Soft Skills and Personality Development

Unit 4
Revisiting Technical Writing & Listening
Comprehension

1. Writing e-mails: -

 Do Pay Attention to The Subject Line

 Do Use a Proper Salutation
 Do Use an Introduction
 Do Know the Culture
 Don't Include Humour and Sarcasm
 Do Double-Check Your Attachments
 Don't Hit “Reply All”
 Do Reply Expediently
 Do proofread
 Do know your tone
 Do check the length of your email
 Don’t overuse exclamatory marks and emotions
 Do use a professional email address

2. Writing Good and Bad messages: -

Positive and Routine Messages

The vast majority of business messages sent every day are short messages of a routine nature
such as asking for and sharing information, requesting action, or thanking someone for
something given. Most of the time these are positive or neutral messages even when they
involve small complaints or claims where you request that an error be corrected. These are
all direct approach messages, in which the main idea comes right up front and details
follow. Occasionally, you must communicate bad news in writing, which requires a more
careful, indirect approach. All of these situations involve conventions that business
professionals follow to minimize miscommunication and its fallout, and thus keep their
operation running smoothly.
Positive (Goodwill) Messages

Goodwill messages are as essential to healthy professional relationships as they are to

personal ones. Thank-you, congratulatory, and sympathy notes add an important, feel-good
human touch in a world that continues to embrace technology that isolates people while being
marketed as a means of connecting them. The goodwill that such messages promote makes
both the sender and receiver feel better about each other and themselves. In putting smiles on
faces, such notes are effective especially because many people don't send them--either
because they feel that they are too difficult to write or because it does not even occur to them
to do so. Since praise for someone can be harder to think of and write than criticism, a brief
guide on how to do it right may be of help.

Type of Message Characteristics

Such messages should be short and simple as well as quick and easy to
for you appears ungrateful, rude, and inconsiderate. In fact, sending a t
Thank-You Notes
just extra thoughtful but close to being an expected formality. In most s
messages.

Congratulatory Celebrating the successes of your professional peers shows class and ta
Messages about he person you are congratulating.

Few situations require such sincerity and care with words as expressions
more tolerable with the support of our friends, family, and community--i
Expressions of instance, expressing sympathy for their loss is customary, often with a c
Sympathy knows the bereaved. You can't appreciate email messages the same wa

Remember that these messages should be selfless. Offering your condo

Information Shares

Perhaps the simplest and most common routine message type is where the sender offers up
information that helps the receiver.
Information Share Email

To: smitha@[Link]

Subject: CFP info you might find interesting

Hi Karin,

I just saw a CFP for a new funding opportunity you can apply for via the Department of
Agriculture.
Find it on the Greenbelt Fund's Local Food Literacy Grant Stream page. If you haven't
already been doing this, you should also check out the Department of Agriculture's general
page on Funding Programs and Support to connect with any other grants etc. relevant to the
good work you do.

It looks like the deadline for proposals is at the end of the week, though, so you might want to
get on it right away.

Good luck!

Rima

Replies to such information shares involve either a quick and concise thank-you message or
carry the conversation on if it's part of an ongoing project, initiative, or conversation. If you
are using email, remember to change the subject line as the topic evolves. Information shares
to a larger group, such as a departmental memo to 60 employees, don't usually require
acknowledgment and would be slightly more formal in tone. If everyone wrote the sender just
to say thanks, the barrage of reply notifications would frustrate them as they try to carry on
their work while sorting out replies with valuable information from mere acknowledgments.
Only respond if you have valuable information to share with all the recipients or just the
sender. Pay attention whether you need to Reply All or whether it is sufficient to reply just to
the sender. Do not burden others with messages not directly relevant to them.

Information or Action Requests

Managers, clients, and co-workers alike send and receive requests for information and action
all day. Because these provide the recipient with direction on what to do, the information that
comes back or action that results from such request can only be as good as the instructions
given. Such messages must be well organized and clear about expectations, opening directly
with a clearly stated general request (unless you anticipate resistance to the request) and
proceeding with background and more detailed instructions if necessary. Figure 1 below
provides an example of a request email.
Figure 1: Request Email, Communication @ Work

Note that, because we expect action to come of the request rather than a yes or no answer, the
opening question does not require a question mark. Never forget, however, the importance of
saying "please" when asking someone to do something. Notice also that the list in the
message body helps break up dense detail, so the request message is more reader friendly. All
of the effort that the writer of the above message made to deliver a reader-centered
message will pay off when the recipient performs the requested procedure exactly according
to these clearly worded expectations.

