To Say Again an Incident in a Series of Events

Giving expert news is a very easy thing to exercise in an e-mail or letter, unfortunately giving bad news isn't. No thing how you write it, people are not going to exist happy when reading it. But there are ways to prevent that unhappiness turning into resentment or fifty-fifty acrimony and damaging a relationship or losing a customer.

What you say

In my experience, any e-mail giving bad news needs to:

• Chop-chop inform the person of the bad news
• Explain or provide a reason(s) why either the decision was taken or the thing has happened
• Be apologetic
• Provide the person with an opportunity to discuss the situation with you lot

In addition, depending on both the state of affairs and if you are to blame, you tin either offer some form of compensation, an culling or a possible solution to their problem.

And how y'all say it

It is too important where you say the things and how you say them. And in the beneath online practice you will learn by looking at two examples of different types of emails where bad news is existence given how to both structure your bad news electronic mail/letter (because where you say things is as important as what you say) and some polite English language phrases (both formal and less formal) that are used in them.

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Example & Exercise: Giving bad news

Read the following two business concern emails where bad news is being given. In the beginning, a customer is existence informed by a bank that their credit carte has been cancelled past mistake. In the second, 1 work colleague is informing some other that they are not going to help them to do something that they had promised.

From the context, try to guess what the significant of the words/phrases in bold are. And so practise the quiz at the end to check if you are correct.

Email 1

Dearest Mrs Ryder,

I regret to inform you that due to a mistake on our computer system, your credit carte account with ourselves has been cancelled. Equally a result, you will non exist able to use the credit bill of fare. I apologise on behalf of our visitor for this state of affairs happening.

Unfortunately, due to banking regulations we are non legally able to alter your account'due south status from cancelled to active. In order to change the status to agile, you will have to reapply for the credit card account again. Once yous have done this, we will re-issue you with a new bill of fare every bit quickly equally we can.

Please find below a link to the spider web folio to reapply:

www.bankcards.com/creditcard/appform.html

As a way to recompense you for whatever trouble this has caused, we will credit your account when active with £35.

If you have whatever questions, please practice not hesitate to contact me by email (on jbeever@bankcards.com) or by phone (on 0242 7433123).

Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

Yours faithfully,

James Beever
Customer Services Annotator

Email 2

Good Afternoon John,

I'thou agape I won't be able to help you to do the report for the holiday park. Something very important has just come up up and for the next two weeks I'm going to have to focus all my attention on it.

I appreciate that information technology's very belatedly to tell you that I tin can't help y'all and I can just apologise for that.

Take you thought nearly asking Karen Taylor to help? She has experience of writing these types of reports.

Distressing again for not being able to aid you.

Regards,

Emma

Now do the QUIZ below to make certain you know how to write this blazon of email.

Click to run across more electronic mail/letter exercises & examples

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Quiz: How to requite bad news in a business e-mail

Below is a definition/description of each of the words/phrases in bold from the above text. Now choose the word/phrase from the question's pick box which you believe answers each question. Just use one word/phrase once. Click on the "Check Answers" button at the bottom of the quiz to check your answers.

When the answer is correct, this icon volition appear next to the answer. Click on it to discover actress information about the discussion/phrase (e.g. when, where and how to use etc...) and a translation in Spanish.

1.

A formal phrase used to tell the person you are going to compensate them for the problem they are experiencing, is

As a way to recompense you for any problem this has acquired:
(phrase). You would utilize this phrase when yous want to compensate a person with something. This phrase is followed by details of what the compensation is (eastward.g. money, something complimentary, a disbelieve etc...). For example, 'equally a mode to recompense you for any trouble this has caused, we will reduce your next two payments by 50%'.

A less formal way to say this is 'to recoup you for any problem caused'.

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2.

A different way to say 'I tin empathise' which is used to empathise with the other person, is

I capeesh that:
(phrase) In this context, yous use this phrase to show that you empathize how the bad news will affect the person receiving it; the possible difficulties or feelings it may cause. Information technology is followed by what you expect these difficulties or feelings to be. For example, 'I appreciate that this is not what y'all were hoping' or 'I appreciate that this complicates the situation on the project'.

You can follow this by placing an apology at the finish of it (e.g. 'and I can just apologise for that') if yous feel that it is your fault.

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iii.

A phrase which isn't formal which is used to start tell somebody in an email that you lot can't do something, is

I'm agape I won't be able to:
(phrase) This is a polite way to tell somebody that y'all are not going to be able to practice something that you lot promised you would do. This phrase is followed by details of what are you lot are not going to be able to practice. For example, 'I'thou afraid I won't be able to do the presentation on Thursday'.

A formal fashion to say this phrase is 'I regret to inform you that I will be unable to'.

