Businesses must carefully phrase negative messages, especially when these messages explain mistakes that have significant impact on affected parties (customers, users, etc.). But these businesses must also be clear about the mistake and its implications for affected parties, especially if the damage is significant or ongoing. How should companies ideally communicate to customers about these issues? Have you seen examples where companies have done a significantly good or poor job of communicating negative messages to customers?

We have seen the importance of audience focus in business communication. How can writers keep audience focus in mind when delivering negative messages? How might readers respond to bad or distressing news?

Companies often have perfectly good reasons for refusing direct requests. These requests can be unreasonable in scope, misaligned with a given company's brand image, or simply contrary to the financial interests of a company. Sometimes, businesses simply need to choose among worthy, charitable causes, and cannot afford to support them all. In these instances, company representatives will need to phrase negative responses carefully. How can businesses decline these requests while still preserving goodwill?