q

SBS220 Business Writing

Assignment #4 – Ch. 11 Bad News Messages

Delivering Bad News to Employees

The scenario:

You are a Marketing Associate at Linked B2B, a membership-based professional organization for marketing and business executives. You have worked hard to make networking events for Linked B2B more attractive to its members. One of the organization’s most popular events is a speaker series that attracts a large audience and raises a considerable amount of money for the organization through ticket sales. Several months ago, you invited a prominent social media influencer Amanda Webb, to be the featured speaker at your December 4th speaker series event. On November 3rd, Amanda sent you the following email:

SUBJECT: Speaking Cancellation

I regret to inform you that I cannot speak at your December 4th networking event. I will return the $2,000 advance payment that you sent me.

In the past month, I have suffered some health issues. I anticipated recovering more quickly. My doctor has advised that I avoid all travel for several months to avoid some of these problems. On top of that, my father-in-law died two weeks ago. As a result, I’ve spent most of my time attempting to help my husband deal with this tragic time. I appreciate your understanding.

Amanda

At this time, 300 professionals have already signed up and paid for the event. You still plan on holding the event and finding a new speaker to cover the same topic but realize that some attendees may want their money back because they will no longer hear from the popular speaker. Refunds are available to anyone who no longer wants to attend the event. You decide to email all event attendees informing them of the cancellation and encouraging them to attend the upcoming event with the unnamed replacement speaker.

Your task:

Write a message to all Linked B2B members that delivers the bad news and also helps promote the networking event, even in the absence of Amanda as a speaker.

Follow the 3 Step Process Below:

Part 1: Plan

· Determine whether you will take a direct or indirect approach to your message.

· Think about what your buffer will be.

· Consider your rationale for encouraging members to attend and the level of detail you should provide.

· Create your outline for a complete and detail-oriented message.

Part 2: Write

· Write the bad news email. Email should be addressed to: susantmember@linkedb&b.org MAX word count = 275

· Don’t forget to put your request in the format of an email (include the subject line, to/from, email signature, introduction with a buffer, rationale, concluding statement with a statement of goodwill, etc.).

· Ensure you are incorporating the format, structure, and components of a bad news business message (Chapter 11).

· Create your email so that it has high skim value and easy navigational design.

Part 3: Revise

· Proofread your first draft for grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

· Edit for clarity and conciseness.

· Ensure you are clearly communicating the bad news while maintaining goodwill.

(assignment details continued on other side)

Continued on the other side