Soon after taking office, Barack Obama warned us repeatedly that the economic downturn would be with us for an extended period of time, even with the government bailouts and the stimulus package. We all knew that things were bad, real bad, but it didn't help that Obama continued with his dire warnings, seemingly on a daily basis. I kept thinking, Come on, throw us a carrot, even a baby one, but it didn't happen.
I'm not suggesting that the president should have misled us, but surely he could have found something to say to give us a little hope, to restore some of our confidence. Isn't the world of commerce, after all, built on confidence and positive thinking - people trusting one another to get things done? Once the trust is gone, so is the business.
A case in point: The media won't let us forget that one of their own, the newspaper industry, is in serious financial trouble. We all understand the problems (free online news, reduced print readership, dwindling ad dollars, etc.), but don't the dire predictions simply make a bad situation worse? For years, advertising has been a major source of income for newspapers. But few businesses will spend their advertising dollars on a medium that is, as we are continually reminded, on life support.
Needless to say, I don't recommend a lot of negativity in your business writing. Instead, keep your correspondence as positive as you can, even when you have bad news to share. It just makes good business sense. For guidance, turn to a trusted business-writing guide such as Write for Business. Here are just a few of the tips provided in that resource:
Use positive phrasing.
- Stress what can be done, not what can't, nor who's to blame.
- Avoid building sentences on negatives: no, not, never, no one, nobody.
Be tactful.
When you are tactful, you avoid offending anyone, or putting someone on the defensive, which, in turn, helps you maintain good relations with the receiver.
Offer constructive criticism.
- Mention strengths and weaknesses.
- Focus on solutions and improvements.
Use personal pronouns effectively.
- Use you and your in a positive manner.
- Use I, we, us, and our when they stress unity.
Be mindful of your purpose.
If the purpose of your letter is to share good news, it is easy to be positive. Sharing bad news, however, is quite another kettle of fish.
If you're not sure exactly how to word a bad-news letter, review a few examples before you get started. Here is the opening part of a letter informing the receiver that her loan application has been denied.
Thank you for meeting with loan officer Jean Olms last Friday and applying for a loan to open your gift shop.
When we review an application, one of the factors that we consider is the applicant's credit history. A good credit history shows a pattern of paying obligations. At this time, because you have not established a credit history, we cannot approve your request to borrow $95,000. However, you can establish a good credit history in one of two ways:
Discussion: First of all, notice that the tone of the two brief paragraphs is professional, polite, and helpful. Also note that the first few sentences serve as a buffer to soften the bad news. Finally, the letter provides advice to help turn the negative news into a positive. (This example is one of the many contained in Write for Business.)
- Dave Kemper
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