The document provides guidance on writing positive messages and direct communication. It discusses organizing direct messages by putting the good news first, followed by details, negatives, and reader benefits. It also covers the 7 Cs of effective communication: being clear, concise, concrete, coherent, correct, complete, and courteous. Examples of direct messages include requests, replies to requests, recommendations, claims and adjustments, announcements, and fostering goodwill. The document emphasizes starting and closing messages effectively and provides sample messages and letters to illustrate best practices.

1. Writing Positive Messages
WEEK 3
SESSION 2

2. Week 3 Plan
 Analyze direct letter structure
and content
 Look at direct and indirect
writing
 How start your message
effectively
 Organizing direct messages
 Common Examples of direct
messages
 How to finish your message
effectively
 Evaluate emails

3. Organizing
POSITIVE MESSAGES

4. How should you organize
informative and positive
messages?
⮚Put the good news and a summary of the
Information first.

5. Main Point
Details
Negatives
Reader Benefits
Goodwill Ending
How to organize an informative or a
direct/positive message

6. 7 Cs of Effective
Communication

7. 7 Cs of Effective
Communication
Clear
Concise
Concrete
Coherent
Correct
Complete
Courteous

8. The 7 Cs of
Communication
•Be clear about your goal or message.
• What is your purpose in communicating with this
person?
•If you’re not sure, then your audience won’t be sure
either.
Clear
•Stick to the point and keep it brief.
• Are there any adjectives or “filler words” that you
can delete?
• You can often eliminate words like “for instance,”
“you see,” “definitely,” “kind of,” “literally,”
“basically,” or “I mean.”
• Are there any unnecessary sentences?
Concise
•When your message is concrete, then your audience
has a clear picture of what you’re telling them.
•There are details (but not too many!) and vivid facts,
and there’s laser-like focus. Your message is solid.
Concrete
•Your communication is logical.
•All points are connected and relevant to the main
topic, and the tone and flow of the text is consistent.
Coherent
Eklof, K. (2020, June 15). The seven
Cs of communication. Edexec.
https://edexec.co.uk/the-seven-
cs-of-communication/.

9. The 7 Cs of
Communication
•Your communication fits your audience. And it is also
error-free communication.
• Do the technical terms you use fit your audience’s
level of education or knowledge?
• Have you checked your writing for grammatical
errors? Remember, spell checkers won’t catch
everything.
• Are all names and titles spelled correctly?
Correct
•In a complete message, the audience has
everything they need to be informed and, if
applicable, take action.
• Does your message include a “call to action,” so
that your audience clearly knows what you want
them to do?
• Have you included all relevant information –
contact names, dates, times, locations, and so on?
Complete
•The communication is friendly, open, and honest.
•There are no hidden insults or passive-aggressive
tones.
•You keep your reader’s viewpoint in mind, and
you’re empathetic to their needs.
Courteous
Eklof, K. (2020, June 15). The seven
Cs of communication. Edexec.
https://edexec.co.uk/the-seven-
cs-of-communication/.

10. Common
Examples of
Direct/ Positive
Messages

11. Common Examples of Direct/ Positive
Messages
1. What you want to know or what you
want readers to do
2. Why you’re making the request
3. Why it may be in your readers’ interest
to help you (if applicable)
1. Asking for information or requests

12. 2. Replying to a request
1. Get right to the message
2. Acknowledge that responding to the request will
require some work, but the result will benefit
everyone.
3. Explain the benefit of responding to the request.
4. Provide a clear and meaningful deadline, then
close in a courteous manner.
Common Examples of Routine Requests
Common Examples of Direct/ Positive
Messages

13. 3. Asking for Recommendations
- Always ask for permission before using
someone as a reference.
- Download a sample letter for analysis
Common Examples of Routine Requests
Common Examples of Direct/ Positive
Messages

14. Sample Letter
ASKING FOR RECOMMENDATION

15. Asking for Recommendation Outline
1. Open by stating the purpose of the letter and making the
request, assuming the reader will want to comply with the
request.
2. Include information near the opening to refresh the
reader’s memory about you.
3. Refer to the resume in the body and mention experience
that could set applicant apart from other candidates.
4. Give a deadline for response and include information
about the person expecting the recommendation
5. Mention the pre-addressed, stamped envelope to
encourage a timely response.
6. Close the letter by expressing thanks for the time and effort
that will be spent in writing the recommendation letter.

