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Business Communication: In Person, In Print, Online

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INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDE
Chapter 6 Neutral and Positive Messages

Overview
Neutral and positive messages typically are written in clear language
using the direct organizational plan. Similarly, replies are written
promptly and directly address all the questions asked and implied. The
same approach is used for goodwill messages composed to express
congratulations, appreciation, or sympathy.

Social media response guidelines tell us whether and how to handle

online comments. Companies should respond to highly positive
 comments.

Learning Objectives
 Compose a neutral message.
 Respond to a neutral message.
 Compose a goodwill message.
 Address customer comments online.

Quick Links for Chapter 6

PPT Slides | Solutions to Exercises | Handouts | Video Suggestions | Company Examples | BizCom in the News

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 2
 Teaching Suggestions

Resources LO1: Compose a neutral message.

INTRODUCE the role neutral messages play in business, and discuss the
direct organizational plan that usually is used for such messages.

SHOW a sample way to organize a request, one type of neutral

message.

INSTRUCT students to search for similar requests in their own inboxes.

Ask them to analyze the organization of the messages, using the PPT
example. Encourage them to determine how effective the structure is
in each case.
REFER TO the earlier activity that referenced email requests from
students’ inboxes. Choose several messages that students determined
to have an ineffective structure.

INSTRUCT students to work with a partner. Ask each pair to select an

ineffective message and rewrite individually its weak parts (opening,
description, or closing). Then ask students to exchange their versions
with their partners and decide which version is more effective and why.
Encourage students to share their observations with the class.

INSTRUCT students to work in teams. Introduce the story, “How

‘Awesome’ is Facebook + Skype?,” on www.bizcominthenews.com. Use
this story to illustrate that even a neutral or positive message should be
tailored to different audiences. In addition to the discussion starters
suggested on the blog, ask students to perform the following activities:

 The response to the news seems to be excitement,

indifference, and a little anger laced with betrayal. Ask each
team to choose one specific reaction and represent the
Facebook audiences who may feel this way. (Try to have a
similar number of teams that will represent each of the
three reactions—multiples of three.)
 Ask each team to discuss the reasons why this audience
segment may feel this way. Encourage them to use
audience analysis techniques in this discussion. Invite

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 3
 Resources LO1: Compose a neutral message.
students to share their observations with the class.
 Ask each team to plan the much-anticipated announcement
by Facebook that would consider the audience segment
each team represents. Encourage discussion of the results
with the rest of the class.

Resources LO2: Respond to a neutral message.

INTRODUCE guidelines of responding to a neutral message in a
courteous, professional manner.

REFER TO the PPT exercise on composing a response. Ask students to

assume the reader’s position. What questions will the customer have
after receiving the PPT response? What information does the customer
still lack after the response? Overall, how does the response make the
customer feel?

After student brainstorm responses, instruct them to work with a

partner and rewrite the response.

INSTRUCT students to choose a company they like (e.g., a retail store

they often visit) and to play the role of an expert who works for the
company. Ask each student to find a partner who may not be very
familiar with this business. Instruct the partner to write a request about
a specific product he or she wants. The student-expert should answer
the request in the most professional way. Encourage students to use
the textbook guidelines for writing responses.

ASK students to “deliver” the response to the customer, and then ask
the customer to comment on its effectiveness. Did the expert answer
all questions—direct and implied? Is the response positive and
personal? Is the structure effective?

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 4
 Resources LO3: Compose a goodwill message.

INTRODUCE the types of goodwill messages and discuss their

importance for business.

INSTRUCT students to bring in examples of recognition, congratulatory,

thank-you, and sympathy notes. Ask students to assess each note
against guidelines on writing goodwill messages in the textbook and
PPT. Also ask students to identify and explain differences between the
messages (e.g., typed or handwritten). What is the significance of these
differences to the receiver?
INTRODUCE the story, “Strong Earnings at Best Buy,” on
www.bizcominthenews.com. In addition to the discussion starters on
the blog, ask students to perform the following task:

As the director of the notebook computer division, write a handwritten

note to one of your employees who has done an exceptional job in the
past three months. How can you, in a personal way, show your
appreciation for his or her hard work? You may add your own details
and examples.