If you expect resistance to your request, an indirect approach is more effective. Ideally,
you'll make such persuasive pitches in person or on the phone so that you can use a full range
of verbal and non-verbal cues. When it's important to present your argument in writing,
however, such requests should be clear and easy to spot but buffered by goodwill statements
and reasonable justifications.

When responding to information or action requests, simply deliver the needed information or
confirm that the action has been or will be completed unless you have good reasons for
refusing. Ensure the accuracy of all details and utilize the "you-attitude." Note that sometimes
manager approval may be necessary before providing the information. Organizationally, a
positive response to an information request delivers the main answer in the opening, proceeds
to give more detail in the body if necessary, and ends politely with appreciation and goodwill
statements.
Complaints and Claims

Business doesn't always go smoothly and bad customer experience can have long-lasting
consequences. Customers can be disappointed with a faulty product or poor service;
shipments might get damaged, lost, or arrive late; or one business might infringe on the rights
and freedoms of another. In all such cases, customers or clients are likely to make your
company aware of what went wrong and what they want o be done about it. Indeed, it's their
consumer right to do so and the business or organization receiving such a message should
take it as valuable intelligence on customer expectations that must be met for the business to
be viable.

A claim explains what went wrong and demands compensation from the offending party
while a complaint explains what went wrong and merely demands correction or apology.
Minor complaints are best communicated in person, on the phone, or by email (if it's
important to have them in writing) so they can be dealt with quickly. More serious complaints
or claims are delivered as formal letters to lay down a paper trail in case they need to be used
as evidence in a lawsuit.

When customers are reasonable about communicating a problem with a situation or business
transaction, the customer service representative or manager dealing with the matter is more
likely to respond positively and meet the needs of the client. However, ineffective complaints
or claims often merely vent frustrations, issue threats, don'ts say what they want or only
vaguely imply it, or demand completely unreasonable compensation. Assume that a business
will take your complaint or claim seriously if it's done right because, no matter the industry,
companies are rightfully afraid of losing business to negative online reviews. In this day of
social media, good customer service is crucial to business survivability. A complaint provides
a business with both valuable information about customer expectations and an opportunity to
win back a customer--as well as their social network if a good endorsement comes of it from
the now-satisfied customer--or else risk losing much more than just the one customer.

Effective complaints or claims are politely worded and motivated by a desire to right wrongs
and save the business relationship. They are best if they remind the business that you have
been a loyal customer (if that's true) and really want to keep coming back, but you need them
to prove that they value your business after whatever setback prompted the complaint. If the
writer of such message strikes the right tone, they can end up getting more than they
originally bargained for.

Complaints and claims take the direct approach of message organization even though they
arise from dissatisfaction. They follow the usual three-part message organization.

Complaint/Claim Organization
1. Opening - To be effective at writing a complaint or claim, be clear, precise, and polite
about what you want in the opening. If you want financial compensation or a
replacement product in the case of a claim, be clear about the amount or model. You
could also suggest equivalent or alternative compensation if you stand a poor chance
of getting exactly what you want. If you want an error corrected or an apology in
response to your complaint, be upfront about it.
2. Body - The message body justifies the request with a narrative account of what should
have happened versus what actually happened instead. Be objective in writing the
 account because an angry tone coming through in negative words, accusations, and
exaggerations will only undermine the validity of your complaint or claim. Be precise
in such details as names, dates and times, locations (addresses), and product names
and numbers. Whenever possible, provide and refer to evidence. For instance, you
may include copies (definitely not originals) of documentation such as receipts,
invoices, work orders, bills of lading, emails (printed), phone records, photographic
evidence, and even video (e.g., of a malfunctioning product).
3. Closing - No matter what prompted the complaint or claim, the closing must be
politely worded with action requests (e.g., a deadline) and goodwill statements. Nasty
parting shots, even if merely passive-aggressive, may lower your chances of getting
what you are asking for. By complimenting the recipient's company, however, you
increase your chances of getting not only what you wanted, but perhaps a little extra.
In damage-control mode, the business wants you to feel compelled to tell your friends
that the company really turned it around.
Claim Email

To: customerservice@[Link]

Subject: Refund for unwanted warranty purchase

Hello,

please refund me for the $89.99 extended warranty that was charged to my Visa despite being
declined at the point of sale.

