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Chapter 8 LECTURE NOTES
Positive Messages
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS
Positive messages—whether e-mails, memos, or business letters—carry important, but usually
routine information. In this chapter students will learn to apply the 3-x-3 writing process to
positive messages that are intended for both internal and external audiences. Students will also
learn when and how to respond to customer comments online.
E-mail is appropriate for short, informal messages for both internal and external audiences.
Memos are appropriate for internal messages that are important, lengthy, or formal. Business
letters are appropriate for external messages that business communicators send to customers,
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Understand the channels through which typical positive messages travel in the digital era—e-
mails, memos, and business letters—and apply the 3-x-3 writing process.
2. Compose direct messages that make requests, respond to inquiries online and offline, and
deliver step-by-step instructions.
3. Prepare contemporary messages that make direct claims and voice complaints, including those
posted online.
4. Create adjustment messages that salvage customers’ trust and promote further business.
5. Write special messages that convey kindness and goodwill.
WHAT’S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
• Justified the legitimate uses of business letters to provide guidance about when hard-copy
correspondence is appropriate even in the digital era.
100 Chapter 8 Lecture Notes
• Updated the discussion of typical positive messages to reflect current usage, and also
introduced a discussion of customer online comments and guidelines for responding to online
posts.
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. Positive Messages and the Writing Process (p. 245)
PowerPoint slides 1, 2
• Phase 1: Analysis, Anticipation, and Adaptation. Determine your purpose,
visualize your audience, and anticipate the reaction to your message.
II. Typical Request, Response, and Instruction Messages (p. 249)
A. Creating Request Messages
• Start with the main idea first.
• Start with a question or a polite command.
B. Responding to Requests
• Start with an effective subject line.
• In the first sentence of a direct reply e-mail, deliver the information the reader
wants.
Figure 8.3 Customer Response E-Mail
PowerPoint slides 18-21
C. Checklist: Writing Direct Requests and Responses (p. 252)
Requesting Information or Action
• Open by stating the main idea.
• Explain and justify the request.
• Request action in the closing.
D. Responding to Customer Comments Online
• Companies are creating decision trees and diagrams to help their employees make
prudent decisions about whether and how to respond to online posts.
• Online customer reviews provide a source of valuable customer feedback.
• Social media experts recommend responding to posts only when the writer can
add value.
Figure 8.4 Social Media Response Flowchart
Figure 8.5 Responding to Customers Online
PowerPoint slides 22, 23
E. Instruction Messages
• Divide the instructions into steps.
• List the steps in the order in which they are to be carried out.
Figure 8.6 Memo Delivering Instructions
III. Direct Claims and Complaints (p. 257)
Definition: A claim is a letter you write as a customer to identify or correct a wrong.
• Written claims are taken more seriously and establish a record of what happened.
• Straightforward claims are those to which you expect the receiver to agree readily.
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A. Opening a Claim With a Clear Statement
• Open the letter with a clear statement of the problem or with the action you want
the receiver to take.
B. Explaining and Justifying a Claim
• State the facts logically, objectively, and unemotionally.
C. Concluding a Claim With an Action Request
• Close with a summary of the action requested and a courteous goodwill statement.
• Submit written claims promptly.
Figure 8.7 Direct Claim E-Mail
PowerPoint slides 24-28
IV. Posting Complaints and Reviews Online
Figure 8.8 Guidelines for Writing Online Reviews and Complaints
PowerPoint slide 29
V. Adjustment Messages (p. 261)
Definition: An adjustment is a written message that favorably responds to a customer’s
claim.
• The three goals of the adjustment include (a) rectifying the wrong, if one exists; (b)
regaining the confidence of the customer; and (c) promoting further business.
A. Revealing Good News Up-Front in an Adjustment Message
• Reveal the good news immediately.
C. Deciding Whether to Apologize
Chapter 8 Lecture Notes 103
D. Using Sensitive Language in Adjustment Messages
• Retain customer goodwill by avoiding negative language.
• Do not use negative words, blame customers or your colleagues, or make
E. Showing Confidence in the Closing
• Close the letter positively and confidently.
