As a manager you will deliver your fair share of messages to the employees you supervise. Offering words of encouragement, crafting motivating speeches, and persuading your team to push through hard times are just a few of the messages you might deliver. Often times you may also have a negative message to share, such as when an applicant has not been chosen for a position with the company, or when an employee faces disciplinary action. You will need to hone your skills on communicating your messages clearly and accurately. In this assignment you will practice your written communication skills in delivering two messages.

Assume manage the sales team for a scenic flight company. It's the summer season, and the team has been working hard to keep the flights booked solid. Unfortunately, not everyone on the team is excelling in their efforts. One employee has struggled to close a sale. As her manager, must know she needs to help her improve. The trouble is, she believes she is already doing everything right. She follows her own style in her sales pitches because it brought great success in her last job. She also works hard and makes well over the minimum number of required outbound calls each day. She thinks it's just a matter of time before her potential customers come around - then she'll be the top performer in the office. Unfortunately, also know it's only a matter of time before you'll have to let her go if her sales do not go up. You believe she needs to follow the company's script when she makes her sales pitch in order to close more sales. She also needs to focus on building customer relationships and improving the quality, rather than quantity, of her calls.

A couple of months have passed, and your team has fallen short of the seasonal sales goals. While they've done an excellent job and thought they had reached their goal, the owners raised the bar last minute. You've only just found out about it, and the team will not possibly meet the goal. Everyone thought they would be receiving a bonus on the next check for making the goal; a job to inform the team that they will not be getting the anticipated bonus.

Persuasive & Negative Messages. business letter to the employee in the first situation. Persuade her to use the company's script in her work. Help her realize the value of engaging in quality interactions with her potential clients. Next, compose a memo that will be sent to the sales team. Deliver bad news in the best way possible. Consider the tone, audience, and positive accomplishments of the team.