GOOD NEWS BAD NEWS NEUTRAL MESSAGE BUFFER TECHNIQUE HOW BAD NEWS CAN BE CONVERT INTO NORMAL WAY WRITTEN MESSAGE IS MOST EFFECTIVE THAN ORAL

1. BBA/BS (pa) 1st
Freshman English II
Prepared By, Mr. Allah Rakha chohan

4. Good news and neutral
message
 A message that will receive favorable response
or neutral reaction from your reader is usually
easy to write because such messages tells your
reader something pleasant or offer usual
information.
 Tells your reader something pleasant or offer
usual information.
 These messages are generally organized by the
direct approach also known as good news plan

5. Organizational Plan for Good-news and neutral message
1. First best news or main idea
2. Middle explanation, with one or more following,
when appropriate all necessary details,
educational information resale, sale promotion.
3. Last positive, friendly ending, with a clear
statement of action desired, motivation to action,
willingness to help further, appreciation

6. Count…..
 Favorable replies
To help build goodwill, a progressive organization
replies to all reasonable requests courteously,
hopefully, and promptly. The different type of
favorable replies are as follows:
 Answering inquires
among most frequent non sales related inquires
are requests for information about personal and
credit applicants
 Granting request for adjustment:
An adjustment letter is the reply to complaint ( called
Claim letter)

7. Count…..
 Acknowledgement orders
An acknowledgement performs several important
functions. It let buyers know that the order has
received, is appreciated, and is given attention
Granting Favors and other Requests
A letter showing your granting favor by serving a
committee, speaking at a convention, donating
money, or lending your firm’s equipment without
charge, good news plan is the best use
Job Acceptance Letters
A job acceptance letter is generally a short and
expresses your enthusiasm for the position
offered

8. Good News
 Goodwill Message
Goodwill message are different from the usal
business documents in that they express feelings
rather than information or persuasion, are
therefore are little bit different in writing
(although it may be tempting to send printing
cards, it is always more personal and meaningful
to recipients to send a written note of
appreciation, congratulations, or sympathy)
Types of goodwill message
1. letter of appreciation
2. letter of congratulations
3. letter of condolence

9. Neutral Messages
Neutral message means you’re careful with
choosing the words you use, the structure of your
sentences and keeping emotion out of your
messaging as much as possible.
A neutral message is one that does not provoke
emotion. To clarify, good news might be a job
offer. Neutral news might be that the company
you applied to confirmed the receipt of your
resume.

10. Examples of neutral message
 Daily Routine messages
 Repots
 Routine letters
 Reminder
 Proposals etc

11. Bad-news message
"It is much, much worse to receive bad news through the
written word than by somebody simply telling you, and I’m
sure you understand why. When somebody simply tells you
bad news, you hear it once, and that’s the end of it. But
when bad news is written down, whether in a letter or a
newspaper, each time you read it, you feel as if you are
receiving the bad news again and again.“
(Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid. HarperCollins,
2007)

12. Bad-news message
 In business writing, a bad-news message is
a letter, memo, or email that conveys
negative or unpleasant information
 information that is likely to disappoint,
upset, or even anger a reader. It is also
called an indirect message or a negative
message.

13. Bad-news message
Bad-news messages include rejections (in
response to job applications, promotion
requests, and the like), negative evaluations,
and announcements of policy changes that
don't benefit the reader.
A bad-news message conventionally begins
with a neutral or positive buffer statement
before introducing the negative or
unpleasant information. This approach is
called the indirect plan.

14. Sample: Rejection of a Grant Application
 On behalf of the members of the Research &
Scholarship Committee, thank you for submitting an
application for this year's Research & Scholarship grants
competition.
 I’m sorry to report that your grant proposal was among
those that were not approved for funding in the spring.
With the reduction in grant funds caused by budget cuts
and the record number of applications, I’m afraid that
many worthwhile proposals could not be supported.
 Although you did not receive a grant this year, I trust
that you will continue to pursue both internal and
external funding opportunities.

15. Introductory Paragraph
"The introductory paragraph in the bad-news message should
accomplish the following objectives:
(1) provide a buffer to cushion the bad news that will follow,
(2) let the receiver know what the message is about without stating the
obvious, and
(3) serve as a transition into the discussion of reasons without revealing
the bad news or leading the receiver to expect good news. If these
objectives can be accomplished in one sentence, that sentence can be
the first paragraph."
(Carol M. Lehman and Debbie D Dufrene, Business Communication, 15th ed.
Thomson, 2008)

16. Body Paragraph(s)
"Deliver the bad news in the body of the
message. State it clearly and concisely, and
explain the reasons briefly and unemotionally.
Avoid apologies; they weaken your explanation or
position. Try to embed the bad news in a
supporting, not the topical, sentence of a
paragraph. Furthermore, try to embed it in
a subordinate clause of a sentence. The purpose
is not to conceal the bad news, but to soften its
impact."
(Stuart Carl Smith and Philip K. Piele, School Leadership: Handbook for Excellence
in Student Learning. Corwin Press, 2006)

17. Closing
"The closing of a message containing negative news
should be courteous and helpful. The purpose of the
closing is to maintain or rebuild goodwill. The closing
should have a sincere tone. Avoid overused closings such
as If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call.
Offer the receiver another option. Presenting another
option shifts the emphasis from the negative news to a
positive solution."
(Thomas L. Means, Business Communications, 2nd ed. South-
Western Educational, 2009)