Page 57 - Today’s Business Communication; A How-to Guide for the Modern Professional

46 TODAY’S BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Let’s next consider a situation that you might encounter, or perhaps,
may have already experienced. Let’s say you’ve applied for a job that you
really want, and you believe you had a terrific interview last week. A letter
comes in today’s mail, in an envelope with the name of the company
where you hope to work. Here are two versions of the first two sentences
of that letter:

Version #1. We regret to inform you that you will not be hired for the
accounting position with Zimpal Group LLC. We will keep your
résumé on file for 6 months, should another position for which you
are better qualified becomes available.
Version #2. You were an outstanding candidate who performed well
in your interview. An alternate candidate, however, one who has
2 years more accounting experience than you have, was the success-
ful applicant for the position with Zimpal Group LLC.

Now, which letter would you rather receive? Which opening statement
builds a more positive relationship? We hope you answered Version #2
because that version is shorter, less wordy, more professional, and demon-
strates more thoughtfulness than Version #1. Notice, also, that the
emphasis in the second version is upon the reader, not the sender, of
the letter. The name of the company falls dead last in Version #2. The
“you” focus in business communication is critical. Put yourself and the
company in the background and put your reader, or listener if you are
speaking, in the metaphorical front row.

Delivering Bad News

Often in business communication, we have to deliver bad news. It
might be in a presentation to shareholders, in an interview with the
media, in a letter to a customer, or even in a letter to a job candidate.
Two of the best questions to ask yourself, when planning a commu-
nicative message of bad news are these: “How would I want to receive
this message?” and “How would I want someone to deliver bad news
to the person I love most?” Putting yourself into the role of the receiver
of bad news is an exercise in empathy. Empathetic communications
are highly effective when delivering bad news. Below you’ll find an
example.