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7: Writing Routine and Positive Messages 7-1
CHAPTER 7: Writing Routine and Positive Messages
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Chapter 7 focuses on writing effective routine messages by applying the three-step writing
process that was introduced in Chapters 3, 4, and 5. For a typical business employee, most
communication is about routine matters: direct requests, routine replies, positive messages, and
so forth. The direct approach is usually appropriate for these routine and positive messages.
Although most routine messages share common attributes, some differences exist, depending on
purpose. This chapter provides illustrations and suggestions for writing effective messages,
whether they are requests, replies, or goodwill messages.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Strategy for Routine Requests

Open with Your Request
Explain and Justify Your Request
Request Specific Action in a Courteous Close
Common Examples of Routine Requests
Asking for Information and Action
Asking for Recommendations
Making Claims and Requesting Adjustments
Strategy for Routine Replies, Routine Messages, and Positive Messages
Open with the Main Idea
Provide Necessary Details and Explanation
End with a Courteous Close
Common Examples of Routine Replies, Routine Messages, and Positive Messages
Answering Requests for Information or Action
Granting Claims and Requests for Adjustment
Providing Recommendations and References
Sharing Routine Information
Writing Instructions
Announcing Good News
Fostering Goodwill
Sending Congratulations
Sending Messages of Appreciation
Offering Condolences
The Future of Communication: Communication Bots
What’s Your Prediction?
Chapter Review and Activities
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.

TEACHING NOTES
Strategy for Routine Requests

Much of your daily communication will involve routine requests for information or action.
Organize routine messages by including an opening, a body, and a close.
 Use the opening to make your request.

 Use the body to explain and justify.
 Use the close to confirm details and express appreciation.
The direct approach is fine for typical requests, as your audience will be inclined to respond. For
unusual, unexpected, or unwelcome requests, the indirect approach is better.
Open with your request:
 Pay attention to tone so that the request is not too abrupt or tactless.
 If appropriate, acknowledge that you are asking for someone’s time and effort.
 Be specific and state precisely what you want.
Use the body of your message to explain and justify your request.
 Mention any benefits to the reader of complying with request.

 With multiple requests/questions, start with the most important one.
 If a request is unusual or complex, break it down for the reader.
Close your request by requesting a specific action in a courteous close.
 Include any relevant deadlines.

 Provide contact information so that you may be reached.
 End with an expression of appreciation or goodwill.
Common Examples of Routine Requests

Many common examples of routine requests fit into one of the following categories:
 Asking for information or action

 Asking for recommendations
 Making claims and requesting adjustments
When asking for information or action:
 Think about how to make it as easy as possible for your recipients to respond.
 Point out why it may be in your readers’ interest to help you (if applicable).
When asking for recommendations:
 Open with a straightforward request for a recommendation.

 Provide any information about yourself that the reader might use to support a
recommendation.
 Close by expressing appreciation.

When making claims (a formal complaint) and requesting adjustments (the settlement of a
claim):
 Explain the problem and give details.

 Provide backup information.
 Request specific action.
Strategy for Routine Replies, Routine Messages, and Positive Messages

Routine replies and positive messages have four specific goals:
 To communicate the information or good news.

 To answer all questions.
 To provide all required details.
 To leave readers with a good impression of the writer and the firm.
Follow the direct organizational plan for routine replies and positive messages:
 Start with the main idea.

 Provide necessary details and explanation in the middle section.
 End with a courteous close.
Common Examples of Routine Replies, Routine Messages, and Positive

Messages
Common examples of routine replies and positive messages include:
 Answering requests for information and action

 Granting claims and requests for adjustments
 Recommendations and references
 Routine information
 Instructions
 Good-news announcements
 Goodwill messages
When answering requests for information or action:
 Use a direct approach if the request is simple or straightforward.

 Answer the request promptly, graciously, and thoroughly.
When granting claims and requests for an adjustment, responding to mistakes in a courteous,
reader-focused way helps repair important business relationships.
Specific response will vary based on company policy and whether the company, customer, or a
third party is at fault. In general, take these steps:
 Acknowledge receipt of the customer’s claim or complaint.

 Sympathize with the customer’s inconvenience or frustration.
 Take (or assign) personal responsibility for setting matters straight.
 Explain precisely how you have resolved, or plan to resolve, the situation.

 Take steps to repair the relationship.

 Follow up to verify that your response was correct.
Maintain a professional demeanor by avoiding the following:
 Don’t blame anyone in your organization by name.

 Don’t make exaggerated apologies that sound insincere.
 Don’t imply that the customer is at fault.
 Don’t promise more than you can deliver.
When you are asked to provide a recommendation or reference, be sure to list:
 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 opportunity
 A comparison of this candidate’s potential with that of peers, if available
 Your overall evaluation of the candidate’s suitability for the opportunity
Companies can send effective informative messages by:
 Using the opening to state the purpose and briefly mention the nature of the information
you’re providing
 Providing necessary details in the body
 Ending messages with a courteous close
When writing instructions:
1. Start by figuring out how much your intended readers are likely to know about the topic
or process.
2. Provide an overview of the procedure.
3. Define any technical terms or acronyms.
4. Divide the procedure into discrete steps.
5. Tell readers what to expect when they complete each step.
6. Test instructions on someone from target audience.
7. Whenever possible, provide a way for readers to ask for help.
Announcing good news is a key strategy to develop and maintain good relationships. These
announcements are often communicated in a news release (also known as a press release), which
is a specialized document used to share relevant information with the news media.
To write a successful news release, follow the customary pattern for a positive message: good
news followed by details and a positive close. However, you’re not writing directly to the
ultimate audience in a traditional news release; you’re trying to interest a reporter in that story
who will then write the material that is eventually read. However, this is changing. Many
companies now create direct-to-consumer news releases, often considered social media releases
because they contain links, “Tweetables,” and other sharable content.
Business employees can enhance their relationships with customers, colleagues, and other