To vary the assignment, search for more stories on

www.bizcominthenews.com and ask students to write other types of
goodwill messages, depending on the story.

14-week business: INSTRUCT students to write a goodwill message to

someone they currently work with or have worked with in the past.
This could be a recognition, congratulatory, thank-you, or sympathy
note.

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 5
 Resources LO4: Address customer comments online.
INTRODUCE the business opportunities and challenges of online
commenting. Encourage students to share their personal experience
with online comments for businesses and products.

REFER TO the PPT examples of Starwood’s and Gap’s interactions with

customers via Twitter. Instruct students to work with a partner and
analyze differences between the companies’ posts. Which works better
for what purpose? The Starwood example is far more engaging; the
company takes the time to connect with people personally. The Gap
example is more focused on marketing to broader audiences. This isn’t
the best use of Twitter, as we learned in Chapter 3. The company isn’t
responding to people at all.

To vary the assignment, ask students to find more examples of

companies interacting online and to perform a similar analysis.

EXPLAIN the Social Media Response Guidelines.

14-week non-business: Ask students to discuss their own experiences in

reading companies’ online responses. Encourage students to talk about
situations when they have posted a comment and received a response
from a company—or when they have not received a response. What
was their reaction? Did they believe the company’s response was
appropriate?

INSTRUCT students to work in teams. Introduce the story, “FTC Fines

Company for Fake Reviews,” on www.bizcominthenews.com. Use the
following discussion and activity ideas from the blog to encourage in-
team and all-class discussions:
 To what extent do you currently rely on reviews and other
online posts when deciding whether to buy a product? How
do you decide whether an online post is credible?
 Read the summary of the FTC complaint (posted by the
Bureau of Consumer Protection blog, a government
website). After reading the sample reviews in the summary
of the complaint, do you believe the FTC Guides are
appropriate? Is the fine fair? Why or why not?
 Working in small groups, identify criteria to determine the
credibility of an online review. How can you assess

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 Resources LO4: Address customer comments online.
objectivity? Or, what clues might tell you that a review is
not objective?
Additionally, ask students to individually complete the following:

Write a letter to small businesses in your community to warn them

about this issue. How will you explain the FTC ruling and encourage
business owners to operate within the Guides?

REFER TO a PPT example of online customer comments. Instruct

students to work with a partner and decide how to respond to the
comments. If they decide that a reply is necessary, ask them to draft
one. Then, encourage students to share their results with the class.

To vary the activity, distribute a few printed online comments, and ask
students to decide how to address the comments. Alternatively,
students may be asked to bring to class their own selection of various
online comments for a similar activity.

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 7
 Solutions to Exercises
3Ps in Practice: Responding to Online Feedback
Process
1. Would you respond to this comment? Why or why not?
Because the response is highly positive, I would reinforce the comment and engage the
customer.
2. Assume that you will respond. What is the purpose of your response?
To thank the customer for visiting the store and for sharing his or her good experience. I also
want to highlight the comment for others to see.
3. Describe your audience.
Primary audience: the satisfied customer. Secondary audience: others viewing the online
review site. These viewers may include other customers or those interested in visiting the
store.
4. Write your opening line for the response.
We are so glad you enjoyed your experience at Serendipity!

Product
We are so glad you enjoyed your experience at Serendipity! Thank you for visiting and for
sharing your experience. We frequently discount items, so we hope to see you again soon.

If this comment appeared on Twitter rather than a review site, students could further
engage the customer: “I’m glad you got some great deals! What did you buy?”

1. Request alumni organization membership information.

This request is a neutral message and should follow the guidelines included in the chapter.
Ensure that each student’s email does the following:

 Presents the major idea first: I am interested in joining a local alumni organization
upon graduation and would like to obtain some more information.
 Includes specific questions: Are membership fees due monthly or annually? Does the
alumni organization partner with other clubs or organizations?
Later in the semester, students should compare email responses with each other. Encourage
them to pay particular attention to whether their questions were fully answered.

