Select which approach you would use (direct or indirect) for the following negative messages.
1. An email message to your boss, informing her that one of your key clients is taking its business to a different accounting firm
2. An email message to a customer, informing her that one of the books she ordered from your website is temporarily out of stock
3. A letter to a customer, explaining that the DVD burner he ordered for his new custom computer is on back order and that, as a consequence, the shipping of the entire order will be delayed Message Strategies: Writing Negative Messages [LO-3] Answer the following questions pertaining to buffers.
4. You have to tell a local restaurant owner that your plans have changed and you are canceling the 90-person banquet scheduled for next month. Do you need to use a buffer? Why or why not?
5. Write a buffer for a letter declining an invitation to speak at an industry association's annual fund-raising event. Show your appreciation for being asked.
6. Write a buffer for an email message rejecting an unsolicited proposal from a vendor with whom you have a positive and long-standing business relationship. Make up any details you need.
Message Strategies: Refusing Routine Requests; Collaboration: Team Projects [LO-4], Chapter 2 Working alone, revise the following statements to deemphasize the bad news without hiding it or distorting it. (Hint: Minimize the space devoted to the bad news, subordinate it, embed it, or use the passive voice.) Then team up with a classmate and read each other's revisions. Did you both use the same approach in every case? Which approach seems to be most effective for each of the revised statements?
7. The airline can't refund your money. The "Conditions" section on the back of your ticket states that there are no refunds for missed flights. Sometimes the airline makes exceptions, but only when life and death are involved.
Of course, your ticket is still valid and can be used on a flight to the same destination.
8. I'm sorry to tell you, we can't supply the custom decorations you requested. We called every supplier, and none of them can do what you want on such short notice. You can, however, get a standard decorative package on the same theme in time. I found a supplier that stocks these. Of course, it won't have quite the flair you originally requested.
9. We can't refund your money for the malfunctioning MP3 player. You shouldn't have immersed the unit in water while swimming; the user's manual clearly states the unit is not designed to be used in adverse environments.