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Good News Letters

UNIT-3 [ Lesson-1: Good News Letters ]

After reading this lesson you will be able to:

  • distinguish good news letters from other types of letters
  • understand the essential features of a good news letter
  • write good news letters.

Good News Letters

What are good news letters?

1. Read the letter below and say how Tania would feel about the message – good or bad?

Good News Letters Good News Letters

2. If you had contested for a tender and you receive a letter from the company saying your bid is the lowest and you will get the work order – how would you feel:

Good, bad, or neutral?

The answer in both the cases is good.

Read this section carefully and attempt the task that follows.

In business you may need to write to people outside your organisation requesting for information or action. For example, you may need to order supplies or ask customers for opinion, or inform about the shipment of goods. Your clients may write similar letters and you may also need to respond to those.

The messages in your letters may be good or neutral or bad for the reader. Therefore, letters with good or neutral messages are Good News Letters and those with bad messages are Bad News Letters.

Good news letters carry messages that are either good or neutral for the reader.

ACTIVITY

Explain first orally and then in writing what you mean by good news letters.

ACTIVITY
As per the example given below make a list of letters with good messages on different occasions in the business world.

– earning a profit
– receiving remittance
– getting free service, etc..

How do you write good news letter?

Introduction

Good news letters carry messages the reader is pleased to learn for that is what he/she is waiting for. Therefore, use the direct approach in giving the good news. In other words, give the good news immediately in the first paragraph of the letter. By doing so you can establish rapport with the reader.

Example

  • Here is the information you requested.
  • Your consignment is ready for shipment.
  • Your cheque of Tk. 5,000.00 is ready for collection.
  • We welcome you as a depositor.

This sort of a beginning shows you have the reader’s interest in mind and you are giving him special attention. As a result, your reader would be interested to start a new business with you or carry on with the same old business with more interest.

How do you establish rapport?

You can establish rapport with the reader by focusing on his or her interests and concerns. As a writer you have a purpose for writing. Similarly your reader also has a purpose for reading. The purpose is the main issue of the letter. Therefore, one should start writing the letter by specifying the purpose.

Give the good news immediately in the first paragraph and establish rapport.

Examples
– Pleased to offer you a position

  • In the next section you will find different ways of establishing rapport.

or
– Yes, we have very good summer collections for children.
or
– As per your request our sales representative will visit your centre with some sample materials.

  • Raise an issue of mutual concern.

Another way of establishing rapport is by raising an issue of mutual concern. The letter must demonstrate that both the reader and the writer have common interest in the issue.\

Examples

– With due respect, I would like to state that you and I both knew that last year’s drought and the scarcity of fertiliser affected crops and the farmers very much. As a result, the price of …

or

– As we all realise the foolishness of the decision to withdraw English from our graduation courses, it is time we should do something to retrieve it. Our English Language Institute …

  • Appreciate your reader.

Thank your reader for taking time to write to you, or for showing interest in your goods and services.

Examples

We highly appreciate your concern for our customer services.

  • Use the name of a mutual friend/acquaintance.
Examples

– You must ask Mr. Mawla, your colleague for comments about our goods and services. Last year he bought a 24″ colour TV from us.

or

– I talked to your partner, Mrs. Mohsin, about the sort of books you need for your language centre.

 Ask a Question.

In order to set your reader thinking, and to encourage her in responding to your letter, ask her a question.

Examples

– How long will it take my parcel to reach from Plymouth (UK) to Chittagong Port in Bangladesh?

or

– Can you send us your invoice number so that we can check into the matter?

  • Suggest how your reader will benefit.

If your opening sentence tells your readers about a benefit they will get, then they would be interested to read through the letter.

Examples

– Buy one and get one free.

or

– You can save a lot of money from your electric bill by using a metre that gives you correct reading.

or

– We highly appreciate your concern for our customer services.

ACTIVITY

Read the following situations. Then write the introductory sentence(s) giving the good news immediately for each of the situations. Try to establish rapport here.

 

Google News For Englishgoln 35 Good News Letters
Follow us on google news

 

Example

Situation 1

BOOK WORM, a book shop in Banani, Dhaka writes to University Press Ltd. (UPL), a publishing house of Dhaka requesting for the latest catalogue of their publications. UPL sends a reply along with a copy of the latest catalogue.