businesspeople by sending unexpected notes containing goodwill messages.
Send congratulations for promotions or attaining a new civic position. Immediately refer to the
good news and give reasons for expecting success.
Send messages of appreciation to document someone’s contributions (a sincere thank-you

encourages further excellence). An effective message of appreciation documents a person’s
contributions. Moreover, in today’s electronic media environment, a handwritten thank-you note
can be a particularly welcomed acknowledgment.
Send condolence messages in times of serious trouble and deep sadness. (Although these
messages are difficult to write, they often mean a great deal to the reader.) Open condolences
with a brief statement of sympathy, state what the person or business meant to you, and close by
offering your condolences and your best wishes. Keep them short, simple, and sincere.
Condolence messages should focus on the recipient, not on your own emotions, and shouldn’t
offer “life advice” or trite sayings.
The Future of Communication: Communication Bots
With advances in artificial intelligence and the growing use of messaging systems for both
consumer and business communication, however, a new wave of bots as personal assistants has
taken off. Major categories of bot technology include task bots that perform routine chores
within digital systems and social bots that mimic human conversation. Bots are popular on the
widely used Slack workgroup messaging system, where they can do everything from ordering
lunch to monitoring the mood of team conversations. How far this bot revolution will go is
anybody’s guess, but the appeal of this new generation of digital genies is undeniable.
OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES STUDENTS OFTEN FACE
Most students will not yet be completely comfortable with the three-step writing process, so the
process won’t be automatic for them. Using electronic media for rapid communication will tempt
students to skip planning tasks. Stress the importance of completing all three steps, especially the
planning step. Post the steps in a prominent place in the room to serve as a constant reminder of
how to generate effective messages. However, remind students that the process is not always
linear.
Some class members will oppose following a pattern for organization. Remind students that the
pattern provides a starting point. The writer still has ample opportunity for including a
personalized tone, the specifics of a specific situation, and so forth. Also emphasize that
following a pattern may save both the writer and the audience time and energy. Demonstrate how
much more effective a message can be when organized using the most appropriate organizational
pattern.
Although studying good examples will help many students, studying bad examples can also be
an effective teaching tool. If only good examples are reviewed, students may not be able to
appreciate just what constitutes an ineffective message. For any example discussed in class, be
sure to identify both the strengths and the weaknesses.

Students often have a difficult time getting to the main point in the first paragraph. Although
most will identify the topic in the first paragraph, they may not get to the actual main idea until
later in the message. Stress the importance of distinguishing between the general topic and main
idea. Conduct an exercise in which students write just the opening sentences of several messages.
Students tend to provide insufficient details for the reader. For any writing task you assign, stress
the importance of analyzing the audience during the planning step. Business writers need to
identify what audience members already know and what they need to know. Then stress that
writers must often find the specific information that they need to include in the details of the
message.
Because of limited business experience, students will often use abstract words and phrases
instead of specifics in their closing paragraphs. Make it clear that they will need to make
assumptions and provide specific information when they write solutions to the cases you assign.
During an in-class writing assignment, some students will spend most of their time looking at
sample letters in the chapter to “borrow” appropriate wording. Stress the importance of following
the planning process and composing the message quickly, based on their own analysis of the
particular situation.
Claim letters and requests for adjustment also pose challenges for students. Explain that these
requests should be treated as routine business activities and thus should use the direct
organizational pattern. Stress the need to open with a courteous, specific request for what they
want done. Students’ first attempts will often include an opening that simply fails to get to the
point quickly enough. Also remind students to include sufficient details in the middle section to
allow the reader to research and verify the claim.
Share with the class some personal examples of what happens when former students contact you
for a recommendation or reference. Explain how having insufficient information about the
person requesting the reference presents a problem for you. This insight will help students
remember to include some useful information that readers can use in their requests.
SUGGESTED CLASSROOM EXERCISES
1. Analyzing messages. Provide students with examples of routine, positive, and goodwill
messages that are not organized using a direct approach. Have students critique the examples
and then rewrite them as concise messages that follow a direct pattern. Provide your own
examples or use selections from the Activities section at the end of the chapter.
2. Preparing letter openings. Getting to the point is sometimes a challenge for writers. Assign
an exercise in which students write just the opening sentence for various messages. Provide
your own scenarios or assign work in the Practice Your Skills section at the end of the
chapter. This exercise can be effective for class discussion, or you can assign students to
write on their own for a few minutes and then discuss their answers. Project suggested
rewrites for student comparison.
3. Preparing letter closings. Assign an exercise in which students write just the last paragraph
for various routine, good-news, and goodwill messages. This practice allows students to

focus on writing specific, courteous, and concise closings. Allow students to compose these
closings at the computer, if possible, to allow rewriting and editing of their paragraphs.
Project suggested rewrites during class discussion. Remind students to avoid out-of-date
phrases.
4. Preparing routine, good-news, and goodwill messages. As class exercises, assign case
scenarios in which students plan, write, and complete a routine request, a routine response, a
routine claim letter, a routine response granting a claim, and a goodwill message. Students
should work at computers, if available, to facilitate writing and revising. Require students to
go through the planning tasks before composing. These exercises can often be done as a class
activity: you pose questions that require students to identify the purpose, build an audience
profile, identify an organizational pattern, and identify information to be included. While
students are working, move around the room and provide constructive comments about
organizational pattern, completeness of information, tone, and so forth. When students finish,
project both a below-average and an above-average solution for the case. Lead a discussion
that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Providing constructive feedback to classmates. Lead a class discussion in which you generate a
list of evaluation points that can be used to give a writer feedback about a routine, good-news, or
goodwill message. (This list will be very similar to the evaluation points you are using when
grading student writing.) Ask students to exchange printed documents of messages they have
written. Each student then critiques the message for all the evaluation points on the list, uses
proofreading marks as appropriate, and provides feedback to the writer. (This activity is sometimes
less than 100% successful the first time you try it. Your students will need a specific list of evaluation
points, and they may hesitate to tell another student that something could be improved. Many will want to
evaluate only grammar, punctuation, and spelling. But don’t give up. Writers can benefit from seeing
someone else’s approach to the same message and from questioning their own skills related to identifying
the purpose, choosing the correct organizational approach, setting an effective message tone, and so
forth.) Start by figuring out how much your intended readers are likely to know about the topic or
process.
5.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
7-1. A routine request should include anything required to make it as easy as possible for the
recipient to reply. If relevant, any benefits associated to the recipient for complying with
your request should be mentioned. (LO 7.2; AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)
7-2. A claim is a formal complaint; an adjustment is a remedy you ask for to settle a claim. (LO
7.2; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-3. Answers to starred discussion items not provided.
7-4. The first step to writing instructions is to figure out how much your intended readers are
likely to know about the topic or process. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)

