Chapter 3

Building Goodwill

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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

3-2

Goodwill

Build goodwill through

You-attitude
Positive emphasis
Bias-free language

3-3

You-Attitude
Looks at things from audiences
viewpoint
Emphasizes what audience wants to
know
Respects audiences intelligence
Protects audiences ego

3-4

Five Ways to Create You-Attitude

1. Talk

about audience, not yourself.

2. Refer to audiences request or order.
3. Dont talk about feelings.
4. In positive situations, use you more often
than I. Use we when it includes the
audience.
5. In negative situations, avoid you.
3-5

Talk About Audience, Not Yourself

Tell how message affects the audience

Dont mention communicators work or
generosity
Stress what audience wants to know

Lacks you-attitude

Yourself

We designed a new Web site

for you.

Contains you-attitude
Your Web site redesign is now
online.

3-6

Refer to Audiences Request or

Order
Make specific references, not generic
Name content of order for person or
small business
Cite purchase order numbers for
customers that order often

Lacks you-attitude
We shipped your order.

Contains you-attitude
Your order for 235 bicycle tires will
arrive on Sept. 23.
3-7

Dont Talk About Feelings

Express your feelings to

Offer sympathy to audience

Congratulate audience

Dont talk about audiences feelings

Dont predict audiences response
Give audience good news
Lacks you-attitude
We are excited to have you as a customer.

Contains you-attitude
Your new membership guarantees the
lowest prices possible.
3-8

In Positive Situations, Use You More Often

Than I. Use We If It Includes the Audience
Use you in positive situations
Avoid I in printed text
Avoid we if it excludes the audience

Lacks you-attitude
We are now giving you a raise.

Contains you-attitude
Your raise will be effective Jan. 1.

3-9

Avoid You in Negative Situations

Protect audiences ego
Avoid assigning blame

Use passive verbs

Use impersonal style
Lacks you-attitude
You were late this morning.

Contains you-attitude
The timecard was not punched on
time today.
3-10

Positive Emphasis
Way of looking at situations
Communication focuses on the positive
Create positive emphasis through

Words
Information
Organization
Layout
Half full or half empty?
3-11

Five Ways to Create Positive

Emphasis
1. Avoid

negative words
2. Beware of hidden negatives
3. Focus on what audience can do, not
limitations
4. Justify negative information by giving
reason or linking to audience benefit
5. Put negative information in the middle and
present it compactly
3-12

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

3-13

Bias-Free Language

Words that do not discriminate on basis of

Sex
Age
Race
Ethnicity
Physical condition
Religion

3-14