Sometimes in business you simply cannot avoid writing a letter that has bad news. However, you can try to write the letter in such a way as to maintain a good relationship with the recipient, as well as breaking the bad news in the easiest way. You don’t want to burn any bridges in business, so it really is to your advantage to write an effective bad news letter.
When writing the letter, your objectives should focus on:
- Minimizing damage to the relationship: Bad , news should not define the relationship.
- Showing that the decision is fair and reasonable: Imagine yourself in the reader’s shoes, and try to offer the best explanation possible.
- Stating the bad news clearly and firmly:
- Opening should have a buffer to minimize any damage to the relationship. Use a positive or neutral opening to maintain goodwill.
- Body should include reasons to help the reader see it from your point of view. You want to show that you are being both fair and reasonable. Be clear and firm about the bad news, but also be brief, positive, and low key about it.
- Closing should contain an appropriate gesture of goodwill, and perhaps a potential solution for the reader’s problem.
When writing your bad news business letter, use the Cheeseburger Structure:
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