9.4 Negative Messages
At times in the usual course of work, we must convey messages that may not be well received by the audience. Bad news messages or messages containing information that the reader will resist call for the indirect approach whereby the key idea is placed near the close instead of in the opening. That way, you can create a buffer that prepares the reader for the negative news and add an explanation that promotes understanding before the key idea is conveyed. That buffer allows the reader to be prepared for the news that follows.
Business Communication for Success suggests seven goals you should consider when delivering negative news (University of Minnesota Libraries Press, 2015):
- Be clear and concise in order not to require additional clarification.
- Help the receiver understand and accept the news.
- Maintain trust and respect for the business or organization and for the receiver.
- Avoid legal liability or erroneous admission of guilt or culpability.
- Maintain the relationship, even if a formal association is being terminated.
- Reduce the anxiety associated with the negative news to increase comprehension.
- Achieve the designated business outcome.
The video, How to Deliver Bad News (2015) illustrates five strategies noted above.
This chapter will discuss a few negative message types that are frequently put to use in business contexts, highlighting key idea placement and message structure.
Knowledge Check
Using the Indirect Approach to Organize Ideas
Your thorough audience and context analysis will inform you on the probable emotional response your message will receive. With this information, you can adapt your message such that it is conveyed with tactfulness and empathy. If your document contains a negative message that will not evoke an emotional response, then you can use the direct approach to organize the content. However, when you expect the reader to respond to your message with an negative emotional response, you should organize your message using the indirect approach.
The indirect approach is created by placing the key idea near the closing paragraph, thus delaying the key message so that the reader has time to understand the rationale behind the decision or message as a whole. As such, the message would be structured in the following way:
Negative Message Structure
OPENING and BACKGROUND
|
EXPLANATION
|
KEY IDEA: NEGATIVE NEWS STATEMENT
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OFFER ALTERNATIVES OR REDIRECT
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CLOSE
|
The following, adapted from Arly Cruther’s Business Communication for Everyone (2020), explains each of these parts.
1. Create a buffer statement
The first part of a negative news message, verbal or written, is a buffer statement. It provides neutral or positive information and establishes good will. It sets the tone and often serves as a cushion for the information to come. It is important that the buffer not be overly positive because this can be misleading or set up the reader to expect a positive news message instead. If necessary, review in an objective manner the key circumstances. Importantly, establish good will by finding common ground or acknowledging effort or previous good relations. This part of the document may be covered in one or two paragraphs.
Knowledge Check
2. Add an explanation
Next, an explanation discusses why there is an issue. This rationale may be relatively simple, quite complex, or uncomfortable. Here, include detail that would help the reader understand the “why” behind the negative news. To do so requires that you add enough concrete detail to enable the reader to understand but not so much as to overwhelm.
While an explanation is important, never admit or imply responsibility without written authorization from your company cleared by legal counsel. Try to avoid labeling the negative news, such as calling it inconvenient or disappointing, because this will assume the feelings of your reader and create an overly negative impression. The person receiving the message may not have felt badly about receiving the news until you pointed out that it was indeed inconvenient or disappointing.
3. Break the bad news
The third part of the negative news message involves the negative news itself, and the emphasis here is on clarity and accuracy. While you want to break the bad news clearly, try not to spotlight it. You have two options for stating the negative news: you may create an implied message or make an explicit statement.
Implied negative news message: An implied negative message is one that is embedded in the substance of the explanation. The detail would be such that the negative news is evident without need for an actual explicit statement. Such an approach requires a skillful approach to crafting the message, and usually creates an empathetic tone. See the example below:
We appreciate your interest in attending the Online Business Communication Conference from March 12-14; however, these dates coincide our department’s deadline for the Dunbar Associates marketing plan. We need you on our team as we finalize the submission.
Explicit negative news statement: An explicit negative statement is usually contained in a single sentence. It clearly and undeniably delivers the bad news and is used in contexts where you as the writer want to ensure that there is no mistaking the message. A more direct statement places the bad news at the beginning of the sentence; a more empathetic approach involves using the passive voice and placing the negative news in the latter part of the message. See the examples below:
Direct negative news statement example:
Your request to pursue research into the accounting practices of Dunbar Associates has been denied due to tight departmental time constraints.
Passive and indirect negative news statement example:
Due to tight departmental time constraints, your request to pursue research into the accounting practices of Dunbar Associates cannot be approved.
4. Redirect or provide alternatives
The fourth part of a bad news message is the redirect, where you refocus attention on a solution strategy, possible alternatives, or the subsequent actions that will take place. The strategy here is to offer to the reader the sense that the matter at hand can be achieved or resolved using alternative methods. For example, in the case of the conference attendance refusal shown above, an alternative can be added to ensure that the receiver understands that other options are possible:
We appreciate your interest in attending the Online Business Communication Conference from March 12-14; however, these dates coincide our department’s deadline for the Dunbar Associates marketing plan. We need you on our team as we finalize the submission. Would you consider attending the Business Marketing Conference instead? It runs from April 21-22 in Ottawa.