You should follow either judgement with an explanation/reason why you lot can't. For case, 'I've only been informed that I have to spend adjacent week in Edinburgh'.

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4.

A phrase which is used to advise a possible solution to a person, is

Have yous idea about:
(phrase) It is polite and helpful to offering a possible alternative or solution to the person when you tell them y'all can't do something for them. This less formal phrase is used innovate this culling or solution. For case, 'have you thought about asking Peter if he can nourish?' or 'have you lot thought almost changing the date?'.

To do the same in an formal email/letter, you lot should utilise 'I/we recommend that y'all' instead.

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5.

A formal phrase which is used to explain to the person what the outcome(s) will exist to them of the bad news you lot're giving them, is

As a consequence:
(phrase) This phrase is used to clarify what the bad news means for the person receiving it (what the touch on volition be). For instance, 'equally a result, you were not covered by the insurance policy when the accident took place'.

It should exist used directly after you've get-go told them the bad news.

This phrase doesn't have to be used if there is no need to analyze what the issue(s) of the bad news is for the person.

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6.

A reason why you lot tin't do something for somebody, is

Something very important has just come up:
(phrase) This basically means that something very serious (which you don't explain) has unexpectedly happened and you take to focus on it. It's a skilful reason to use when yous want to tell somebody you lot can't do something you promised to practise.

You would only use this phrase if you are telling them yous can't do something simply before it was planned to happen (inside a day or hours).

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7.

A less formal way to apologise at the stop of an e-mail, is

Sad again for:
(phrase) It is polite that when you tell somebody bad news by email where either you or your company is to arraign, that you apologise at least twice (subsequently you first tell them the bad news and then at the very terminate of the email).

The phrase 'sorry over again for' should only be used in less formal emails (e.g. to work colleagues or people you know well) where y'all are giving bad news. It is followed by details of what you are apologising for. For example, 'sorry again for not existence able to help you with the report'.

A formal way to say the aforementioned is 'please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this may cause'.

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8.

An explanation that yous give for not doing something, which means you won't have any fourth dimension to do it, is

Have to focus all my attention on it:
(phrase) Information technology is of import that when you tell somebody that you tin't practise something yous had promised to practice, that you lot explain why you can't. Make certain that whatever reason/excuse you requite is a convincing i which the other person can appreciate/empathize. For case, something serious has just happened or your boss has ordered you to go on a business concern trip.

Y'all may then have to explain why this means yous can't assistance them. This is what 'have to focus all my attention on information technology' does. It basically means that you'll accept no time to help them practice what you had promised.

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9.

A formal phrase used at the start of an email to innovate the bad news, is

I regret to inform you that due to:
(phrase) This is a very formal and polite way to introduce bad news in an email/alphabetic character. This is written at the start of the email/letter (either after the person'due south name or the brief introduction where you write what the electronic mail/alphabetic character concerns (e.g. credit card, car rental etc...)).

This phrase is followed showtime by what acquired the consequence/problem, then by what the bad news actually is. For example, 'I/nosotros regret to inform you that due to a technical problem nosotros will be unable deliver your parcel until next week'.

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10.

A formal way to apologise at the finish of an email, is

Delight accept my apologies for whatever inconvenience this may cause:
(phrase) It is polite that when yous tell somebody bad news by email where either you or your company is to blame, that y'all apologise at least twice (subsequently you outset tell them the bad news and then at the very cease of the e-mail).

This phrase should only be used in formal emails where you are giving bad news. A less formal way to say the same is 'sorry again for' followed by details of what you are apologising for.

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11.

A word which is used to introduce more bad news after in the electronic mail, is

Unfortunately:
(adverb) Frequently when you accept to give people bad news in an email, you may have to inform them near more than just 1 thing they won't desire to hear. To introduce the second piece of bad news you can use 'unfortunately'. Y'all would then follow this by saying what the bad news is. For example, 'unfortunately, yous will also have to pay an additional €lxx for losing your passport'.

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12.

A formal phrase used to innovate instructions of what the person receiving the bad news has to do to resolve a trouble, is

In order to:
(phrase) Sometimes when y'all give somebody bad news, you may also ask them to practise something. This could exist instructions on how they can resolve the problem/issue or something they are required to do.

Before you give them the instructions, you first demand to tell them the reason why they need to practice them. And this is introduced past 'in order to'.

'in social club to' is followed first past the reason why they should/have to do something (east.g. 'resolve the trouble with your laptop') so past the instructions ('you need to reinstall the software'). For example, 'in order to resolve the trouble with your laptop, you need to reinstall the software'.

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Practice

Now that you lot understand the vocabulary, practise information technology by writing your own email giving bad news in English language with the new words/phrases.

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Source: http://www.blairenglish.com/exercises/emails/exercises/bad-news-in-business-email/bad-news-in-business-email.html

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