7-6. When writing a condolence message, keep it short, simple, and sincere. (LO 7.4; AACSB
Tag: Written and oral communication)
APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE
7-9. It’s usually best to avoid an outright apology. Yet, you should not avoid taking responsibility
for a mistake that has been made. Word your response carefully, emphasizing the good news
about what you are doing to provide compensation and to ensure better service in the future.
(LO 7.4; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS
Exercises for Perfecting Your Writing
7-11. Thank you for submitting your trip report. I see that you visited four clients. Please let me
know what management-level action, if any, is required for each of these clients. In the
future, please organize your trip reports so that meeting outcomes are specified
individually for each client. (Subject line: Trip report clarification needed) (LO 7.1;
AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-12. We are sorry for the inconvenience you experienced with your lost luggage. Please email
us a detailed list of the lost items and complete the following survey so that we may
compensate you as quickly as possible. (Subject line: Response to your lost luggage claim)
7-13. We’ve had the opportunity to review your résumé and would like to invite you to interview
with our company. Would you be available on June 15 at 3:00 p.m.? If so, please let us
know by the end of this workweek. If you are unable to meet at this time, please supply
other dates and times you would be able to meet. (Subject line: Company X interview
request) (LO 7.1; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-14. Please attend our special, by-invitation-only 40 percent off sale on November 9. (LO 7.3;
7-15. You’ll receive a tote bag and a free special-edition tote bag with every $100 donation to
our radio station. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-16. The director plans to attend the meeting on Monday at 10:50 a.m. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag:
Written and oral communication)
7-17. Paul Eccelson reviewed newer types of order forms at today’s meeting. If you have

questions regarding these forms, please call Paul at his office. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag:
7-18. Since a face-to-face meeting would be practical in this case, that would be the best medium
for such a sensitive message. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-19. An email would be an efficient and effective medium to use, as long as your tone and
wording emphasize the positive (“to avoid layoffs”) and reflect the sensitivity of the
subject. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-20. This message is likely to elicit a negative response. Even with the explanation that the
measure will prevent layoffs, employees will be disappointed or even angry to learn that
their salaries will be reduced. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-21. It would be best to use the indirect approach. A buffer followed by a brief explanation of
the company’s financial situation would help to prepare the audience for the bad news
about salaries. (LO 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-22. Please call to schedule an appointment by May 15. This will allow sufficient time to order
the parts needed to get your HVAC system ready for the summer season. (LO 7.1, 7.3;
7-23. Please send your catalog by December 1 so that I can plan my Christmas purchases. I look
forward to learning more about your products. (LO 7.1, 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)
7-24. To schedule an appointment with one of our knowledgeable local mortgage specialists,
please call our hotline at 1-800-555-8765. Our specialists can answer your questions about
mortgage rates, closing procedures, or any other aspect of the mortgage process. We want
to make your home-buying experience a pleasant one. (LO 7.1, 7.3; AACSB Tag: Written
and oral communication)
Activities
7-25. The tone and wording of the message are unprofessional and negative (for example, “I’m
fed up,” “I don’t have time”) and the focus is misplaced. Instead of dealing primarily with
the problems associated with the current accounting firm, the main idea should be the
request for information on how the prospective firm can help. An example of a revised and
improved version is below:
As the owner of a small construction company, I need an accounting firm that is

committed to excellence, accuracy, and prompt service. Your firm has an excellent
reputation, and I am interested in learning more about the services you provide. Please call
me at (888) 555-1212. I look forward to speaking with you soon.
7-26. The message is wordy and poorly organized, and the tone is condescending. Since the
customer is likely to be unhappy already because of the ongoing service problems, it would
be vital to avoid aggravating the situation by talking down to him or her. A revised and

improved version is below:
Thank you for your recent email request for technical support related to your cable
Internet service. To help us address your questions quickly and thoroughly, please visit
http://www.rapidnet.com/techsupport/ticketID889 and take a few moments to provide
some additional information.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.