This past Tuesday (June 15, 2021), I purchased a Dell laptop at the Belleville location of
Future Shock Computers and was asked by the sales rep if I would like to add a 3-year
extended warranty to the purchase. I declined and we proceeded with the sale, which included
some other accessories. When I got home and reviewed the receipt (the PDF scan of the
receipt is attached), I noticed the warranty that I had declined was added to the bill after all.

Please apply the cost of the warranty to the Visa account associated with the purchase by the
end of the week and let me know when you've done so. I have enjoyed shopping at Future
Shock for the great prices and friendly customer service. I would sincerely like to return to
purchase a printer soon.

I appreciate your assistance in this matter,

Samantha Nguyen

Adjustment Letters

If a company grants what the customer has asked for, communicating this is called
an adjustment message. An adjustment letter or email is heavy on courtesy in letting the
disappointed customer know that they are valued and will be (or have already been) awarded
what they were asking for, and possibly even a little extra. In the case of coupons for
discounts on future purchases, the little extras help smooth things over and win back the
customer's confidence, hopefully so they will tell their friends that the store or company is
worthy of their business after all.
An adjustment message takes the direct approach by immediately delivering the good
news about granting the customer's request. You may start with an apology, but starting on a
purely positive note is more effective, especially in a written message. Tone is also important
here; resist the urge to shame the customer--even if they are partly to blame or if part of you
still suspects that the claim is fraudulent. If you are going to grant the claim, write it whole-
heartedly as if others will be able to see it and judge whether your company has good
customer service or if you are going to be difficult about it.

Though a routine adjustment letter might skip a message body, a more serious one may need
to go into more detail about how you are complying with the request or take the time to
explain what your company is doing to prevent the error again. Doing this makes the reader
feel as though making the effort to write will have made a positive impact in the world,
however small, because it will benefit not only them but also everyone else who will not have
to go through what they did. Do not make empty promises, though.

An apology might also be appropriate in the body of the message, but be aware that
apologizing is tricky. It is essential to winning back customer confidence in some situations,
but it also leaves you or your company open to legal action in others. For minor matters,
admitting fault with an apology usually helps vindicate or validate the customer. In more
serious matters, especially involving injury or damage to property or even someone's
reputation (and thus their earning potential), a written apology might be read as admitting
fault and be used as evidence in court. For this reason, it is best to ask a manager or legal
department for guidance on apologizing to a customer or other stakeholder in writing.

If apologizing is appropriate because you genuinely erred, no legal repercussions are

expected, and it is the right thing to do when trying to calm an angry response and mend a
damaged business relationship, ensure that the apology has the following characteristics:

 Sincere - Saying "We are genuinely sorry that you were disappointed with the
customer service experience" is a good first step, but it requires some additional
assurances to prove it.
 Responsible - Own the error by admitting fault (again, only if you are at fault and it
does not open you to litigation). Say what should have happened versus what actually
happened and acknowledge that you were wrong.
 Specific - To be sincere, an apology must refer to a specific error by briefly
describing it, possibly including dates, locations, and the names of product or service.
The worst apologies are blanket, generic statements such as "We are sorry if anyone
was offended by our actions." On the other hand, it is unprofessional to throw your
employees under the bus or to vent about the situation in your company that might
have contributed to the problem. These issues should be dealt with within the
business.
 Improvement-focused - An apology is useless unless it includes some assurances
that you will make every effort for the error to not happen again. Simply saying it
won't happen again is not convincing and might sound as an empty promise. Instead,
describe what will be done to ensure improvement. When Starbucks apologized for a
racist incident at one of its locations in 2018, for instance, it followed through on a
plan for improving customer service by shutting down all of its stores for a half-day
racial sensitivity training for employees.
Adjustment Email
To: snguyen@[Link]

Subject: Refund for unwanted warranty purchase

Hello Samantha,

absolutely, we would be happy to refund you for the $89.99 warranty mistakenly charged
along with your purchase of the Dell laptop. For your inconvenience, we will also offeer you
a $20 gift card for future purchases at our store.