16. 4. Making Claims and Requesting Adjustments
In a claim letter;
1. Explain the problem and give details
2. Provide backup information
3. Request specific action
Common Examples of Routine Requests
Common Examples of Direct/ Positive
Messages

17. 5. Providing Recommendations and References
A successful recommendation letter contains a number of
relevant details.
⮚ The candidate’s full name
⮚ The position or other objective the candidate is seeking
⮚ The nature of your relationship with the candidate
⮚ Facts and evidence relevant to the candidate and the
opportunity
⮚ A comparison of this candidate’s potential with that of peers,
if available (for example, ‘Ms. Jonasson consistently ranked in
the top 10 percent of our national sales force’.)
⮚ Your overall evaluation of the candidate’s suitability for the
opportunity
Common Examples of Direct/ Positive
Messages

18. Sample
Recommend
ation Letter

19. Sample Recommendation Letter
Par. 1:
Clearly state the candidate’s full name and the main point of the
letter in the opening
Par. 2:
Specify duration and nature of relationship in the body to give
weight to the evaluation.
Par. 3:
Begin the close by summarizing the supportive evaluation
Par. 4:
Close by inviting reader to discuss the candidate further.

20. 5. Announcing Good news
⮚ Opening new facilities
⮚ Hiring new executives
⮚ Introducing new products or services
⮚ Sponsoring community events
Common Examples of Direct/ Positive
Messages

21. 6. Fostering Goodwill
Goodwill is the positive feeling that
encourages people to maintain a business
relationship.
⮚ Sending congratulations
⮚ Sending message of appreciation
⮚ Offering condolences
Common Examples of Direct/ Positive
Messages

22. Closing emails

23. Closing a direct
communication
⮚ Be positive and show the goodwill of your
company/person.
⮚ Write something that will leave the door open for
future communication and partnership.
⮚ Writing something that will give your
audience/receiver a good feeling or thought
about you and your company.

24. Sample closings: choose the
more effective.
1. Thank you for allowing me to work
with your bank. Please call me if you
have any questions concerning this or
future seminars.
2. Do not hesitate to call me.

25. Sample closings: choose the
more effective.
1. I look forward to hearing from you.
2. Please review the attached plans. I
will contact you in two days to see if
you have any questions. Thank you for
helping us improve our company
advertisements.

26. Practice
REWRITING
INEFFECTIVE EMAIL EFFECTIVE EMAIL

27. Evaluate the sample letter.
 What are the mistakes of this
letter?
 How will you improve it?

28. Activity: Revise the following short-email
message so that it becomes more direct and
concise; develop a subject line.
I’m contacting you about your recent order for a
High Country Backpack. You didn’t tell us which
backpack you wanted, and you know we make a
lot of different ones. We have the canvas models
with the plastic frames and vinyl trim, and we have
the canvas models with leather trim, and the ones
that have more pockets than the other ones. Plus
they come in lots of different colors. Also they make
the ones that are large for a big-boned person and
the smaller versions for little women or kids.

29. develop a subject line
add the opening sentence with main point
close email with call for action, deadline and etc.
I’m contacting you about your recent order for a
High Country Backpack. You didn’t tell us which
backpack you wanted, and you know we make a
lot of different ones. We have the canvas models
with the plastic frames and vinyl trim, and we have
the canvas models with leather trim, and the ones
that have more pockets than the other ones. Plus
they come in lots of different colors. Also they make
the ones that are large for a big-boned person and
the smaller versions for little women or kids.

30. Discussion
week 3

31. Discussion Week 3
Task: Direct Letter Writing
 Think of a post graduate program or trainings you
would like to enroll. Think about the requirements,
duration, price, or anything else you might like to
know.
 Write the company or institution asking those things
you would like to know.
 Start the letter with a direct introduction, then
describe in detail, and write a closing.
 Post a letter in Discussion Forum. Evaluate your
classmates' letters and help improve the letters
before you send.
 Once you get a reply from the company, post a