MCM301 GDB Solution June 2012
Discussion Question:How to effectively convey disappointing news in a letter
In your professional life, you will face a variety of situations when you will have to write a letter to convey any disappointing news to your reader. In such situations, your success will depend on how effectively you communicate the refusal in an inoffensive way.
Read the below given scenario carefully and critically evaluate the poorly written body of the letter. The letter body is not effectively communicating the negative or bad news. Identify why it is not the effective way to communicate bad news and discuss which approach and ways will be more effective to convey this bad news.
Scenario:
“A drama producer working in any famous TV channel receives an invitation for a workshop from XYZ University. This University arranges this workshop on drama production for its students of mass communication yearly and invites the same producer to deliver a special lecture on drama production. Unfortunately, producer is unable to attend the workshop this year due to his other professional commitments. Now he has to write a letter of refusal to that invitation”.
Letter Body:
Unfortunately, I would not be able to attend the workshop as I am occupied in my other professional commitments this year. I am engaged in some outdoor productions scheduled abroad for our TV play that is to be on aired by this month which is taking all my time. I express my regret for not being guest speaker at University’s upcoming workshop.
Important Instructions:
1. Your discussion must be based on logical facts.
2. The GDB will remain open for 2 working days/ 48 hours. (Change if more days are allowed)
3. Do not copy or exchange your answer with other students. Two identical / copied comments will be marked Zero (0) and may damage your grade in the course.
4. Obnoxious or ignoble answer should be strictly avoided.
5. Questions / queries related to the content of the GDB, which may be posted by the students on MDB or via e-mail, will not be replied till the due date of GDB is over.
Solution:-
The Sandwich Method
Good News – Bad News – Good News
In business environments you will often find that the earlier "slick" presentations just don’t work. This is particularly true when ethics and accountability are held to high standards. This method gives you a way to present bad news in a way that both starts and ends on a positive note without "smoke and mirror" techniques. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to report that our new testing procedures have improved our failure detection by 97% over the past three months. We had one catastrophic failure which, regrettably, resulted in the loss of an expensive robotic arm, but on a more positive note, the arm was scheduled for replacement during the next fiscal year and this event allowed us to advance our retrofit which has further increased productivity."
1
Identify the good news: Before the negative event, what was going well? Find something that was on the up swing that is related to the bad news. It’s important to present this first. Do not ever present the bad news first. If you do that, the audience will often focus on that and you will lose their attention – they won’t even hear the good news. Give them something interesting so they’ll want to hear more.
2
Present the facts: After the initial good news, lead directly into the bad news. Don’t segue with "and now the bad news" or you’ll deflate the positive impact the previous good news brought. When you state the bad news try to be be somewhat monotonic in nature but don’t waiver and don’t be apologetic.
3
Outline the positive results: You’ve stated exactly what happened. Now, most importantly, what did you learn from it? Bad things do happen; accept it. But you can use those events to improve. This is most commonly called a post-mortem analysis. Done properly, such an analysis can lead to dramatic improvements. When you present your summary of the post-mortem, you will be telling the audience how this negative event poses a future benefit.
4
Avoid excuses: Yes, it happened. No, it wasn’t a good thing. No, you’re not trying to dodge responsibility. Your objective is to state the news and nothing but the news. You’re simply going to put it in such a way that the audience recognizes you as a person of integrity. When done properly it’s likely you’ll get a round of applause by using this method.
5
Avoid finger-pointing: Instead of a blame fixer, be a problem fixer. Don't try to assign the bad news to someone - not even to yourself. Quibbling over who did what to whom behind which barn isn't going to solve anything. We were having a good day, something bad happened, here's what we're doing about it.
10 Key Points For Delivering Bad News — Document Transcript
1. COMMUNICATING BAD NEWS 10 KEY POINTS 1 In business, there are 2 ways to deliver bad news: (1) intra-person (E.g. person-to- person, telephone) or (2) in writing (E.g. letter, memo, email). The strategies presented for communicating bad news can be equally applied to the intra-person or written method.