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 2. Request health club membership information.
This request is also a neutral message and should follow the guidelines included in the chapter.
Students should present the major idea first and create a specific, well-defined question. For
example:

To: Membership Director

From: Maggie Gorman

Subject: Temporarily Suspending Membership

Dear Membership Director,

I am considering joining the gym, but I have a question about temporarily suspending
membership. I will be away for four weeks in September. If I joined now, would it be possible to
suspend my membership—and avoid paying membership fees—for those four weeks? Do you
have a reinstatement fee or any other charges that I should consider?

Thank you,

Maggie

3. Request a recommendation letter.

For this neutral message, students should put their request up front and continue with enough
details and explanation for Dr. Thavinet to respond positively.

Students should consider their relationship with Dr. Dennis Thavinet. Because it has been several
semesters since the student attended Dr. Thavinet’s class, he or she should include background
information that might jog his memory—including the topic and team members of the group
project he seemed to like. Students must also close the letter on a friendly note. With a positive
tone, students should request that Dr. Thavinet respond within two weeks.

4. Write an email to a major supplier about an office move.

Students’ emails should do the following:

 Begin with the major idea—the idea to move to a new location and the need for
Cotton Ware’s help.
 Avoid including discussion that does not apply to Cotton Ware such as a detailed
rationale of the move.
 Be personal: thank Harris for Cotton Ware’s commitment and strong relationship.

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 9
  Include all necessary details involved in managing this change—addresses, contact
information, and important dates.
 Politely request that Harris hold the shipments, but be firm about the importance of
this task.
 Ask for confirmation—or state that you will call to confirm—that Harris understood
and made the proper arrangements. (This last point is particularly important to make
sure that the message was received. Students also may choose to call Harris on
March 1 as a reminder.)
Because it is important that nothing is shipped after March 4, students’ emails must be
persuasive. Emails should make it easy for Harris to understand the message.

5. Write an email to employees about new security procedures.

Students’ emails should do the following:

 Begin with the main point: new security procedures will be implemented to monitor
people coming into and leaving the building.
 Include a clear, convincing rationale for the new procedure so that employees will
understand the need for the new procedures, even if they find swiping ID cards an
annoyance.
 Provide sufficient details so that employees know what to expect when the
procedure is implemented.
 Close by thanking employees for their cooperation and by providing an avenue to ask
questions.

6. Respond to a request for information about school.

All students will have different responses based on their experiences. Student responses should
follow these guidelines:

 Follow the direct organizational plan. Students may repeat Penny’s bullet points and
follow with the response. This would be a clear, easy-to-follow structure.
 Be personal. Share stories and experiences that may help Penny gain a better
perspective of life at this school.
 Answer all of the questions. If there are obvious follow-up questions, provide that
information before being asked.
 End in a friendly manner. Students could leave an invitation to write back with
further questions at any time.

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 7. Evaluate responses to the request for information about school.
In this exercise, students should differentiate between content and style. Differences based on
content do not need to be altered because the life experience and opinions will vary among
students. Instead, encourage students to discuss differences in delivery: level of detail,
organization, tone, etc. These are the elements that make a response effective or ineffective.

8. Respond to a speaking request.

Students’ responses should do the following:

 Follow the direct organizational plan. The response should begin with an acceptance
of the invitation.
 Provide a personalized response. Because the student worked at the organization all
summer, it is appropriate to include personal, positive comments.
 Close on a friendly note, for example, “I look forward to seeing everyone in HR
again.”

9. Write a team response to a request.

Students should identify each social project and how it benefits the school, using only factual
data. Each student should also take turns peer editing and reading through the document to
ensure that the entire document is written in one voice.

10. Write a congratulations note.

Encourage students to follow the guidelines for goodwill messages found in Figure 7. Below is a
sample congratulations note:

Josh,

Congratulations on winning the Manager of the Year award. I was happy to see you were chosen
this year. Working for you the last two years has been a pleasure—you encouraged our
department to be innovative and to do our best work every day.

