Delivering Bad News/Written Apologies
When delivering bad news, include the following:
- A sincere greeting that does not relate to the bad news. If you open with the bad news, you may lose your reader immediately.
- Explanation of the circumstances that led to the bad news. Bad news is harder to accept when it does not make sense. Explain as much as possible/appropriate.
- Deliver the bad news with an apology if appropriate.
- Immediately after the bad news, include a statement that fosters goodwill. If possible, offer a compromise.
*NOTE: No amount of strong or fancy writing will make bad news sound good. However, a well-crafted message helps the reader understand and accept the message.
Analyze your audience by asking:
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- How serious is the issue?
- How much damage has been done?
- How valuable is the future relationship?
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Pay close attention to your tone:
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- Establish a serious, sincere, but not overly dramatic tone.
- Offer a sincere apology, but don’t overdo it.
- Use diction (word choice) carefully: often how you phrase your apology matters more than what is actually stated.
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*When writing bad news messages, use a tone that is clear but not accusatory, as shown below:
| Vague | Accusatory | Clear and polite |
|---|---|---|
| This assignment wasn’t quite what I was looking for. | You failed! | This assignment did not earn a passing score. |
| Your instructions were unclear. | I have no idea what you want. These instructions don’t make any sense. | Looking at the instructions you sent, I wasn’t able to get a good sense of what you were looking for. |
Pay attention to your format and structure:
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- Provide an explanation where appropriate, but don’t make excuses or blame others.
- Offer to make amends or rectify the situation when appropriate.
- Close by maintaining good will.
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Be sure to follow the bad news letter structure when delivering bad news or making apologies:
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- The buffer/cushion (paragraph 1) works to set up the communication and put the reader into a more receptive frame of mind.
- The explanation (paragraph 2) explains the purpose of the communication and provides a brief (when appropriate and necessary) overview of the situation.
- The negative news message (paragraph 3) directly addresses how the bad news directly affects the reader/customer/recipient.
- The redirect (paragraph 4) discusses specific actions that you will take (or that have already been taken) to remedy the problem. In the case below, this redirect also includes a solution strategy enhanced with a soft-sell message (a subtle, low-pressure method of selling, cross-selling, or advertising a product or service). This can also work as a conclusion.
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Example of how to structure an effective bad news message:
| LETTER PART | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|
| Buffer/Cushion: Begin the letter with something other than the bad news | Thank you for your order. We appreciate your continued business and your interest in our newest product line. |
| Explanation: Provide reasons for the negative message | Like you, our customers recognize the unmatched quality and exceptional value of the new models—so much so that they’re buying them faster than we can produce them. |
| Negative News: Deliver the bad news but then quickly change focus to a solution | Because they’ve been so popular, recent orders are shipping out about a week later than we had anticipated. We know you’re excited to receive your order, and we sincerely apologize for the delay. We’re doing everything we can to fill orders as quickly as possible. Yours will ship out on Monday, March 3. We’re upgrading your shipping time to 2-day, so you should receive it no later than the close of business on Wednesday, March 5. |
| Redirect: Move away from the negative news in some way—this example includes a soft-sell message and an appealing offer for the customer | To show our appreciation for your patience, we’re offering 10% off of your next order along with free expedited shipping on all products in our catalog (promo code: SORRY10).
We thank you for your business and look forward to providing you the highest quality products, lowest prices, and best customer service in the industry. |