7-27. This message is wordy and poorly organized. It lacks focus, including much unnecessary
information. An improved version is below:
Beginning next quarter we will be implementing job rotation in an effort to make work
more fulfilling and to increase staffing flexibility.
Job rotation, also called cross training, involves training employees to handle more than
one job. It makes work more interesting because you’re always learning. It makes staffing
more flexible because there is a wider pool of trained talent for new challenges and
opportunities.
All the job categories in the plant have been analyzed and the most appropriate cross-
training opportunities identified. Follow the link below to identify your current job title,
and then check out which cross-training opportunities you can choose from. You can
discuss the possibilities with your supervisor and discuss the nature of each job with people
who are already performing it. If your job has multiple opportunities listed, please prioritize
your first, second, and third choices. Choices must be made by April 10.
The tone is offensive and egotistical, implying that the reader should have written to the
human resources director in the first place, not to the president of the company.
Nothing is said about the reader’s right to receive the information. The letter reveals
discretionary information from Nick Oshinski’s personnel file. Because of laws governing
confidential information, the writer should withhold details about performance reviews or
vacation days taken. The writer’s opinion is irrelevant and potentially libelous. The writer
obviously does not know Oshinski and should not comment on his performance, except to
report the starting and ending dates of employment.
The tone of the rewritten letter should be professional and not chatty. The rewritten letter
should end on a positive, helpful note. (Offering an alternative is a good idea.)
Here is an improved version of this message:
7-28. Student responses will vary, depending on the product selected. Messages should be
concise and specific.
Finally able to dock my iPhone without removing the OtterBox Defender case:

http://www.cablejive.com/products/dockXtender.html.
dockXtender works with iPad, as well—great for data transfer and keyboard dock.
dockXtender lets you keep your case on to charge, sync, or deliver content.
dockXtender comes in 2 ft or 6 ft lengths to work for your business, car, or home.
7-28.
Dear Chana,
I heard about your promotion to district sales manager. Congratulations!
I know how hard you worked and how much this means to you. Wishing you much success
in your new position!
Sincerely,
Tad Kelson
EXPAND YOUR SKILLS
Critique the Professionals: Students should be able to find numerous examples of news releases
online. Sites such as http://prnewswire.com are a good place to begin their search. In their
evaluations, students should discuss at least several of the points listed in the chapter. The
relevance, focus, organization, and wording of the release should all be assessed. (LO 7.1;
Sharpen Your Career Skills Online: This exercise calls upon students to use Bovée and Thill’s
Business Communication Web Search to research an online source of advice for writing
goodwill messages. Students will summarize the content of this source in an email to the
instructor, or as a post for the class blog. In either case, the conventions for communicating in the
particular medium should be observed, and the summary should clearly and effectively convey
the information that was learned. (LO 7.2: AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
CASE SOLUTIONS
On the following pages are suggested solutions for this chapter’s cases.
7-30. Message Strategies: Routine Requests
The challenge in this request is to bring up the issue without sounding hostile and merely
complaining about the distractions, which could make the intended audience defensive. The
message will likely also be unwelcome, as employees who enjoy the perks of the nonconventional
work atmosphere will be hesitant to give them up.

Our company is well known for its relaxed office environment. I suspect this attracted many to
work here in the first place. I know that I personally chose the job at least in part because it was
about as far from a boring “cubicle farm” as you can get.
However, it seems that it may be possible to have too much of a good thing. Noise interruptions
– be they from animals, children, or loud music – are making it very hard for employees to
concentrate in the office. Owing to the distractions, many people routinely need to bring work
home on nights and weekends.
In order to help create an environment in which employees can get their work done during work
hours, please consider the impact that your actions have on that environment. We all will benefit
from a work environment in which people are able to focus and be productive. (LO 7.2; AACSB
7-31. Message Strategies: Routine Requests

The new online collaboration system seems poised to significantly improve work efficiency,
productivity, and quality. I’m sure it was a mammoth task for your department to create and
install this system, and we are all very grateful for your efforts.
Many of us have had an issue, however, with the new systems’ on-screen readability. We have
experienced difficulties reading messages, navigations menus, and more, due to the small type
size. As it seems that the IT team members generally have significantly larger monitors than
other employees in other departments in the company, you may not be aware of this issue.
I would greatly appreciate it if we could meet to discuss ways to improve on-screen readability
for the smaller monitors that so many of us have, so we can fully enjoy and take advantage of all
of the benefits of this powerful new system. (LO 7.2; AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)
7-32. Message Strategies: Requesting a Recommendation
Note: Students will do well to consider their approach and organize their thoughts prior to
writing this email. This is an opportunity to refresh Vander’s memory of performance, but
students may struggle with professionally stating accomplishments without sounding grandiose
or inflated. They should appeal to Vander’s need to understand how this will benefit her as well,
thereby motivating a speedy and successful response.
To: katina.vander@seele.com
From: ryan.tenney@seele.com
Subject: Recommendation for the role of lead analyst for the market research team
Dear Katina,
The role of lead analyst for the market research team, currently under consideration, is one I am
very keen on. I would be grateful if you could put in a word for me with the strategic planning
committee.

I have acquired a breadth of industry-specific knowledge during my 14 years of work experience

in the electronics industry. Likewise, I have three years work experience in the customer support
division, leading to firsthand knowledge of customer satisfaction and quality issues. Also, my
engineering background, allows me to better understand the technological aspects of product
design.
I have always been a consistent and sincere contributor, with a rating of “Excellent” or
“Exceptional” during all annual employee evaluations. Aside from professional leadership, I
have also initiated and organized the company’s environmental programs for the past three years.
I will be able to lead the market research team well, given the chance. If you require any further
information, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Ryan Tenney
Business Analyst (LO 7.2; AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-33. Message Strategies: Making Routine Requests
Note: Short messages can be among the most difficult to write because every word—even every
character—must count. For this message, be sure to specify exactly what you would like the
audience to do, including what the new product is, where they can find it, and what sort of
information you hope to learn.
Have you seen Trickster’s new controller-cam in Booth 1064? Looks hot! Please listen for buzz
at the show, in hotel lobbies, etc. Are people talking about it?
7-34. Message Strategies: Routine Responses
Student responses will vary, but the analysis should be presented in an email using the direct
approach. Since this analysis is being done at the request of the webmaster, so he or she is a
willing reader. State your findings clearly and completely and end with a courteous close.
7-35. Message Strategies: Granting Claims
Note: This is an opportunity for students to see that a little humor and goodwill can go a long
way toward retaining customers and even improving their perception of the company. Students
should resist the urge to negatively highlight the customer’s over-zealous behavior; no point
would be served. Instead, the message should be used as a chance to professionally remind the
customer of proper use, without being offensive or condescending.
To: LouisHapsberg@gmail.com
From: Rufus.Thomas@Razer.com

