Chapter 8

Good-News and Neutral

Messages
Good-News and Neutral Messages
What is Good-News and Neutral Message
 A message that will receive favorable response or neutral reaction
from your reader is usually easy to write because such messages
tells your reader something pleasant or offer usual information.

 These messages are generally organized by the direct approach-

also known as good-news plan
Good-News and Neutral Messages
Objectives of this chapter
The chapter suggests an effective organizational plans for favorable replies and neutral messages
and discuss the following kinds of letters and memoranda you can organize with this plan:

Favorable Replies
 Answering inquiries
 Granting requests for adjustment
 Approving Credit
 Acknowledging orders
 Granting favors and other requests
 Job acceptance letters
 Goodwill messages: appreciation, congratulation, and condolence letters
Neutral Messages
 Announcements about:
• Sales and events
• Procedures, policies, and responsibilities
• Honors and activities of people
 Transmittals
Good-News and Neutral Messages
Organizational Plan for Good-News and Neutral Message

1. First: Best news or main idea

2. Middle: Explanation, with one or more following, when

appropriate: all necessary details, educational informattion,
resale, sales promotion.

3. Last: Positive, friendly ending, with a clear statement of action

desired, motivation to action, willingness to help further,
appreciation
 Good-News and Neutral Messages
Favorable Replies:

To help build goodwill, a progressive organization replies to all reasonable

requests courteously, hopefully, and promptly. The different type of
favorable replies are as follows:

1. Answering inquiries: Among most frequent non-sales-related inquiries are

requests for information about personal and credit applicants.

1. Granting Requests for Adjustment: An adjustment letter is the reply to a

complaint (called a claim letter)

1. Approving Credit: The message telling the customer that you are granting
often includes all parts of the basic news plan-best news first and then terms,
resale, sales promotion and appreciation.

I
Good-News and Neutral Messages

4. Acknowledging Orders: An acknowledgement performs several

important function. It let buyers know that the order has been
received, is appreciated, and is given attention.

5. Granting Favors and Other Requests: A letter showing your

granting favor by serving a committee, speaking at a convention,
donating money, or lending your firm’s equipment without charge,
good news plan is best to use.

6. Job Acceptance Letters: A job acceptance letter is generally a

short and expresses your enthusiasm for the position offered.
Good-News and Neutral Messages
7. Goodwill Messages: Goodwill messages are different from the
usual business documents in that they express feelings rather
than information or persuasion, and therefore are little bit different
in writing.
( Although it may be tempting to send printed cards, it is always more
personal and meaningful to recipients to send a written note of
appreciation, congratulations, or sympathy)

Types of Goodwill Messages

 Letter of Appreciation
 Letter of Congratulation
 Letter of Condolence
Good-News and Neutral Messages
Letter of Appreciation: Thank you notes should be written whenever
someone does a favor or when an action deserves praise. These notes may
be written to customers for their orders, to colleagues for their support, and
to individuals for any special favor they have done for you or for your
company.

Letter of Congratulation: Congratulatory notes should be sent for business

and personal achievements and milestones. As in letters of appreciation,
they should use the good-news organizational plan and focus on reader.

Letter of Condolence: Expression of sympathy to someone who has

experienced grief or misfortune are difficult to write and demand special
sensitivity on the part of writer.
 Good-News and Neutral Messages
Neutral Messages: The neutral messages are
unsolicited messages. The are either announcements or
transmittals.

1. Announcing Sales and Events: Luncheon, conference,

celebration, meeting, or other function about which you need
merely to inform you reader.

2. Announcing Procedure, Policies, and Responsibilities: Some

businesses use “directives” to announce to employees official
statements of company policies, procedures and employees
responsibilities.
• They may cover a wide variety of topics, ranging from assigned parking
spaces and office hours to policies about salary increases, retirement
benefits, overtime and treatment of customers.
Good-News and Neutral Messages

3. Announcing Honors and Activities of People: To inform

employees and customers about promotions, awards, honors,
new appointments, retirements, and other recognition-deserving
activities of various persons, it is recommended to send
announcements
Good-News and Neutral Messages
Transmittal: A transmittal is a letter or a memo that simply sends a
document to the reader.

 Transmittals are also called “covering letters” have many uses.

 They range from 5- to 10-line notes to lengthy official letters that

accompany, explain, or justify documents

 For routine business to consumers, employees, or other persons, a

cordial short note is sufficient to transmit one or more items such as
check, policy, passbook, warranty deed, or map.

 Transmittal that accompany official documents, bid, applications,

proposals, or formal reports should be carefully worded letters.
 End of
Chapter 8