• In the closing, show appreciation, a desire to provide future service, or promote a
new product.
Figure 8.9 Customer Adjustment Letter
PowerPoint slides 30-36
VI. Checklist: Direct Claim and Adjustment Messages
Messages That Make Claims and Voice Complaints
• Begin directly with the purpose.
• Exercise good judgment.
Messages That Make Adjustments
• Open with approval.
• In the body win back the customer’s confidence.
• Close positively.
VII. Goodwill Messages (p. 265)
• Send goodwill messages promptly.
• General guidelines:
1. Selfless
PowerPoint slides 37-42
A. Expressing Thanks
• Send a thank-you letter to extend thanks or show appreciation to the following:
• Open directly with the purpose of your message.
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Figure 8.10 Thank-You Letter for a Favor
B. Replying to Goodwill Messages
• Always respond to notes of congratulations or other goodwill messages.
C. Expressing Sympathy
• Refer to the death or misfortune sensitively.
IIX. Checklist for Goodwill Messages
A. General Guidelines: The Five Ss
• Be selfless.
B. Giving Thanks
• Cover three points in gift thank-yous.
• Be sincere in sending thanks for a favor.
• Offer praise in expressing thanks for hospitality.
C. Responding to Goodwill Messages
• Respond to congratulations.
• Accept praise gracefully.
D. Extending Sympathy
• Refer to the loss or tragedy directly but sensitively.
Answers to Chapter Review Questions
1. Explain the types of positive messages and the strategy used when businesspeople write
them. (Obj. 1)
In the workplace, most messages are positive or neutral, and, therefore, direct. Positive
Chapter 8 Lecture Notes 105
2. What channels are used for routine messages in organizations today? (Obj. 1)
E-mails, memos, and letters are the channels most frequently used. In addition, businesses
3. When are letters still the preferred channel of communication despite the advent of e-
mail, social networking, and other electronic communication technologies? (Obj. 1)
In certain situations letters are still the preferred channel of communication for delivering
messages outside an organization. Such letters go to suppliers, government agencies, other
4. What are the most emphatic positions in a message, and what goes there? (Obj. 2)
5. What should you include in the closing of a request message? (Obj. 2)
6. Why should businesses embrace customer comments online? (Obj. 2)
Customer reviews online are opportunities for savvy businesses to improve their products or
7. How should businesspeople respond to online posts? (Obj. 2)
Social media experts say that not every comment on the Web merits a response. They
8. How should instructions be written? Give a brief original example. (Obj. 2)
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Instructions should be divided into bulleted or numbered steps listed vertically in the order in
9. What is the imperative mood, and why is it important to use it in writing instructions?
(Obj. 2)
The imperative mood involves action verbs that give commands. In preparing instructions,
10. What is a claim? When should it be straightforward? (Obj. 3)
A claim is a request by a customer to correct a problem. The customer may request a
11. Why should a direct claim be made by letter rather than by e-mail or a telephone
call? (Obj. 3)
12. What is an adjustment message? (Obj. 4)
13. What are a writer’s three goals in composing adjustment messages? (Obj. 4)
14. What are five characteristics of goodwill messages? (Obj. 5)
15. What are four groups of people to whom business communicators might write letters
of appreciation? (Obj. 5)
Business communicators might write letters of appreciation to (a) customers for their
Chapter 8 Lecture Notes 107
Answers to Critical Thinking Questions
1. What are the advantages of mailing a letter as opposed to sending an e-mail, making a
phone call, or writing an online post? (Objs. 1, 2)
Business letters are confidential. They are less likely than electronic media to be intercepted,
misdirected, forwarded, retrieved, or otherwise inspected by unintended recipients. Also,
2. In promoting the value of letter-writing, a well-known columnist recently wrote, “To
trust confidential information to e-mail is to be a rube.” What did he mean? Do you
agree? (Obj. 1, 3)
A rube is an unsophisticated person. The columnist meant that educated, knowledgeable
3. Why is it smart to keep your cool when making a claim, and how should you go about
it? (Obj. 3)
Avoid becoming angry or trying to fix blame. Bear in mind that the person reading your
message is seldom responsible for the problem. Instead, state the facts logically, objectively,