Subject: Re: Request for replacement of Razer Anansi keyboard
Dear Mr. Hapsberg,
Thanks for writing to us about the damage to your Razer Anansi keyboard. We are passionate
about gaming at Razer and in honor of your massive win, we would like to “reward” you with a
free keyboard to replace the one you broke.
Razer products are built for serious action, but our keyboards, like the Anansi, are sensitive
machines that are designed to recognize and respond to your every move. We recommend that
users handle them with care and use them only for the purpose for which they are intended.
We love hearing from our gamers, so please keep writing in. Everyone at Razer wishes you good
times and many more gaming wins. Perhaps a hearty fist pump would be a more appropriate
victory celebration next time!
Sincerely,
Rufus Thomas
Customer Service Representative
7-36. Message Strategies: Writing Instructions
Note: Audio-only instructions present two major challenges. First, without the benefit of visuals,
you’ll need to take extra care to describe parts and procedures. (In many cases, a podcast would
be accompanied by some manner of graphical support.) Second, because listeners can’t skip
back and forth as easily as they can with printed instructions, every instruction needs to be clear,
and the instructions need to follow each other in logical order. The brief example here describes
the steps necessary to use a waffle iron.
The first step in making a perfect waffle is proper preparation. Open the waffle iron so both
surfaces are exposed, and generously apply non-stick cooking spray. Be especially careful to
apply the spray to the edges of the iron, so that your waffle will not stick.
Next, plug in the waffle iron and turn it on. When it is properly heated, the red light on the front
of the iron will go on.
When the iron is preheated, take a ladle and pour some of your batter onto the bottom surface, in
the center. Depending on your batter, the proper amount is between one-third and one-half cup.
To be safe, begin with the smaller amount and adjust upward if necessary for future waffles.

It is not necessary to spread the batter in the iron. Simply closing the unit will cause the batter to
spread and fill in the entire surface. Snap the clamp on the unit shut to activate the automatic
timer. When it beeps, your waffle is ready. Undo the clamp, open the unit, and use a fork to lift
the cooked waffle off the iron.
Repeat until all batter is used, then turn unit off. Allow at least 30 minutes after turning off the
unit to wash it, so it can cool down properly. Use a damp sponge to clean the iron; never
submerge it completely in water.
7-37. Message Strategies: Routine Announcements
Bacca’s Annual United Way Drive starts June 1! Contact HR to learn how to make this our most
successful year ever! Support United Way’s efforts in education, income stability, and healthy
living.
United Way wants to halve the number of high school dropouts by 2018. Education starts early,
so it supports efforts to make sure children begin school ready, and are proficient readers by
grade 4.
United Way wants to help working families with unstable finances become financially
independent. By 2018 it is striving to help 1.9 million families do so!
United Way wants more people to enjoy healthy living. It is working to educate people about
how to avoid risky behaviors and help more people get healthcare coverage.
7-38. Message Strategies: Routine Announcements
Zenith Tutoring is now on Scoop.it! Scoop.it’s big data technology will scour the Web to find
great content that we can share on our website and blog. We can even add Zenith’s perspective to
each “scoop” to increase reader engagement. By providing relevant, quality content about
education trends, assessment news, and school admissions processes, we will be able to attract
many potential clients.
7-39. Message Strategies: Instructions
Student responses will vary, but sample is included below:
Slack is a digital workspace that powers your organization — all the pieces and the people — so
you can get things done. A Slack workspace comprises a workspace owner, workspace admins,
members, and guests. A Workspace Owner creates a Slack workspace, recruits Admins to help
manage and organize the team, and they together invite and onboard members. The main

components of a Slack workspace are teams and workspaces, channels, messages, search, and
notifications.
A team is a group of people that use Slack to communicate. Your Slack workspace is the digital
space you and your teammates share to communicate and get work done. At a small to medium-
sized company, all employees will likely be members of one Slack workspaces. At a larger
organization, employees may be part of multiple interconnected Slack workspaces.
Your Slack workspace comprises channels. You’ll use them to hold most of your conversations
with other members. They can be organized around anything — departments, projects, or even
office locations — and you can create as many as you need.
7-40. Message Strategies: Writing Positive Messages; Collaboration: Team Projects
August 2, 2018
To Hiring Managers:
I am pleased to recommend Ms. Maxine Chenault (at her request) for a position in any
professional field that requires dependability, proficiency in meeting deadlines, and attention to
detail. Max worked for me as an intern at Orbitz during the summer of 2016 and provided a great
deal of valuable assistance in a number of areas.
Max is an exceptionally fast learner. She quickly became proficient with our content
management system and always used it properly. While other interns have struggled to learn and
utilize the Orbitz system, Max was so adept with it that more seasoned employees often came to
her with questions about how to perform various functions. I was also impressed with how
quickly she picked up on (and learned to apply) important principles of blogging and website
design.
While Max was certainly a quick study, she was always willing to asking intelligent questions
about our business. Other interns and many new employees tend to avoid asking questions
because they don’t want to admit there’s something they don’t know. Max, however, didn’t
hesitate to inquire about complex procedures, best practices, and other important matters.
Another important element of Max’s character is her willingness to respond well to suggestions
for improvement. Soon after she joined me at Orbitz, I expressed concern that she was spending
too much time on the phone discussing non-business matters. That single conversation was all it
took to eliminate the problem completely. This was the only instance in which I found it
necessary to ask for improvement, and she responded promptly and professionally.
I am confident that Max would be an asset to your organization. In addition to the traits I’ve
outlined, she is mature and professional, always on time, and eager to assist with even the most
mundane tasks. Of the many (50+) interns with whom I’ve worked over the years, she certainly

