Exercise 7.4 and 8.5 Discussion

▶ Deemphasize or omit negative words and information.

The following five techniques deemphasize negative information: 1. Avoid negative words and words with negative connotations. 2. Focus on what the reader can do rather than on limitations. 3. Justify negative information by giving a reason or linking it to a reader benefit. 4. If the negative is truly unimportant, omit it. 5. Put the negative information in the middle and present it compactly. In some messages, especially negative ones (▶▶ Module 11), you won’t use all five techniques. Practice each of these techniques so that you can use them when they’re appropriate.