Best wishes for another successful year,

Rachel

11. Write a recognition email.

Messages like this should be sent as recognition when an employee does a particularly good job.
Again, the guidelines for goodwill messages in Figure 7 are a helpful rubric for evaluating
students’ responses. Below is a sample recognition email to Brian:

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 To: Brian Smith

From: Christina Potter

Subject: Terrific Work

Brian,

You did a terrific job working with Annan Pongsudhirak to deliver the Panda curtains she wanted
with the positive, engaging service we strive for here at Costco. Congratulations on receiving
such a nice note!

I appreciate your commitment to excellence. Part of what makes you an excellent sales associate
is your ability to take the time necessary to discuss with customers their needs. Instead of
focusing on the sale, you focus on the customer. This philosophy will grow our reputation as a
customer-focused business.

Keep up the good work,

Christina

12. Write a thank-you note.

Students’ responses will vary, but below is a sample response:

Dear Bob and Maryanne,

Thank you for a quick response to handle the incident at In the Loop Soup Kitchen earlier this
week. Thanks to you, no one was hurt, and for that we are deeply grateful. Although witnesses
were frightened, your adept handling of the situation gave everyone at the facility confidence
and settled our fears.

Many thanks from all of us at In the Loop Soup Kitchen for your commitment to public safety in
our community. We are fortunate to have such a competent, responsive team in Olpine.

John

13. Decide whether to respond to online reviews.

Students should identify that not all social media posts require a company response. Refer to
Figure 10 to decide which posts deserve a response. Encourage students to discuss their
opinions—it’s okay to have different opinions. Below are possible responses:

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 Incredible sound!: This positive social media post reflects well on Sony. I would reach out and
engage this positive customer to say thank you and to highlight the response for other readers to
see.

Good for little over a year: This post is from an unhappy customer. He was originally happy with
the product, but it failed after the warranty expired. My goal here would be to restore the
relationship. I would respond and offer a solution—perhaps replace the part that is broken.
Others reading these reviews would also see Sony’s response to the situation, which can make a
positive impact.

Nice stereo: This is a neutral post. It doesn’t say anything negative about our company, so I would
recommend not responding. Students may respond, but it is not expected or necessary.

14. Respond to a positive customer online post.

Below is a sample response to the online post “Incredible sound!”:

Thank you for sharing your positive experience with our Sony stereo. We are glad you like the
sound quality of the stereo. In addition, we strive to make our products user friendly for both
installation and use, so I’m glad that we have succeeded!

Best,

Jake Zimmer

Sony Customer Service

Students may notice that we do not have the writer’s name; therefore, it’s even more important
that our response indicates that we read the review.

15. Send an email response to a highly positive customer comment.

Below is a sample email to this satisfied customer. The owner may post a similar response online
as well.

To: Paolo Simone

From: Diana Collins

Subject: Thank You for the Yelp Review

Paolo,

I just saw your Yelp review and was so happy! Thank you for sharing your positive experience
with Doggie Do. I’m glad to hear that Oscar is getting along with your son and behaving well. He
was a tough cookie at first, but we all enjoyed working with him. Amelia and the rest of the staff

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 work hard with pups every day to teach them obedience; it is rewarding to hear how well Oscar
is doing at home!

Best,

Diana Collins

Doggie Do, Owner

16. Evaluate a company response to comments online.

Below is a sample email to the employee:

To: Marni Satinsky

From: Karen Needles

Subject: Responses to Online Comments

Marni,

Thank you for drafting a response to the online post about the JCPenney website. As a company,
we want customers to feel that we value their online comments and take them seriously.

In keeping with this idea, why don’t we try to rework the draft you wrote so it’s a bit longer and
more specific. We also want to encourage others to see our good work.

For this response, you might try something like this instead: “Thank you! I am glad to hear that
our website was easy for you to navigate. As a customer who loves JCPenney, have you
considered joining our frequent shoppers club? We look forward to providing you with all your
household and personal needs.”

What do you think?

Karen

17. Anticipate a customer’s needs.

Below is a sample tweet response:

@Chrisbushkin Nike sells those great cleats at all Sports Authority stores, and most carry size 11.
Or you can order them through nike.com.

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 14