2 There are 4 specific goals in communicating bad news. The primary goals are (1) to ensure that the receiver accepts and comprehends the bad news; (2) to maintain a positive image of yourself and the organization you represent, as this reflects directly on your ethical behavior. The 2 secondary goals are to (3) be clear in your message, as the clearer the message, the lesser the chances of further correspondence or inquiries on behalf of the receiver; (4) to protect yourself and the organization by limiting the risks of triggering legal liabilities.
3 Whether communicating bad news intra person or in writing, special attention must be made to the choice of language. To avoid legal liabilities, limit the use of the following language: (1) abusive language in the form of name calling, defamation, libel or slander is legally actionable when false, harmful to the person’s good name and published. (2) Careless language such as words that do not communicate an exact intention, as well as damaging or misinterpreted statements. (3) Inaccurate language such as communicating extra information, making promises that cannot be upheld, admitting or accepting responsibility as a result of feeling guilty, ambiguous apologies that can be held legally liable.
4 Selecting the use of the active voice or the passive voice is critical in the delivery of the bad news. An active voice focuses on the person to whom the message is directed to; for instance, I think the Mandarin class you are taking Tuesday afternoons is a hobby; therefore, I cannot grant you the afternoon off. As for the passive voice, it is the most appropriate to convey bad news in business, especially when referring to techniques that enhance sensitivity. Unlike the active voice, it focuses on the action as shown in this example: since your Mandarin class on Tuesday afternoons is a hobby, no time off is allowed.
5 Traditionally used as a method to deliver constructive feedback, it is preferable to avoid referring to the sandwich method to communicate bad news in business. The pattern of presenting good news, followed by bad news, and good news in closing tends to detract the receiver’s attention towards the good news, omitting the bad news.
2.
6 Analyzing the context in which the bad news is to be delivered implies the application of the direct pattern or the indirect pattern. The Direct Pattern states the bad news first and is most effective in situations when firmness and directness are required or when the receiver may disregard the bad news. The Indirect Pattern begins with a buffer and the presentation of the reasons that lead to the delivery of the bad news, it is most efficient in communicating bad news in business situations when relationships want to be preserved.
7 To correctly follow the indirect pattern, one must adequately apply its checklist. (1) Open with a buffer by presenting the best news, a compliment, appreciation, facts, understanding or apology. (2) Follow by introducing the reasons to support the negative message through providing a careful explanation, explaining the company’s policy, using positive words or presenting appropriate evidence. (3) Make an effort to cushion the bad news: use the passive voice, imply a refusal, state compromises and propose an alternative. (4) Conclude in a pleasant manner implying a forward look, information about the previously proposed alternative, good wishes and goodwill.
8 There are several steps to consider when delivering bad news to customers. (1) Apologize if you or your organization is responsible. (2) Clearly pinpoint the problem and accept responsibility. (3) Explain what you are doing to remediate the situation and how you will ensure that it does not occur at a further time. (4) Promote goodwill (E.g. gifts, rewards, benefits, bonuses). (5) Imply that you appreciate the customer’s business and praise their understanding. (6) Confirm that you are eager to reestablish the relationship and maintain it in the long term.
9 To successfully deliver bad news personally in an organization, one must respect the following guideline: (1) gather information prior to confronting another employee. (2) Focus on practicing what you want to say. (3) Precise the origin, current status of the problem and your plan to resolve it. (4) Bring a witness, to increase credibility. (5) Choose the appropriate time to deliver the bad news - avoid stressful periods or Friday afternoons. (6) Remember to give the receiver time to process the bad news.
10 To counter the challenges of communicating bad news in a multicultural environment, one must (1) understand that the “Western” way to deliver bad news is not the “Universal” way. (2) Broaden their knowledge to the new cultures of the workplace. (3) When possible, research foreign business communicating strategies prior to engaging in communicating the bad news. (4) Evaluate the context in which the bad news is being delivered. (5) Always refer to the indirect pattern as it lessens the impact of the bad news and may diminish a cultural misinterpretation.
