In workplaces, professionalism means that you act courteously. And in workplace writing, courteous writing shows your professionalism. It is especially true when you are in trouble, more specifically when you have to tell bad news to your readers. For example, you would feel difficult to write to your customers when you find out the merchandise you had sold them had a defect and have to inform them of it, or when you have to tell job interviewees that you decided not to hire them, etc. In these cases, courteous writing will help you.
By writing courteously, you could minimize negative feelings of the readers toward you. Writing courteously means that you show your sincerity/honesty and consideration for the audience. You could show your sincerity and honesty by presenting the negative information clearly, specifically, and directly to avoid misunderstanding. Don’t beat around the bush, go straight to the bush. Also, in order to show your consideration for the audience, first you have to think hard about how the readers will feel or react to the negative information. Considering their feelings and reactions, you should come up with and present alternatives, solutions, potential actions they could take.
Specifically, there is a general pattern of organization for informing negative news:
1. Use buffers to get the readers ready for the negative news.
2. Clearly present the negative, only one time.
3. Suggest substitutes, compromises, solutions if any.
4. Finish with an affirmative, positive conclusion for the future relationship with the readers.
2. Clearly present the negative, only one time.
3. Suggest substitutes, compromises, solutions if any.
4. Finish with an affirmative, positive conclusion for the future relationship with the readers.
After taking a good consideration of the content of the letter, you want to make sure the organization of the letter is well-organized, and includes all the necessary information. Basic elements of letters are the followings:
1. Heading or letterhead with your address
2. Date
3. Recipient’s address
4. Salutation or greeting
5. Introductory, Body, and Concluding Paragraphs
6. Appropriate closing phrase
7. Signature with your typewritten full name
2. Date
3. Recipient’s address
4. Salutation or greeting
5. Introductory, Body, and Concluding Paragraphs
6. Appropriate closing phrase
7. Signature with your typewritten full name
References:
Dobrin, Sidney I, Christopher J. Keller, Christian R. Weisser. Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2nd ed. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2002.
Satoko,
ReplyDeleteGood post. I like how you explain the importance of writing courteously. In the future, you should try submitting a rough draft of your post to me or another team member, so your grammar and word choice can be double checked. I liked how thorough your tips for courteous writing were, but I would recommend staying within your topic to avoid confusion.
I look forward to your future posts.