ranks among the top three. If you have questions or would like more information on this
excellent candidate, please contact me at the number listed above.
Best regards,
7-41. Message Strategies: Good News Messages
Note: This message should focus not only on what is being offered, but also on how they will
benefit the reader. Students should include information that makes these services appropriate for
the reader’s personal needs. Specific details of the services offered will enable readers to clearly
understand the what, how, and when of the offering.
[post title] A Hot Stix Center to Open Soon at Indian Wells Golf Resort
Hot Stix is thrilled to announce a new fitting center to open at the Indian Wells Golf Resort
within the next six months, making it the first resort in California to offer fitting facilities. Hot
Stix is a leading club fitting company and is recommended by many professional players.
Every golfer has a unique swing. Accordingly, golf clubs need to match the individual
specifications of the golfer, which is done through the process of club fitting. Club fitters use
advanced technology, such as Doppler radar and motion-capture video, to accurately evaluate
golfers’ swing and ball flight characteristics, and then they use that information to match players
with the perfect set of clubs. Club fitting helps golfers of all skill-levels play with more
consistency and confidence—and that means better scores!
The Indian Wells Hot Stix center will provide three fitting programs—Performance Fitting, Tour
Fitting, and Platinum Game Fitting.
 Performance Fitting will provide you with club heads and shafts custom-built by a
select group of leading manufacturers.
 Tour Fitting will provide you with clubs made to your specifications by Hot Stix, after
evaluating your existing equipment.
 Platinum Game Fitting is the ultimate golfing experience, where a master fitter will
observe your game with the recommended equipment and then Hot Stix will build you 14
golf clubs and design a personalized golf bag for you.
All fitting programs will be done using Hot Stix software and expert fitters. Moreover, each
player will have the opportunity to demo a broad range of club and shaft options. Contact Jared
McKinsey at 1-800-123-5678 or log into www.indianwellsgolfresort.com for more details.
7-42. Message Strategies: Good-News Messages
Urbanears are Webby winners again! This year, we won the Webby for best Consumer
Electronics website and the mobile site for best Visual Design. We are happy and excited that so
many people appreciated our work enough to vote for us. We are grateful for the support, and

thank everyone on the Urbanears team for their part in making this happen.
The Webbys honor web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries, and creative
celebrities. They are awarded by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, whose
members select the nominees and then vote for the winters. We are proud to be among the
winners out of over 12,000 entries.
7-43. Message Strategies: Goodwill Messages
It’s that time of year again! Spring Surge 2019 is complete and was another shining success. Our
sales staff outdid themselves in our annual competition, and thanks to their efforts, we booked a
total of $4.7 million in new revenue this April.
The top three salespeople during this year’s Surge are cited below with their prizes:
 1st place (trip for family to Hawaii): Juanita Hermosa
 2nd place (luxury box seats at an NFL playoff game): Jackson Peabody
 3rd place ($500 prepaid credit card): Duane Redd
Congratulations to the winners, and a hearty thanks to them and all the sales people for making
this a banner year. We can’t wait to see what they’ll do next year!
7-44. Message Strategies: Goodwill Messages
November 17, 2019
Dear Leo,
I was so sorry to hear about Michael’s passing.
Although I never met him, from your stories I know what a special person he was. If there is any
way I can be of assistance to you, please let me know.
Best wishes,
Georgina Shanley

IMPROVE YOUR GRAMMAR, MECHANICS, AND USAGE
Level 1: Self-Assessment—Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation Points

7-45. Dr. Eleanor H. Hutton has requested information on TaskMasters, Inc. (AACSB Tag:
7-46. That qualifies us as a rapidly growing new company, don’t you think? (AACSB Tag:
7-47. Our president, Daniel Gruber, is a CPA. On your behalf, I asked him why he started the
company. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-48. In the past three years, we have experienced phenomenal growth of 800 percent. Or: !
(AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-49. Contact me at 1358 N. Parsons Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74204. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)
7-50. Jack asked, “Why does he want to know? Maybe he plans to become a competitor.” Or: !
7-51. The debt load fluctuates with the movement of the U.S. prime rate. (AACSB Tag: Written
7-52. I can’t believe we could have missed such a promising opportunity! (AACSB Tag: Written
7-53. Is consumer loyalty extinct? Yes and No. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-54. Johnson and Kane, Inc., has gone out of business. What a surprise. Or: ! (AACSB Tag:
7-55. Will you please send us a check today so that we can settle your account? (AACSB Tag:
7-56. Mr. James R. Capp will be our new CEO, beginning January 20, 2019. (AACSB Tag:
7-57. The rag doll originally sold for $1,098, but we have lowered the price to a mere $599.
7-58. Will you be able to make the presentation at the conference, or should we find someone
else? (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-59. So I ask you, “When will we admit defeat?” Never! (AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)
Level 2: Workplace Applications
7-60. Since the convention center is attached to both the train station and the Marriott Hotel, one

doesn’t even need to step outside to go from train to meeting room. (AACSB Tag: Written
7-61. According to federal statistics, 61 percent of the nation’s employers have fewer than five
workers. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-62. “The problem,” said business owner Mike Millorn, “was getting vendors of raw materials
to take my endeavor seriously.” (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-63. After poring over trade journals, quizzing industry experts, and talking to other snack
makers, the Harpers decided to go into the pita chip business. (AACSB Tag: Written and
oral communication)
7-64. The couple has done relatively little advertising; instead, they give away samples in person
at trade shows, cooking demonstrations, and grocery stores. (AACSB Tag: Written and
oral communication)
7-65. CME Information Services started by videotaping doctors’ conventions and selling the
recorded presentations to non-attending physicians who wanted to keep track of the latest
developments. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-66. For many companies, the two biggest challenges to using intranets are getting people to
use them and keeping content fresh. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-67. Company meetings, including “lunch and learn” sessions, are often held online. (AACSB
7-68. Most Children’s Orchard franchisees are women between the ages of 30 and 50 who are
first-time business owners lacking even basic computer skills. (AACSB Tag: Written and
oral communication)
7-69. Having joined the company in 1993, she had watched it grow from a single small office to
an entire floor of a skyscraper. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
7-70. One issue that affected practically everyone was the problem of training interns. (AACSB
7-71. The website includes information on subjects as mundane as filling out a Federal Express
form and as complex as researching a policy issue. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral
communication)
7-72. Jack Hartnett, president of D. L. Rogers Corporation, asks, “Some management theories
are good, but how many people actually implement them the right way?” (AACSB Tag:
7-73. Taking orders through car windows, roller-skating carhops serve customers at Sonic
Restaurants. Or: At Sonic Restaurants, roller-skating carhops serve customers by taking
orders through car windows. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)

Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
“Miss Barry did it in Denver one time—when she was with a stock
company. I can’t understand why you speak as if there was
something wrong about it. I think it’s great. You can cry like anything
when you see it—because it seems as if what happens couldn’t have
been helped. It isn’t one of those things that’s been screwed around
to make everybody feel as if they’d been eating caramels. You
remember it!”
Baron, Sr., engaged in carving the roast, twinkled somewhat darkly.
“You might get her to shape your criticism for you, Victor,” he
suggested.
“I don’t know if the editor would stand for ‘screwed around,’” said
Baron, “but upon my soul, I think she’s right.”
“Well, don’t you think you could take me, then?” asked Bonnie May.
“It really isn’t possible. You see, I must hurry down to the office right
after the performance—to write it, you know.”
The child leaned toward Mrs. Baron, a very real shadow trembling on
her face. “Couldn’t you go, so you could bring me home?” she
asked. Her voice was nearly inaudible, through fear of
disappointment. “I haven’t been for such a long time. You can’t think
how dearly I’d like to go.”
Mrs. Baron was provoked by the child’s intense earnestness. “Oh—
impossible!” she said. She noted the look of despair in Bonnie May’s
eyes. “There wouldn’t be enough tickets, anyway,” she added
weakly.
Baron leaned back in his chair as if he had lost his appetite. What
was the matter with them all, anyway, that they were afraid to get
down into the crowd once in a while? Plenty of really nice people
went to all manner of places—in search of novelty, for diversion, in
order to get into touch with mankind. He had spoken of mad persons
out at Fairyland. That was merely a silly cynicism. They weren’t any
madder than other people. Surely they were saner, since they were
willing to enjoy the best that life afforded.
“I’ve got plenty of seats, mother,” he said. He returned to his dinner,
smiling somewhat maliciously.
“Victor!” exclaimed Mrs. Baron. She flushed angrily. “You know very
well I won’t go to such a place.”
Bonnie May’s voice trailed away to a whisper—almost to a whimper.
“Nice people can go anywhere they want to go,” she said. “It’s only
silly people who need to be afraid, because they don’t know how to
think for themselves.”
She tried very hard to eat her dinner then, and to say no more. But
presently she said, faintly, “Please excuse me,” and ran, weeping in
true childish abandon, from the room.
It was the first time she had really lost control over herself!
Baron, Sr., was the first to speak. “She’s only a child,” he said, as if
anything more would be superfluous.
An ensuing silence was broken by the sound of the telephone-bell,
and Mrs. Baron was glad to respond, as a means of putting the
finishing touches to an uncomfortable episode.
But the telephone seemed only to create other difficulties. The group
at the table were quite at a loss to know what could have brought
such an extraordinary sharpness into Mrs. Baron’s voice. She was
soon grasping the receiver angrily, and they heard her saying, with
uncomfortable intervals between her words and phrases: “To-night?
Bonnie May? Mr. Baron? Why should he do anything of the kind?
No, I don’t understand at all. No....” She turned around in quick
displeasure. “Victor,” she appealed, “will you see what they want?”
And Baron hurried to the phone and took up the broken
conversation.
“Oh, Mrs. Thornburg!” he began. Then, after a pause, “Yes, that was
the understanding. There wasn’t any definite time set—” A pause.
“Yes, I know he is. I’m going out there, too.” Another pause, and
then, “Well, I suppose it might be managed. I’ll ask her. I promised—
we both agreed—that she should do as she pleased——”
He turned back to the table with a brave attempt at briskness. But
the inquiring glances bent upon him were disconcerting.
Mrs. Baron went and unceremoniously hung up the receiver. She
had, it seemed, understood quite accurately what the person at the
other end of the phone had been saying.
“It’s an invitation for Bonnie May,” said Baron, trying to shake off the
feeling that he was a guilty wretch. “Mrs. Thornburg particularly
wishes her to come over this evening, because she’s to be alone.”
“Well!” was Mrs. Baron’s comment. “Why should she go over there,
I’d like to know?”
Baron hesitated. “The fact is, I entered into a sort of compact with
Thornburg——”
“Yes, I gathered something of the kind,” said Mrs. Baron angrily. “I
suppose I have nothing to say, one way or another.”
“It was when you were still of the belief that Bonnie May couldn’t be
—quite comfortable with us, and Thornburg.... I don’t think I was
wholly unjustified in what I promised. You remember you said that as
soon as she could be got ready—” He was floundering painfully now,
with the eyes of everybody in the room turned upon him accusingly.
“Mrs. Thornburg says she has a room ready, specially fitted up for
her, and she only asks that she may spend the night——”
Mrs. Baron had a vision of that room that had been “specially fitted
up” for the child, who was now away somewhere grieving because
she had been refused a greatly coveted privilege. No doubt the
Thornburg woman had spent whole weeks and no end of money in
fitting up that room. And she thought with a sinking heart of the
gloom of the mansion, and its threadbare aspects.
“Victor Baron,” she cried angrily, “I wish you would tell me just what
agreement you made with that theatre man. I want to know where I
stand.”
And Baron explained—or, rather, he failed to explain very clearly.
The idea of “a sort of duel” not only failed to delight his auditors as it
had delighted Thornburg, but they looked as if they considered it a
type of criminal and unseemly folly.
“You see,” persisted Baron, “the Thornburgs are rich people. They
may go so far as to adopt Bonnie May, if the thing works out
satisfactorily. I know how that sounds, but we’ve got to think of—of
her interests, as well as our own whims.”
“Whims!” This, witheringly, from Mrs. Baron.
“I think it was mostly whims at first, anyway.”
“You’re speaking for yourself—not for me.”
“And the Thornburgs are not bad people. I don’t see why they
shouldn’t make her quite happy. I’m not at all sure we could do as
much, if we undertook to keep her here constantly.”
“That,” said Mrs. Baron “is your mean way of reminding me of what
happened just a little while ago!”
“Oh, no, mother! But she’s such a joyous little thing! I think she’ll like
us all the better for seeing other people once in a while.”
Mrs. Baron gazed at her son silently, her face darkening. He realized
that her mind was filled with scorn, with resistance, with misgivings.
“And I suppose,” she said, “that everything in their house is the
newest and brightest and costliest!” She enumerated these qualities
as if she were pointing out so many of the cardinal sins.
Baron pretended not to understand. “They live nicely,” he said. “But
as far as Bonnie May is concerned, I don’t think you need fear that
the things the Thornburgs have will give them any advantage over
us.”
“Well, I don’t want her to go,” declared Mrs. Baron.
Baron was standing in indecision when, happily, there was an
interruption.
The front door closed rather noisily, as it did when Mrs. Shepard was
not in a very good humor, and there was the sound of Baggot’s voice
in the hall.
Baron groaned. He had forgotten about Baggot. He went out into the
hall and confronted the playwright apologetically. “I’d really
forgotten,” he began, but Baggot cut him short.
“It’s all right,” remarked that young man. “Come on up to the library. I
needn’t keep you long. But it’s simply necessary—” He was leading
the way up-stairs as if he were in his own house.
“Look here, Baggot,” remonstrated Baron, “I’ve got to go out to-night,
in half an hour—in fifteen minutes. You’ll have to come back some
other night.”
“Where you going?”
Baron gasped at the man’s rudeness.
“I’ve got to review a play, out at——”
“Fine! I’ll go with you!”
Baron sank into a chair. There really wasn’t any reason why Baggot
shouldn’t go with him. “But I’m going on the street-car,” he explained.
“We couldn’t read a play——”
“It’s not ready to be read, most of it. I’ve only got a couple of acts
and the scenario. But there are certain things....” He pulled his chair
closer to Baron’s and began an eager discussion of his play.
Time passed, and Flora appeared in the doorway. Her eyes were
inscrutable. “Mother wishes to see you before you go out,” she said.
“Will she come up here?” pleaded Baron. He wanted to hide behind
Baggot and escape a further scolding.
“I’ll ask her,” replied Flora.
Baggot, leaning forward and speaking with great intensity, continued
on the subject which obsessed him.
Time flew, and Baron found himself nervously jerking out his watch.
Then there was a faint rustle of dresses out in the sitting-room.
Mrs. Baron appeared in the doorway.
She was dressed with all the exquisite, subtle attention to detail
which never failed to make Baron proud of her. He took in the quiet,
old-fashioned jewelry, sparingly displayed; the softened dignity of
costume; the fine severity of her beautiful hair. Surely she was every
inch a gentlewoman of whom any son might be proud.
She held Bonnie May, smiling serenely, by the hand.
“I just wanted you to know,” she said, standing impressively erect
and speaking with quiet resolution, “that we are ready to go to the
play.”
CHAPTER XIX
BONNIE MAY LOOKS BACK
Baggot’s play, it seemed, was really a charming thing—a