5. End politely and forward-looking
Last, you want to end your message politely and looking to the future. Avoid mentioning the negative news again; rather, focus on the potential for future engagement or activities. Doing this extends the good will established in the opening. If the situation calls for a severing of ties altogether, simply end on a respectful and positive note without suggesting possible future engagement.
Figure 9.4.1 shows an example of a negative news message delivered using this approach.
Thank you for submitting your request for 10 days of vacation (your maximum entitlement) in August.
Summer is traditionally a time when many employees are out of the office and demands on the servers are reduced. In order to minimize the disruption to staff throughout the company, the IT department will be rolling out a server replacement project during July and August. Because this project will need to be completed in a more compressed time frame, no vacation requests in July and August are possible for staff in the IT department. As a result, your request for vacation during August has not been approved.
However, you are welcome to take vacation before or after the project rolls out. As compensation, HR is providing IT staff with three extra days of paid vacation.
We look forward to receiving your revised vacation request soon.
Figure 9.4.1 An example of a negative news message delivered using the indirect approach (Cruthers, 2020).
The direct approach is used when the audience values brevity or if the situation will not evoke a strong emotional response. It is also used when the message needs to be concise, the message is very complex and might not be understood easily, the message is related to a known issue or problem (and bad news won’t be a surprise), or you’re terminating a business relationship.
As shown in Figure 9.4.2, the negative news is announced in the opening or introduction of the message.
Your request for vacation time from August 1-30 was not approved because it exceeds your vacation days entitlement of 10 days.
Please re-submit your request for vacation days (up to a maximum of 10) to HR as soon as possible.
Figure 9.4.2 An example of a negative news message delivered using the direct approach (Cruthers, 2020).
Sample Negative Messages
Claim Refusal
A claim refusal is one type of response to a routine claim (see Chapter 9.3 for more on claims messages). A claim refusal serves to deny a claim usually made by a dissatisfied customer or client. For example, if you placed an order for MS Office software and received Norton Antivirus software instead and had opened the package, the retail outlet would have reason to deny your request for reimbursement or exchange even if it had sent you the incorrect software.
A claim refusal is a type of routine message that consists of these basic components:
1. A buffer that establishes good will
2. An explanation of the refusal
3. The refusal statement
4. The alternative or redirection
5. A close that reinforces good will along with an action statement if one is required.
See the example below in Figure 9.4.3 for an illustration of this structure. Note how the bad news does not appear in the opening; in fact, it isn’t even stated. This is an example of an implicit refusal. Since the message states that the chair had been delivered, there is no need to also outright refuse the reimbursement: It is evident.
Example of a Claim Refusal Email
To: Shasta Abenaki
From: Glenda Plastifico
Subject: Re: Urgent: Request for Redress Regarding Sustainability Practices at Freewear
Dear Ms. Abenaki,
Thank you for taking the time to bring the important issue of our sustainability practices to our attention. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your commitment to sustainability.
We appreciate your feedback and are committed to improving our practices. In response to your message, we are pleased to share the following steps we are taking to address the sustainability issues you highlighted:
- Shifting from man-made fibers to natural materials: Moving forward our garments will be created with textiles consisting of natural materials.
- Suppliers: Our textiles will be sourced from suppliers who are also committed to protecting the environment through sound sustainability practices.
- Customer engagement: We will also create a board consisting of our company’s sustainability team and customer representatives to regularly review our sustainability goals and initiatives to ensure we stay on track.
While we are unable to offer compensation or discounts at this time, please be assured that your feedback has been instrumental in helping us become more environmentally responsible. We are indeed committed to making reinforcing our commitment to sustainable practices and hope that you will continue to support us as we work towards these goals.
Thank you again for helping us improve. If you have any further questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Best regards,
Glenda Plastifico
Sustainability Officer
Freewear
_____________________________________________________________
Co-created with Copilot on March 14, 2025 using the following prompt: Create a response to the previous message that you created. Ensure that you include a buffer as we need to create a refusal to the claim.
Figure 9.4.3 Example of a negative news email.
Managing Negative News on Social Media
When someone complains about you or your company on social media, you might be tempted to ignore it. Unfortunately, the conversation about your company will continue whether or not you respond, so responding gives you an opportunity to control the message.
Let’s say that a customer, Clint, posted on Twitter that the watch your company sold him broke within a week. Your goal is to help resolve Clint’s complaint and also show that your watch company has great customer service. Getting into a back-and-forth exchange with Clint will make you look unprofessional, so the best thing to do is to reply to Clint with a short message like: “Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Please follow me so that we can DM (direct message) each other and find a solution. Or, you can email me at ___.”
