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7: Writing Routine and Positive Messages
7-1
CHAPTER 7: Writing Routine and Positive Messages
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 7 focuses on writing effective routine messages by applying the three-step writing
process that was introduced in Chapters 3, 4, and 5. For a typical business employee, most
communication is about routine matters: direct requests, routine replies, positive messages, and
so forth. The direct approach is usually appropriate for these routine and positive messages.
Although most routine messages share common attributes, some differences exist, depending on
purpose. This chapter provides illustrations and suggestions for writing effective messages,
whether they are requests, replies, or goodwill messages.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Strategy for Routine Requests
Open with Your Request
Explain and Justify Your Request
Request Specific Action in a Courteous Close
Common Examples of Routine Requests
Asking for Information and Action
Asking for Recommendations
Making Claims and Requesting Adjustments
Strategy for Routine Replies, Routine Messages, and Positive Messages
Open with the Main Idea
Provide Necessary Details and Explanation
End with a Courteous Close
Common Examples of Routine Replies, Routine Messages, and Positive Messages
Answering Requests for Information or Action
Granting Claims and Requests for Adjustment
Providing Recommendations and References
Sharing Routine Information
Writing Instructions
Announcing Good News
Fostering Goodwill
Sending Congratulations
Sending Messages of Appreciation
Offering Condolences
The Future of Communication: Communication Bots
What’s Your Prediction?
Chapter Review and Activities
7: Writing Routine and Positive Messages
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TEACHING NOTES
Strategy for Routine Requests
Much of your daily communication will involve routine requests for information or action.
Organize routine messages by including an opening, a body, and a close.
• Use the opening to make your request.
• Use the body to explain and justify.
• Use the close to confirm details and express appreciation.
The direct approach is fine for typical requests, as your audience will be inclined to respond. For
unusual, unexpected, or unwelcome requests, the indirect approach is better.
Open with your request:
Use the body of your message to explain and justify your request.
Close your request by requesting a specific action in a courteous close.
• Include any relevant deadlines.
Common Examples of Routine Requests
Many common examples of routine requests fit into one of the following categories:
• Asking for information or action
• Asking for recommendations
• Making claims and requesting adjustments
When asking for information or action:
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When making claims (a formal complaint) and requesting adjustments (the settlement of a
claim):
Strategy for Routine Replies, Routine Messages, and Positive Messages
Routine replies and positive messages have four specific goals:
Follow the direct organizational plan for routine replies and positive messages:
• Start with the main idea.
Common Examples of Routine Replies, Routine Messages, and Positive
Messages
Common examples of routine replies and positive messages include:
• Answering requests for information and action
• Granting claims and requests for adjustments
When answering requests for information or action:
• Use a direct approach if the request is simple or straightforward.
• Answer the request promptly, graciously, and thoroughly.
When granting claims and requests for an adjustment, responding to mistakes in a courteous,
reader-focused way helps repair important business relationships.
Specific response will vary based on company policy and whether the company, customer, or a
third party is at fault. In general, take these steps:
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• Take steps to repair the relationship.
• Follow up to verify that your response was correct.
Maintain a professional demeanor by avoiding the following:
• Don’t blame anyone in your organization by name.
When you are asked to provide a recommendation or reference, be sure to list:
• The candidate’s full name
Companies can send effective informative messages by:
• Using the opening to state the purpose and briefly mention the nature of the information
you’re providing
When writing instructions:
2. Provide an overview of the procedure.
4. Divide the procedure into discrete steps.
6. Test instructions on someone from target audience.
7. Whenever possible, provide a way for readers to ask for help.
Announcing good news is a key strategy to develop and maintain good relationships. These
announcements are often communicated in a news release (also known as a press release), which
is a specialized document used to share relevant information with the news media.
To write a successful news release, follow the customary pattern for a positive message: good
news followed by details and a positive close. However, you’re not writing directly to the
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Send messages of appreciation to document someone’s contributions (a sincere thank-you
encourages further excellence). An effective message of appreciation documents a person’s
contributions. Moreover, in today’s electronic media environment, a handwritten thank-you note
can be a particularly welcomed acknowledgment.
The Future of Communication: Communication Bots
With advances in artificial intelligence and the growing use of messaging systems for both
consumer and business communication, however, a new wave of bots as personal assistants has
taken off. Major categories of bot technology include task bots that perform routine chores
OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES STUDENTS OFTEN FACE
Most students will not yet be completely comfortable with the three-step writing process, so the
process won’t be automatic for them. Using electronic media for rapid communication will tempt
students to skip planning tasks. Stress the importance of completing all three steps, especially the
planning step. Post the steps in a prominent place in the room to serve as a constant reminder of
how to generate effective messages. However, remind students that the process is not always
linear.
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Students often have a difficult time getting to the main point in the first paragraph. Although
most will identify the topic in the first paragraph, they may not get to the actual main idea until
later in the message. Stress the importance of distinguishing between the general topic and main
idea. Conduct an exercise in which students write just the opening sentences of several messages.
