Building Goodwill with You-Attitude, Positive Emphasis & Bias-Free Language

2. Chapter 3 Building Goodwill • You-Attitude • Positive Emphasis • Tone, Power, Politeness • Bias-free Language

3. Chapter 3 Learning Objectives LO 3-1 Create you-attitude LO 3-2 Create positive emphasis LO 3-3 Improve tone in business communications LO 3-4 Reduce bias in business communications

4. Goodwill Build goodwill through You-attitude Positive emphasis Bias-free language

5. You-Attitude Looks at things from audience’s viewpoint Emphasizes what audience wants to know Respects audience’s intelligence Protects audience’s ego

6. Five Ways to Create You-Attitude Talk about audience, not yourself. Refer to audience’s request or order. Don’t talk about feelings. In positive situations, use you more often than I. Use we when it includes the audience. In negative situations, avoid you.

7. Talk About Audience, Not Yourself Tell how message affects the audience Don’t mention communicator’s work or generosity Stress what audience wants to know Yourself

8. Talk About Audience: Examples Lacks you-attitude I negotiated an agreement with Apex Rent-a-Car that gives you a discount. We shipped your May 21 order today. Contains you-attitude You now get a 20% discount when you rent a car from Apex. The three coin sets you ordered will ship today and should reach you by June 6.

9. Refer to Audience’s Request or Order Specifically Make specific references, not generic Name content of order for person or small business Cite purchase order numbers for customers that order often

10. Refer to Audience’s Request or Order Specifically: Examples Lacks you-attitude We shipped your order today. Contains you-attitude The 500 red and gray sweatshirts you ordered were shipped today and will reach you early next week. Your P.O. 7823-N shipped on 11/04 and will arrive within five business days.

11. Don’t Talk About Feelings Don’t talk about audience’s feelings Don’t predict audience’s response Only express feelings to Offer sympathy Congratulate

12. Don’t Talk About Feelings: Examples Lacks you-attitude We are happy to give you a credit line of $2,000. You will be happy to learn that your reimbursement request has been approved. Contains you-attitude You now have a $2,000 credit line with VISA. Your reimbursement request has been approved.

13. In Positive Situations, Use You More Often Than I. Use We If It Includes the Audience Use you in positive situations Rarely use I in messages Avoid we if it excludes the audience YOU

14. In Positive Situations, Use You More Often Than I. Use We If It Includes the Audience: Examples Lacks you-attitude We provide exercise equipment to all employees. I will schedule a due date that works best for my schedule. Contains you-attitude You have access to the latest exercise equipment as a full-time employee of BNF. We will schedule the due date after we meet.

15. Avoid You in Negative Situations Protect audience’s ego Avoid assigning blame Use passive verbs Use impersonal style Talk about things, not people

16. Avoid You in Negative Situations: Examples Lacks you-attitude You failed to sign your flexible spending account form. You made no allowance for inflation in your estimate. Contains you-attitude The flexible spending account form was not signed. The estimate makes no allowance for inflation.

17. You-Attitude Beyond Sentence Level Be complete Anticipate and answer questions Show why info is important Show how the subject affects audience Put most important info first Arrange info to meet audience’s needs Use headings and lists

18. Positive Emphasis Way of looking at situations Focus on the positive Create positive emphasis through Words Information Organization Layout Half full or half empty?

19. Five Ways to Create Positive Emphasis Avoid negative words Beware of hidden negatives Focus on what audience can do, not limitations Justify negative information by giving reason or linking to audience benefit Put negative information in the middle and present it compactly

20. Avoid Negative Words: Examples Contains Negatives Never fail to return library books on time. Because you failed to pay your bill, your account is delinquent. Omits Negatives (Better) Always return library books on time. The account is past due.

21. Beware of Hidden Negatives: Examples Contains Negatives I hope this is the information you wanted. Please be patient as we switch to the automated system. Omits Negatives (Better) Enclosed is a brochure about joining the MI Retiree Association. You’ll be able to get information instantly about any house on the market once the automated system is in place. If you have questions during the transition, please call Sheryl Brown.

22. Focus on What the Audience Can Do: Example Negative You will not get your refund check until you submit your official grade report at the end of the semester. Better To receive your refund check, submit your official grade report at the end of the semester.

23. Justify Negative Information by Giving Reason or Linking to Audience Benefit: Example Negative You cannot take vacation days without prior approval from your supervisor. Better To ensure that everyone’s duties will be covered, submit your first and second choices of vacation time to your supervisor by May 30.

24. Put the Negative in the Middle and Present it Compactly Put in middle of message and paragraph Don’t put at bottom of page 1 Don’t present with bulleted or numbered lists Make it short as you can Give it only once Negative

25. Tone, Power, and Politeness Tone – implied attitude of the communicator toward the audience Good tone Businesslike, not stiff Friendly, not phony Confident, not arrogant Polite, not groveling

26. Levels of Politeness: Examples Highest:Would you be able to complete your report by Friday? High:Progress reports should be turned in by Friday. Mid:Please turn in your progress report by Friday. Low:Turn in your progress report by Friday.

27. Bias-Free Language Words that do not discriminate on basis of Sex Age Ethnicity Race Physical condition Religion

28. Making Language Nonsexist Treat both sexes neutrally Businessman = Business person Woman doctor = Doctor Manning = Staffing Don’t assume everyone is heterosexual or married

29. Making Language Nonsexist, continued… Avoid sexist job titles Actress Repairman Chairman Salesman Foreman Waitress

30. Making Language Nonsexist, continued… Use Ms. as courtesy title for women Use professional title instead (if any) Use Miss or Mrs. if audience prefers it Determine proper courtesy title for address and salutation Omit sexist generic pronouns

31. Making Language Nonracist and Nonagist Give age or race only if relevant Refer to a group by term it prefers Don’t suggest competence is rare: She is an asset to her race. He is an active 83-year-old.

32. Talking about People with Disabilities & Diseases People-first language — Name person first; add disability or disease if relevant Don’t imply that disability or disease defines person Don’t use negative terms, unless audience prefers them (deaf vs. hard of hearing)

33. Choosing Bias-Free Photos/Illustrations Check visuals for possible bias Do they show people of both sexes and all races? Is there a sprinkling of various kinds of people? It is OK to have individual pictures that have just one sex or one race? Check relationships and authority figures as well as numbers