To receive your refund and gift card, please return to our Belleville location with your receipt
and the credit card that was charged so that we can credit the same card (For consumer
protection reasons, we are unable to complete any transactions without the card.)

We are sorry for inconveniencing you and will speak with all sales staff about the importance
of carefully checking the accuracy of any bill of sale before sending the order for payment.

We appreciate your choosing Future Shock for your personal electronics and look forward to
seeing you soon to credit your Visa card and provide you with the best deal in town on the
printer you were looking to purchase.

Have a great day,

Melissa

Negative Messages
Just as in life, the workplace is not always sunny. Sometimes things do not go according to
plan, and it is your job to communicate about them in a way that does not ruin your
relationships with customers, coworkers, managers, the public, and other stakeholders. When
doing damage control, bad-news messages required care, diplomacy, and skillful language
because your main point will meet resistance. Rarely are people okay being told they they are
laid off, their application has been rejected, their shipment got lost, prices or rates are
increasing, their appointment has to be moved back several months, or they are losing their
benefits. Though some people prefer that the messenger be blunt about it, in most cases you
can assume that the receiver will appreciate or even benefit from a more tactful, indirect
approach. The list below provides several tips for delivering bad news in person or in writing:

 Be clear and concise to avoid being asked for additional clarification.

 Help the receiver understand and accept the news.
 Reduce the anxiety associated with the bad news as much as possible by expressing
sympathy or empathy.
 Maintain trust and respect between you and your audience to ensure the possibility of
good future relations.
 Deliver the bad news in a timely fashion through the appropriate medium.
 Avoid the legal liability that comes with admitting negligence or guilt.
 Achieve the designated business outcome.
For more information on delivering unwelcome news effectively, watch Don R. Crawley, IT
Customer Service Speaker, in this video: How to Deliver Bad News: Customer Service
Training 101, which provides five strategies for delivering bad news. Your ability to manage,
clarify, and guide understanding is crucial to addressing challenging situations while
maintaining trust and integrity.

Key to helping the receiver understand and accept information they don't want to hear or read
is organizing the message using the indirect approach. For example, this is effective when
you need to refuse a claim because the customer's complaint is not justified. If you tactlessly
provide your audience with really bad news, you run the risk of them rejecting or
misunderstanding it because they may be reeling from the blow and be too distracted with
anger or sadness to rationally process the explanation or instructions for what to do about the
bad news. To avoid misunderstandings when delivering bad news, follow this organization.

Bad News Message Organization

1. Buffer (Acknowledgment of the Claim) - Begin with a neutral or positive statements
that set a goodwill tone and serve as a buffer for the information to come. A buffer
softens the blow of bad news. The idea here is not to fool the audience into thinking
that only good news is coming but to put them in a receptive frame of mind for
understanding the explanation that follows. Note that if you raise the expectation that
they are going to hear the good news that they are getting what they want, only to let
them down near the end, they are going to be even more disappointed for being led
on. For that reason, be careful not to create false hope.
2. Justification (Explanation) - The justification explains the background or context for
the bad news before delivering the bad news itself. Let's say that you must reject an
application, claim for a refund, or request for information. In such cases, the
explanation could describe the strict acceptance criteria and high quality of
applications received in the competition, the company policy on refunds, or its policy
on allowable disclosures and the legalities of contractually obligated confidentiality.
Your goal with the explanation is to be convincing so that the reader thinks, "That
sounds reasonable" or "I understand their point" and accepts the bad news as
inevitable given the situation you describe. If you make the bad news seem like
mysterious or arbitrary decision making, your audience will most likely feel like
they've been treated unfairly. Such situations usually escalate further, which we
always try to avoid. While an explanation is ethically necessary, never admit or imply
responsibility without written authorization from your company cleared by legal
counsel if there is any indication that the justification might be seen as actionable.
3. Bad News - We usually use the indirect approach to delay the bad-news message so
that it can be properly understood and its negative impact minimized. Be clear while
also being sensitive to your reader's feelings. Consider using passive voice when
delivering this news.
4. Redirection (Alternative) - This is keBay to bad news' effectiveness because it
quickly shifts the reader's attention to an alternative to what they are seeking. Some
kind of consolation prize (e.g., a coupon or store credit) helps soothe the pain and will
be appreciated as being better than nothing, at least. Even if you are not able to offer
the reading anything of value, you could at least say something nice or provide some
useful information. If your redirection involves some alternative, remember to also
offer some follow-up details. For example, if you are offering coupon or store credit,
explain how the customer should redeem this offer.
 5. Positive Closing - The goal of the closing is to leave on a positive note. You need to
ensure that the reader understands the bad news without rehashing it. Remain
courteous, positive, and forward looking. End the conversation in such a way that you
do not invite further communication unless it is necessary with respect to the
alternative that you have offered.
Part Examp