Hopefully, this will take the conversation offline so that you can resolve it. Maybe it will turn out that Clint’s watch is under warranty, and you can repair or replace it. Or maybe Clint broke his watch in a way that’s not covered. You can break the bad news using the strategies discussed above in a private manner.
The key take away here is to respond as soon as possible with a helpful attitude. This following video, How to Handle Complaints on Social Media (2019) offers additional insights for an effective response.
Using LLMs to Revise and Co-Create Negative Messages
LLMs are increasingly being used in workplaces to create negative messages. You can ask an LLM to help you revise a message draft you have created. You can also engage in a co-creative process with an LLM to draft a message. Co-creation involves the combined efforts of both the human and the genAI application in creating content for the message, followed extensive human revision of the output produced by the LLM. No message can be finalized without a careful review and revision of its contents to ensure that the negative message has the following characteristics:
- Accurate: Complete an accuracy check. Your reputation and that of the organization you are representing relies on accuracy in all its communications. Failing that, the organization can also suffer financial, legal, moral, and customer losses.
- Authentic: Revise the output extensively such that the message that results reflects more of your authentic voice and intent than that produced by the machine. Your co-workers, customers, and partners will appreciate a human approach more than a mechanized version.
- Complete: It is your task to ensure that all the necessary information is included in the message. Check the output and add what is needed to satisfy the needs of the moment.
- Fair: When making a decision that will result in bad news and when creating your message, ensure that you are being fair in your approach. This can be communicated through tone, vocabulary, and content.
- Specific to the Context: Copilot as other models often will produce very generic output. As you revise the output, it is your opportunity to add the specific context-related information that will make your message relevant to your reader.
- Tactful: Conveying sensitive messages requires that you use a tactful approach, which is why the indirect strategy works well in such situations. Tactfulness requires that you keep your audience’s well being in mind at every step of the message preparation process.
Below is a suggested prompting strategy for revising a draft that you created:
Asking an LLM to Help Revise a Draft Negative Message
Begin by either pasting your draft message into the context window or uploading the file that contains your draft message to the LLM then follow through with this prompt:
Prompt
Read this message, which has been created to convey negative news about [state the focus of the message]. My intended audience is [state the audience], and I want to achieve [state your purpose]. The message must be tactful and sensitive while also [state the preferred qualities], and it must have a professional tone. I want the message to be organized using the indirect method, which includes an opening with a buffer, background, details, the negative news, and courteous close. Please suggest how I can improve the message and if I should add additional details to make it complete.
Below is a suggested prompting strategy for eliciting a positive or neutral message from an LLM:
Asking an LLM to Help You Draft Negative Message
Option 1: You can begin the process by asking the LLM what it needs to assist you.
Prompt
I am working in the [state your occupation or field of work]. I need to send a [state the type of message] to [state your audience]. I am trying achieve [state your purpose]. Please tell me what you need to know in order to help me draft the message.
Option 2
Use the following prompt elements to assist in creating a draft positive or neutral message. You would, of course, have to add details specific to the writing situation you are facing.
Prompt
You are a business professional working in the [state the field] and must convey negative news about [state the topic] in an [email, memo]. The message will be sent to [state the intended audience]. The message must mention the following reasons [state the key reasons for the bad news] and must result in [state the desired outcome]. Help me draft the negative [email, memo] message that is tactful and sensitive to the audience. Use the following structure:
- Opening with a buffer
- Background that includes a rationale for the negative news
- Explanation for the negative news
- The negative news statement
- Courteous close or action statement
Once you receive output, check it and revise it so that it is complete, accurate, unbiased and authentic. Do not hesitate to go back to the LLM with a revised prompt and continue the prompting until you have output that is purposeful and meaningful.
Negative message require skillfulness and sensitivity. Without these characteristics, you risk alienating your reader. Using an indirect strategy for emotionally-charged situations allows you to create a buffer and provide reasons for the negative news such that the reader become more inclined to understand and accept your message. LLMs can be used to help you revise your own draft as well as to create draft message that you should revise. Ensuring that your message is complete, bias-free, specific, and accurate will help you to better achieve your goal.
References
Crawley, D. (2015). How to deliver bad news: Customer service training 10 [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltg2X0e5g-0
Cruthers, A. (2020). Delivering a bad news message. Business writing for everyone. https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/businesswriting/chapter/delivering-a-bad-news-message/
University of Minnesota Libraries Press. (2015). Business communication for success. https://open.lib.umn.edu/businesscommunication/chapter/17-1-delivering-a-negative-news-message/
Rezab, J. (2019). How to handle a social media complaint {Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXKAVOR_bn8
Skill Boasters. (2014). Breaking Bad News – Difficult Workplace Conversations Training [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN-RbUFAJx4