4. Why is it important to regain the confidence of a customer in an adjustment message?
How can it be done? (Obj. 4)
Unhappy customers have, naturally, lost some degree of confidence in the company and its
products or services. Regaining confidence and reestablishing good feelings is crucial for
108 Chapter 8 Lecture Notes
5. Ethical Issue: Credit repair companies are notorious for making grand promises that
they can’t legally fulfill. The Federal Trade Commission has warned that none of those
companies are legitimate. Experts say that people with credit blemishes would be better
off saving their money and trying to repair their bad credit themselves. One path to
better credit involves the writing of so-called goodwill letters. A goodwill letter in this
context is a formal message to individual creditors asking them for compassion and
requesting that they stop reporting negative information such as late payments on one’s
credit report. Discuss why writing such goodwill letters instead of calling or sending an
e-mail might be a good strategy.
A goodwill letter is not meant to dispute erroneous reporting; rather, its purpose is to address
negative blemishes on accounts that have already been paid. With an otherwise good credit
ZOOMING IN
Insurance Industry Indebted to Ink
• Why might receiving a letter make a customer feel valued?
A formal letter takes time to compose. Printed on a company’s letterhead, it is addressed to
• Which instances might call for a confidential letter?
Whenever content is sensitive, an organization or individual may choose to send a
• How does graphic highlighting help save readers’ time?
Graphic highlighting such as boldface, italics, and headings indicate specific signals to
Chapter 8 Lecture Notes 109
ZOOMING IN
Your Turn: Applying Your Skills at Highpoint
Current date
Mr. Martin L. Pritchett
President, Pritchett Consulting
114 Walnut Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
Dear Mr. Pritchett:
It was a pleasure speaking with you earlier today, and I am looking forward to helping Pritchett
Consulting find the best health care coverage at a competitive rate.
Before I can provide you with a quote, however, I need some additional information.
• How many employees require coverage?
• When would you like coverage to begin?
Ethics Check Solutions
Surprising the Boss, Page 249
Kyra M. uses e-mail for nearly all messages. She is ecstatic over a new job offer and
quickly sends an e-mail to her manager announcing that she is leaving. He did not know
she was looking for a new position. Is this an appropriate use of e-mail?
E-mail is wonderful for many announcements, but it is totally inappropriate for something as
serious as resigning a position. Such an announcement deserves a face-to-face talk followed by a
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Stretching the Truth, Page 250
A magazine publisher sends you a letter saying that you should renew your subscription
immediately to ensure continued delivery. Your subscription is paid for at least a year in
advance, but nowhere in the letter or magazine label does your subscription end date
appear. How far can a writer go in stretching the truth to achieve a purpose?
Magazine publishers and their sales agents regularly send misleading messages to subscribers
telling them that their subscriptions are about to run out. Many publishers do not include the
How Authentic Are Customer Reviews Online? Page 254
As the value of social media buzz is steadily increasing, so are efforts to rig the system. Not
all customer critiques on the Web can be trusted, particularly when so many are
anonymous. Some businesses pay for positive online reviews or encourage their employees
to sing the praises of their own products while knocking the competition. How seriously
should companies take the threat of potentially fraudulent reviews?
Fake or manipulated reviews are harmful because they may potentially mislead customers to the
point of buying products based on less than truthful reviews. Skewed reviews may also prompt
Renting or Buying, Page 258
Lucky U.S. consumers enjoy among the world’s most generous merchandise return policies.
No wonder, perhaps, that some customers presumably buy a video camera or a dress for a
special event and afterwards return the product, no questions asked. Is this so-called “renting”
or “wardrobing” wrong? Do retailers invite such behavior with their liberal policies?
Most Americans would probably agree that such practices are unethical and wrong.
Chapter 8 Lecture Notes 111
Photo Essay Solutions
Photo Essay, Page 248
Despite the advent of electronic communication technologies, in certain situations letters remain
the preferred channel of communication for delivering messages outside an organization.
Photo Essay, Page 261
When a company receives a customer complaint (a claim) and decides to respond favorably, the
message is called an adjustment. Most businesses make adjustments by replacing merchandise,