1. Buffer Thank you for your order. We appreciate your interest in

We are writing to let you know that this product has been
2. Explanation
the day you placed yours.

This unexpected increase in demand has resulted in a tem

3. Bad news + redirect 3 weeks, we will definitely fulfill your order as it was rece
$5 coupon towards your next purchase.

While you wait for your product to ship, we encourage yo

4. Positive action closing product in our online catalog. We appreciate your continu
your satisfaction.

Bad News Message Outline and Example

Although it is usually preferable to deliver negative messages using the indirect approach,
there are several occasions when you can or should be upfront about the bad news:

 Wen the bad news does not have a high emotional impact
 When you know that the recipient prefers or requires the direct approach
 When the reader may miss the bad news (e.g., if your reader doesn't have a strong
command of English, they may not pick up on the buried bad news past the midpoint
of a challenging message)
 When you are short on time or space
 When the indirect approach has not worked.

Delivering bad news can be dangerous if it angers the reader so much that they are motivated
to fight back. If you are not careful with what you say and how you say it, that message can
be used as evidence in a court case that, when read by a judge or jury, could compromise
your position. You can lower the risk of being litigated by following general principles given
below when delivering bad news.

 Avoid negative or abusive language - sarcasm, profanity, harsh accusations, and

abusive or insulting language may feel good to write in a fit of anger but, in the end,
make everyone's lives mroe difficult. When someone sends an inflammatory message
and it's interpreted by the reader as harmful to their reputation, it could legally qualify
as libel that is legitimately actionable. Even if you write critically about a rival
company's product or service by stating (as if factually) that it's dangerous, whereas
your version of the product or service is safer and better, this can be considered
 defamation or libel. If said aloud and recorded, perhaps on a smart phone's voice
recorder, ti is slander and can likewise be litigated. It is much better to always write
courteously and maturely, even under difficlut circumstances, to avoid fallout that
involves expensive court proceedings.
 Avoid oversharing but tell the truth - When your job is provide a convincing
rationale that might make the recipient of bad news accept it as reasonable, be careful
with what details you disclose. When rejecting a job applicant, for instance, you must
be especially careful not to share the scoring sheets of the winning and rejected
candidates, nor even summarize them.
 Respect the recipient's privacy - criticizing an employee in a group email or memo--
even if the criticism is fair--is extremely unprofessional. People who call out others in
front of a group create a chilly climate in the workplace, one that leads to fear,
loathing, and a loss of productivity among employees. Always maintain respect and
privacy when communicating bad news as a matter of workplace professionalism.
General Positive and Negative Messages Tips
 Follow best practices when sharing information, requesting information or action, and
replying to such messages.
 Be courteous both when complaining and responding to complaints and claims.
 Write carefully when addressing negative situations, such as delivering bad news,
usually by using the indirect approach.
4. Developing Active Listening
 Face the speaker and have eye contact. ...
 “Listen” to non-verbal cues too. ...
 Don't interrupt. ...
 Listen without judging, or jumping to conclusions. ...
 Don't start planning what to say next. ...
 Don't impose your opinions or solutions. ...
 Stay focused. ...
 Ask questions.
5. Reading/Listening to understand the gist & detailed information
Reading and listening sub-skills When we read or listen to a text, we usually do so
with a particular purpose in mind. This purpose will determine the manner in which
we read or listen, the sub-skill we use, on any particular occasion. Three sub-skills
which are commonly practised in course books are: • reading / listening for gist –
when we read or listen to get a general idea of the content of a text. Reading for gist,
sometimes known as skimming, is done at high speed. Examples of texts we often
read / listen to in this way: articles, emails, radio news.