Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Bad News Travels Faster

Chapter 7-Critical Thinking Blog
Does bad news travel faster and farther than good news? Why? What implications would this have for companies responding to unhappy customers?
Bad news disappoints, irritates, and sometimes angers the receiver; such messages travel faster and farther than good news. We live in a society where bad news has more attention because of the suspense and anticipation. When you receive bad news, you want to tell someone else because you want to vent your frustrations and irritations. It all depends on how you receive the message, tone of voice, content of letter/email, and timing. When you receive bad news from a company, customers want to share their frustrations with others to “ruin” the company’s reputation. It is important to deliver bad news effectively to make the reader understand and accept the bad news without hurting their feelings. When delivering bad news, the receiver should know the reasons for the rejection, feel that the news was revealed sensitively, think the matter was treated seriously, and believe that the decision was fair. There are strategies and goals of delivering bad news to customers. It is important for business’ to protect their reputation and knowing how to deliver the bad news strategically and deciding what is the best channel.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Goodwill Messages

Chapter 6 Critical Thinking Blog
The best goodwill messages include what five characteristics?
Selfless-be sure to focus the message solely on the receiver not the sender.
Specific-personalize the message by mentioning specific incidents or characteristics of the receiver.
Sincere-let your words show genuine feelings.
Spontaneous-keep your message fresh and enthusiastic.
Short-try to accomplish your purpose in only a few sentences.
In my workplace, I like to send goodwill messages to my colleagues that are very helpful.  I always include a thank you in all my emails. It feels good to receive goodwill messages. You can always go back and read them when you are having a bad day or keep it for documentation for appraisal time.  Goodwill messages expresses thanks for a gift, thanks for a favor, and extends thanks for hospitality.  Sending goodwill messages shows appreciation.