ABSTRACT
The audience of a bad-news message usually is one person. The need to preserve a good relationship while delivering bad news can make the writing of a bad-news message difficult. Unlike good-news messages, bad-news messages rarely have keepsake value. Bad-news letters still exist, but such messages increasingly use email for delivery. A well-organized bad-news message explains the reason(s) for the bad news before it announces the bad news. In most bad-news situations, three or four sentences suffice to create this positive beginning. The five-part bad-news message works in almost every bad-news situation. An email version of the bad-news example on page 288 would begin with the words "Dear Ms. Jones." The bad-news message has five parts that usually translate into three paragraphs. There are: Begin Courteously, Focusing on a Positive Relationship; Explain the Reason(s) for the Bad News; Deliver the Bad News; Cap the Bad News with Something Neutral or Positive; and Close Courteously, Focusing on a Positive Relationship.
