INFORMATIVE AND

POSITIVE MESSAGES

Info. and positive msgs include

Acceptances.
Positive

answers to readers requests.

Info. about procedures, products,
services, or options.
Announcement of policy changes that
are neutral or positive.
Changes that are to the readers
advantage.

Best subject line for informative

or positive message
A subject line is the title of the
document. It should be:

specific
concise
appropriate to the kind of msg
(positive, negative, persuasive etc.)

SPECIFIC SUBJECT LINE

Too general: Training Sessions

(To make this SL more specific identify

the particular topic of this msg.)

Better: Dates for 2005 Training

Sessions.
Or: Evaluation of Training
Sessions on Conducting
Interviews.

CONCISE SUBJECT LINE

Subject lines should be shortusually not more than 10 words.

Wordy SL: Survey of student

preferences in regards to various pizza
factors again, the best revision depends
on the specific factors you will discuss.
Better: Students Pizza Preferences
Or: The feasibility of a Dominos branch
on campus.

SUBJECT LINES APPROPRIATE FOR

THE PATTERN OF ORGANIZATION

When you have good news for the

reader,
build
goodwill
by
highlighting it in the subject line.
When your information is neutral,
summarize it concisely for the
subject line.
Contd

Some examples:
Example-1
Message - Starting January 2, as an
employee of Amalgamated Industries
you can get a 15% discount on cars
you rent for business or personal use
from Roadway Rent-a-car.
Subject: Discount on Rental Cars
effective January 2, 2014.

Example 2:
Message: In the last month, we have
chosen the participants and
developed a tentative agenda for the
videoconference with France
scheduled for March 21, 2014.
Subject: Update on arrangements for
Videoconference with France.

HOW TO ORGANIZE INFORMATIVE

AND POSITIVE MESSAGE

Main Point
Detail
Negatives
Reader Benifits
Goodwill Ending

Present informative and positive

messages in the following order:
1. Give any good news and

summerize the main points. Share

good news immediately. Include details
such as the date policies begin and the
percent of a discount. If the reader has
already raised the issue, make it clear
that youre responding.

2. Give details, clarifications,

background.
Dont
repeat
information
from
the
first
paragraph.
Provide
all
the
information necessary to achieve
your purpose. Present details in
the order of importance to the
reader.

3.Present any negative elementsas positively as possible. A policy

may have limits; information may
be incomplete; the reader may
have to satisfy requirements to get
a discount or benefit. Make these
negatives clear, but present them as
positively as possible.

4. Explain any reader benefits.

Most informative memos need
reader benefits. Show that the
policy or procedure helps readers,
not just the company. In letters,
you may want to give benefits of
dealing with your company as well
as benefits of the product or policy.

5.Use a goodwill ending:

positive, personal, and
forward-looking. Shifting your
emphasis away from the message
to the specific reader suggests that
serving the reader is your real
concern.

The most common kinds of

informative and positive
messages are confirmations,
summaries, adjustments,
thank-you and congratulatory
notes.