Modules 11 & 12

Module 11


Negative messages include rejections and refusals, announcements of policy changes that do not benefit the customers, requests the reader will see as insulting or intrusive, negative performance appraisals and disciplinary notices, and product recalls or notices of defects. Negative messages aways have several purposes.

In negative messages only use a subject line if you think the reader may otherwise ignore the message. If you do use a subject line focus on solving the problem.

Negative messages should be organized based on your audience. When giving bad news to customers and other people outside your organization follow this pattern: give the reason for the refusal before the refusal itself, give the negative just once, and clearly, present alternatives or a compromise, if one is available, and end with a positive, forward-looking statement.

When giving bad news to superiors: describe the problem, tell how it happened, describe the options for fixing it, and recommend a solution and ask for action.

Module 12


The best persuasive strategy depends on how much and what kind of resistance you expect. Use direct request pattern when: the audience will do as you ask without any resistance, you need a response from only the people who are willing to act, the audience is busy and may not read all the messages received, or your organization's culture prefers direct requests.

Use problem solving pattern when: the audience is likely to object to doing as you ask, you need action from everyone, you trust the audience to read the entire message, you expect logic to be more important than emotion in the decision.

The other two strategies are sales and reward and punishment. Reward and punishment has limited use because it doesn't produce permanent change and because it produces psychological reactance. In some cases you may need to use more than one type of persuasion strategy.

Main Points


Organization of persuasive messages begins with the request in direct requests. In a problem-solving message you begin with the problem you share.

To identify and overcome objections phrase your questions nondefensively and ask follow up questions.