11.14 Message Do-Over for a Bad-News Message to a Professional Contact (LO11.4)

Bianca Genova has worked hard to make networking events for LinkedB2B more attractive to members (see Exercises 10.18, 10.19, and 11.13 for background). She developed a speaker series as one strategy to attract members to attend the events. Several months ago, she invited a prominent author and speaker, Madison Avery, to an event on September 4. On August 21, Madison sent the following note:

SUBJECT: Speaking Cancellation Dear Bianca, I regret to inform you that I cannot speak at your September 4 networking event. I will return the $2,000 advance that you sent me.

In the past month, I have suffered some health issues. I anticipated recovering more quickly. My doctor has advised that I avoid all travel for several months to avoid some of these problems. On top of that, my father-in-law died two weeks ago. As a result, I’ve spent most of my time attempting to help my husband deal with this tragic time. I appreciate your understanding.

Madison?