Reply

Here is our latest catalogue – Catalogue no. 125 you have asked for. Hope you find it useful.

Situation 2

Ms. Ayesha Amin left her hand bag in the bus she took on a journey from Dhaka to Chittagong. She wrote to Parag Paribahan inquiring about her bag. They replied that it is safe with them and she can collect it any time she wants.

– Write the reply for Parag Paribahan.

Situation 3

Shaheen Ahmed receives a letter from Firoze International 25 Mirpur Road, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205 saying the Book of Knowledge she has been looking for has just arrived. It will be reserved for her for a week only.

– Write the introductory part of the letter.

Situation 4

Imran Khan, a job seeker wrote to Mr. Fazle Rabbi, M.D, Pubali Bank asking for permission to use his name as reference. Mr. Rabbi in his reply gives him the permission.

-Write the introduction to Mr. Rabbi’s reply

Influence Thinking In The Body of The Letter

In good news letters the first paragraph establishes rapport by introducing the main idea of the letter. That means, give the good news directly in the first paragraph of the letter. But following paragraph (s) explain in detail the good news, though good news messages are usually short and require very little explanation.

But this explanation leaves an impact on or influences the reader’s thinking in taking decision. For example in Fig. 3.1, first paragraph gives the good news but following paragraphs states terms and conditions, which will
influence Ms. Rahman decision about taking the job.

The body of the good news letter gives information for the reader to act and to have a positive attitude towards the company and the issue.

ACTIVITY

Read the letter in Fig. 3.1 carefully Find out the bits of information given in the body of the letter list them down.

Good news letter with a mixed message

Sometimes one needs to write a letter with a mixed message – primarily good news, but not entirely. In such cases, de-emphasise or reduce the importance of the bad news. Try to give that news in a more positive way. Instead of saying what you cannot do, say what you can do. For example, if your reader wants to get a particular information and you cannot give him/her that, then instead of writing.

“I am sorry I cannot provide you …”
you can write
“Information about … is available by writing to …”
Here is an example of a letter with mixed messages. Notice the
bad news put in a more positive way.

Good News Letters

 

In Fig. 3.3 the second paragraph, “Our usual trade … Tk. 10,000.” leaves some room for thinking. So does the later part of the paragraph.

Instead of saying, “We cannot send documents by post or courier service, ” which sounds harsh, a more positive approach has been taken; “The documents are sent through the bank only.”

Some of the examples of positive and negative tone is given below:

Good News Letters

Good News Letters

 

ACTIVITY

Write the beginning and the body of a good news letter using the
following cues:

Situation

A client wrote to a bank manager asking for information regarding hours of business, branches, commission rates, etc. Now write the manager’s reply.

Banking hours

Saturday – Wednesday – From 9:00 am to 3:00 p.m.
Thursdays – From 9:00 am to 11:00 am.

List of branches

Collection charges for cheques 1/20% with a minimum of Tk. 1:00

– Documentary bills – 1/25% with a minimum of Tk. 100.00.

A copy of the schedule of terms and conditions is enclosed. These are the prices of information the reader wanted to know.

The Last Paragraph – Motivate Action and Attitude.

After you have explained the good news in sufficient detail in the body of the letter, end it on a positive note. You can recall the benefits of the good news, express appreciation, motivate action, or express willingness
to help further (See Fig. 3.1). A good news letter psychologically prepares the reader to receive some amount of propaganda for the company.

Thus the last paragraph of the letter helps the reader take action and toform a positive attitude towards the company.

End your good news letter with a positive note to reinforce company goodwill.

ACTIVITY

Write three different endings of a good news letter on three different occasions.

ACTIVITY

Write a good news letter on any business topic you are interested in, high lighting all the essential features.

SUMMARY

Business letters that carry messages that are good or neutral for the reader are called good news letters.
To write a good news letter you must do the following:

  • Give the good news first. Avoid slow openers like, “Referring to your regrets …”
  • Explain the good news in detail in the body of the letter.
  • End the letter with a positive note so that the reader is motivated to take action and to form a positive attitude towards the company and the issue.

 

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