You've been there before. Something's gone wrong or you've messed up or you've had to give a client, contact or colleague 'bad' news of some kind. A "no". A "no-can-do". Even a justified mapola [lambasting]. How do you phrase it? How do you say what needs to be said, get your message across and still cover your back - or the bit that is slightly lower down but no less important to your reputation?
The answer is tact and here are seven ways to inject it into business writing.
Disclaimer: As a rule, it's best not to use writing as a stage for conflict, because it's a poor channel for confrontation. Phone calls and face-to-face meetings are almost always more effective. But if you have to put the issue in writing, there are several things you should keep in mind before you fire off a cracker.
Understand the power of tone
Tone is the writing between the lines. The message conveyed by a whole lot of things other than the actual words you use. In essence, it's the 'body language' of writing. And it's something you can change, depending on the circumstances.
The challenge is that tone is often the part that goes wrong, because it's highly subjective, so you need to choose your tone deliberately, carefully and with sufficient advance attention to both the content and the context of the message.
Focus on content and context
Content is what you want to convey. It's useful to think of this in terms of outcome, not in terms of the message itself. What's your objective? What do you hope the reader will do once he/she has assimilated your writing?
Context relates directly to the person you're addressing: Are they superiors? Subordinates? Equals? What is the length or level of formality of the relationship? How accurately can you anticipate how they'll respond?
Keeping both of these factors in mind, try to work out the tone that would be most appropriate for addressing this audience, given what you need them to know and how much you can get away with. Ask yourself, "If I were X, what would offend me? What would work best when dealing with me? And do I care enough about the consequences of this confrontation to go that route?"
Pay careful attention to structure
The position of positive and negative information in a message is important. 'Good' news should appear in a position of high emphasis - at the beginnings and ends of letters, paragraphs and sentences - while 'bad' news should appear in secondary positions: right in the centre of letters, paragraphs and sentences.
In The Business Writer, Van Rys, Meyer and Sebranek recommend the BEBE format for bad news: "Buffer, Explanation, Bad news (plus alternative) and Exit".
Set up a neutral buffer at the beginning of a negative communiqué, to soften the blow to the reader; eg "Thank you for your application and the interview yesterday. Our team has reviewed your credentials and come to a decision."
Follow with an explanation, presented as formally and factually as possible. Try to anticipate any questions, and answer them as fully as you can.
Then state the bad news directly and clearly, and move on. Don't harp.
Finally, offer any alternative plans or compromises and end on a positive note. If future contact or work is desired, make this clear before the end. Know that the best closing statement is polite and hopeful, not apologetic.
Choose your words carefully
When making requests, "would" and "please" go further than 'must' and 'should'. When making requests of a large group, use the collective noun instead of "you" (not "You are reminded...", but "Staff are reminded...").
Avoid "I" and "you" (first and second person) when criticising or accusing. Rather use the more general, more detached "it" and "the": "It would be a good idea to..."; "The payment is overdue"; "The submission is disappointing."
Put the facts or history of the situation first, instead of starting with "I believe"; "I feel"; "I think". People are more receptive if they understand why.
Avoid using passive-aggressive phrases like "It would seem that" or "It appears that" as a basis for judgement. State what is. Or be quiet.
Avoid intensifiers such as "absolutely" and "totally" and avoid using bold, underlining or all CAPS to create emphasis - because all of these elements can upset the delicate rational balance of your message and upstage you.
Keep it as short as you can
The less you say and the more cleanly and concisely you express your point/s, the less room there is to a) make a tit of yourself, b) slide into emotional blathering and c) have your words come back to bite you later on.
Get some third-party insights
To check the overall tone before delivering a message, consider asking for a second opinion from a trusted colleague. This can help to ensure that your message can't be mistaken as rude, arrogant or condescending. Remember: when it comes to tone, it's very hard for any writer to be truly objective.
Show that you're a real person
There's nothing worse than a trite, stuffy, bog-standard piece of officialese when it comes to handling something sensitive. Yes, your you-know-what is covered, but the reader tends to get more revved than necessary because he/she doesn't perceive you as a real person. You're the robot; the bad guy's gatekeeper.
So even when you have to use a template or certain pre-determined wording to get your message across accurately and in line with your organisation's policy, try to show that there's a human being there as well. One who empathises.
Good luck. Remember that tone is a tricky beast and that your best weapon in the conflict/confrontation battle is preparation, care and 10 very deep breaths.
Tiffany Markman (www.tiffanymarkman.co.za) is a highly opinionated freelance copywriter, copy editor and writing trainer who has worked for over 180 clients in South Africa and across the world. She is an EMPOWERDEX-certified EME who hates misplaced apostrophes and dangling modifiers but loves pizza and pina coladas. Reach her anytime on , follow @tiffanymarkman on Twitter and sign up for her newsletter.
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