSTRUCT students to search for similar requests in their own inboxes.
Ask them to analyze the organization of the messages, using the PPT
example. Encourage them to determine how effective the structure is
in each case.
Resources
LO2: Respond to a neutral message.
INTRODUCE guidelines of responding to a neutral message in a
courteous, professional manner.
Resources
LO2: Respond to a neutral message.
INSTRUCT students to choose a company they like (e.g., a retail store
they often visit) and to play the role of an expert who works for the
company. Ask each student to find a partner who may not be very
familiar with this business. Instruct the partner to write a request about
a specific product he or she wants. The student-expert should answer
the request in a professional way. Encourage students to use the
textbook guidelines for writing responses.
Resources
LO3: Compose a goodwill message.
INTRODUCE the types of goodwill messages and discuss their
importance for business.
Resources
LO3: Compose a goodwill message.
INSTRUCT students to work in pairs to generate a list of times within
the past couple of years that they have sent or could have sent a
handwritten, neutral or positive message to someone. Is it too late?
INSTRUCT students to write one of these goodwill messages. Have
them exchange their draft with a partner for feedback.
Resources
LO4: Address customer comments online.
INTRODUCE the business opportunities and challenges of online
commenting. Encourage students to share their personal experience
with online comments for businesses and products.
EXPLAIN the Social Media Response Guidelines.
14-week non-business: Ask students to discuss their own experiences in
reading companies’ online responses. Encourage students to talk about
situations when they have posted a comment and received a response
Resources
LO4: Address customer comments online.
whether an online post is credible?
• Working in small groups, identify criteria to determine the
credibility of an online review. How can you assess objectivity? Or,
what clues might tell you that a review is not objective?
Additionally, ask students to individually complete the following:
Write a letter to small businesses in your community to warn them
about this issue. How will you explain the FTC ruling and encourage
business owners to operate within the Guides?
Solutions to Exercises
3Ps in Practice: Responding to Online Feedback
Process
1. Would you respond to this comment? Why or why not?
2. Assume that you will respond. What is the purpose of your response?
3. Describe your audience.
Primary audience: the satisfied customer. Secondary audience: others viewing the tweet.
Product
@CathGodbout. Happy to hear you’re obsessed with Kraft Mac & Cheese! So am I, and
Homestyle is my favorite.
1. Request alumni organization membership information.
This request is a neutral message and should follow the guidelines included in the chapter.
Ensure that each student’s email does the following:
2. Request health club membership information.
This request is also a neutral message and should follow the guidelines included in the chapter.
Students should present the major idea first and create a specific, well-defined question. For
example:
To: Membership Director
From: Maggie Gorman
Subject: Temporarily Suspending Membership
Dear Membership Director,
I am considering joining the gym, but I have a question about temporarily suspending
3. Request information about a product.
For this neutral message, students should put their request up front and continue with enough
details and explanation for the company to provide the proper information.
4. Write an email to a major supplier about an office move.
Students’ emails should do the following:
• Begin with the major idea—the idea to move to a new location and the need for Cotton
Ware’s help.
5. Write an email to employees about new security procedures.
Students’ emails should do the following:
• Begin with the main point: new security procedures will be implemented to monitor people
coming into and leaving the building.
6. Respond to a request for information about school.
All students will have different responses based on their experiences. Student responses should
follow these guidelines:
7. Evaluate responses to the request for information about school.
In this exercise, students should differentiate between content and style. Differences based on
content do not need to be altered because the life experience and opinions will vary among
8. Respond to a speaking request.
Students’ responses should do the following:
9. Respond to a child’s request for a LEGO set.
Following is the actual letter from LEGO:
Dear James,
We are always thrilled to hear from our LEGO fans! You truly have a passion and joy for
LEGO. I am amazed at how many sets you have at only ten years old! I am a very big LEGO
fan myself and enjoy some of the same sets you do. We received your letter here in
Consumer Services and were very touched by your determination.
We have located an Emerald Night Train for you, James, and included it in this package! I am
sure you will enjoy building it and cherish your time playing with the train. We are excited to
know that we could help make this dream come true for you! Now there will be no more
sadness or disappointment when you think about it… just happiness!
In discussing the boy’s original letter, you might mention his outdated use of “Dear Sirs” as
the salutation.
10. Write a team response to a request.
11. Write a congratulations note.
Encourage students to follow the guidelines for goodwill messages found in Figure 7. Below is a
sample congratulations note:
Josh,
Congratulations on winning the Manager of the Year award. I was happy to see you were chosen
12. Write a recognition email.
Messages like this should be sent as recognition when an employee does a particularly good job.
Again, the guidelines for goodwill messages in Figure 7 are a helpful rubric for evaluating
students’ responses. Below is a sample recognition email to Brian:
To: Brian Smith
From: Christina Potter
Subject: Terrific Work
Brian,
You did a terrific job working with Annan Pongsudhirak to deliver the Panda curtains she wanted
with the positive, engaging service we strive for here at Costco. Congratulations on receiving
13. Write a thank-you note.
Students’ responses will vary, but below is a sample response:
Dear Bob and Maryanne,
14. Decide whether to respond to online reviews.
Students should identify that not all social media posts require a company response. Refer to
Figure 10 to decide which posts deserve a response. Encourage students to discuss their
opinions—it’s okay to have different opinions. Below are possible responses:
15. Respond to a positive customer online post.
Below is a sample response to the online post “Incredible sound!”:
Thank you for sharing your positive experience with our Sony stereo. We are glad you like the
sound quality of the stereo. In addition, we strive to make our products user friendly for both
installation and use, so I’m glad that we have succeeded!
16. Send an email response to a highly positive customer comment.
Below is a sample email to this satisfied customer. The owner may post a similar response online
as well.
To: Paolo Simone
From: Diana Collins
Subject: Thank You for the Yelp Review
Paolo,
I just saw your Yelp review and was so happy! Thank you for sharing your positive experience
with Doggie Do. I’m glad to hear that Oscar is getting along with your son and behaving well. He
17. Evaluate a company response to comments online.
Below is a sample email to the employee:
To: Marni Satinsky
From: Karen Needles
Subject: Responses to Online Comments
Marni,
Thank you for drafting a response to the online post about the JCPenney website. As a company,
18. Anticipate a customer’s needs.
Below is a sample tweet response:
@Chrisbushkin Nike sells those great cleats at all Sports Authority stores, and most carry size 11.
Or you can order them through nike.com.
