Do's and Don’t's
When it comes to tone of voice while conveying a negative message, the situation becomes more difficult.
Anger, jealousy, frustration, and cynicism are a few
things that should be avoided if you want to get the tone
right. Negativity is easily intercepted by a reader.
If you think your writing has some negative connotations, do the following:
- Take some time off to cool down and create emotional distance from the topic you are writing about.
- Ask a friend or colleague to read your letter and give you feedback on the tone.
However, if you do need to convey some bad news via written communication, keep it professional. Using a neutral tone while delivering bad news might be a good idea. Here are a few examples:
|
Don't |
Do |
|
I can't allow anyone in the organization to come late on a daily basis. I can't allow such behavior. |
We encourage punctuality, and we urge you to be on time on a regular basis. |
|
We can't offer you this position because you don't match our requirements. |
Unfortunately, we do not have an appropriate opening in our company at the moment that can utilize your skills. |
Tone is an ambiguous thing, and even the best intentions can be misinterpreted. The mantra to stay out of trouble is to revise, revise, and revise your document before you send it.
If you think a word or phrase might be misconstrued, promptly change it.
Some final tips:
1. Do not come across as a patronizing boor . Avoid words and phrases that might make you sound insincere, such as "honestly," "certainly," and "basically." Also avoid sports analogies and dated pop culture catchphrases, including, "Don't go there."
2. Skip the jargon if you want to sound smarter. You will not impress anyone by peppering your writing with industry phrases and acronyms. You will make a stronger connection if you explain things clearly to people. Short-speak is creeping into office communications, possibly from text messaging. Do not write that way on business documents.
3. Spice up your statistics so people will care. When you have statistics and numbers to relay, do not just throw them out there. Paint a picture for your audience about what the numbers mean, what the figures represent, what the statistics say.
4. Always take time to say why. Make the effort to explain why people should care about what you are writing. Never assume that they will make the same assumptions you are making or that they will reach the same conclusions you have reached.
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