During an in-class writing assignment, some students will spend most of their time looking at
sample letters in the chapter to “borrow” appropriate wording. Stress the importance of following
the planning process and composing the message quickly, based on their own analysis of the
particular situation.
Claim letters and requests for adjustment also pose challenges for students. Explain that these
requests should be treated as routine business activities and thus should use the direct
organizational pattern. Stress the need to open with a courteous, specific request for what they
SUGGESTED CLASSROOM EXERCISES
1. Analyzing messages. Provide students with examples of routine, positive, and goodwill
2. Preparing letter openings. Getting to the point is sometimes a challenge for writers. Assign
an exercise in which students write just the opening sentence for various messages. Provide
3. Preparing letter closings. Assign an exercise in which students write just the last paragraph
for various routine, good-news, and goodwill messages. This practice allows students to
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
4. Preparing routine, good-news, and goodwill messages. As class exercises, assign case
scenarios in which students plan, write, and complete a routine request, a routine response, a
routine claim letter, a routine response granting a claim, and a goodwill message. Students
should work at computers, if available, to facilitate writing and revising. Require students to
go through the planning tasks before composing. These exercises can often be done as a class
Providing constructive feedback to classmates. Lead a class discussion in which you generate a
list of evaluation points that can be used to give a writer feedback about a routine, good-news, or
goodwill message. (This list will be very similar to the evaluation points you are using when
grading student writing.) Ask students to exchange printed documents of messages they have
written. Each student then critiques the message for all the evaluation points on the list, uses
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
7-1. A routine request should include anything required to make it as easy as possible for the
7-2. A claim is a formal complaint; an adjustment is a remedy you ask for to settle a claim. (LO
7-3. Answers to starred discussion items not provided.
7-4. The first step to writing instructions is to figure out how much your intended readers are
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
7-5. Answers to starred discussion items not provided.
APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE
7-7. Answers to starred discussion items not provided.
7-9. It’s usually best to avoid an outright apology. Yet, you should not avoid taking responsibility
7-10. Answers to starred discussion items not provided.
PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS
Exercises for Perfecting Your Writing
7-11. Thank you for submitting your trip report. I see that you visited four clients. Please let me
know what management-level action, if any, is required for each of these clients. In the
7-12. We are sorry for the inconvenience you experienced with your lost luggage. Please email
7-13. We’ve had the opportunity to review your résumé and would like to invite you to interview
with our company. Would you be available on June 15 at 3:00 p.m.? If so, please let us
7-14. Please attend our special, by-invitation-only 40 percent off sale on November 9. (LO 7.3;
AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-16. The director plans to attend the meeting on Monday at 10:50 a.m. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag:
Written and oral communication)
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
7-19. An email would be an efficient and effective medium to use, as long as your tone and
7-20. This message is likely to elicit a negative response. Even with the explanation that the
7-21. It would be best to use the indirect approach. A buffer followed by a brief explanation of
7-22. Please call to schedule an appointment by May 15. This will allow sufficient time to order
7-23. Please send your catalog by December 1 so that I can plan my Christmas purchases. I look
7-24. To schedule an appointment with one of our knowledgeable local mortgage specialists,
please call our hotline at 1-800-555-8765. Our specialists can answer your questions about
Activities
7-25. The tone and wording of the message are unprofessional and negative (for example, “I’m
fed up,” “I don’t have time”) and the focus is misplaced. Instead of dealing primarily with
the problems associated with the current accounting firm, the main idea should be the
7-26. The message is wordy and poorly organized, and the tone is condescending. Since the
customer is likely to be unhappy already because of the ongoing service problems, it would
be vital to avoid aggravating the situation by talking down to him or her. A revised and
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
7-27. This message is wordy and poorly organized. It lacks focus, including much unnecessary
information. An improved version is below:
Beginning next quarter, we will be implementing job rotation in an effort to make work
more fulfilling and to increase staffing flexibility.
7-28. Student responses will vary, depending on the product selected. Messages should be
concise and specific.
7-28.
Dear Chana,
I heard about your promotion to district sales manager. Congratulations!
7: Writing Routine and Positive Messages
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I know how hard you worked and how much this means to you. Wishing you much success
in your new position!
EXPAND YOUR SKILLS
Critique the Professionals: Students should be able to find numerous examples of news releases
online. Sites such as http://prnewswire.com are a good place to begin their search. In their
evaluations, students should discuss at least several of the points listed in the chapter. The
relevance, focus, organization, and wording of the release should all be assessed. (LO 7.1;
AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
CASE SOLUTIONS
On the following pages are suggested solutions for this chapter’s cases.
7-30. Message Strategies: Routine Requests
The challenge in this request is to bring up the issue without sounding hostile and merely
complaining about the distractions, which could make the intended audience defensive. The
message will likely also be unwelcome, as employees who enjoy the perks of the nonconventional