modernized fairy-story.
To the monotonous rumble of revolving car-wheels the plot was
outlined, the characters sketched. Baron felt the dramatic force of it,
the surprises. But as the enthusiastic playwright proceeded with his
self-appointed task, Baron began to realize, also, that he and his
companions and their affairs constituted a very queer sort of drama.
By his side sat Baggot, and in front of them were his mother and
Bonnie May. Mrs. Baron, for special reasons of her own, was making
a studied and persistent effort to be entertaining. She talked to the
child almost continuously. But Baron could not help seeing that
Bonnie May was determinedly playing a double rôle. She was
politely pretending to listen to every word Mrs. Baron said, but she
was also keeping one ear eagerly turned toward Baggot.
Baggot, for his part, saw only that Baron seemed to be giving a good
deal of his attention to the little girl in the seat ahead. He couldn’t
make any excuse for such division of interest. He began leaning
forward at frequent intervals to catch Baron’s eye—to see if the
points he was making were going home.
Only Mrs. Baron remained in a single-minded mood. She continued
to talk amiably, and no doubt a bit wearyingly. She was determined
that Bonnie May should have no ground for complaint that she was
not being properly entertained.
“You see,” Baggot was saying, “the central figure is an elf, or a sprite,
who is supposed to be an embodiment of the good traits in human
nature. And then there are witches, and gnomes, and dwarfs, and
some big fellows—vikings and Titans and giants—and some figures
put in for the sake of—well, variety: druids, and people like that. And
Psyche—to make a swell picture. Looking at her reflection, you
know. All but the central figure, the sprite, are supposed to embody
faulty traits, like cruelty, or vanity, or superstition, or jealousy, or envy,
or fear. And then certain other qualities—for comedy effects, like
laziness, or stubbornness, or stupidity. See? And the sprite governs
them all, little by little, until in the end they turn into fairies, or nice
human beings. A great transformation scene....”
Baggot stopped suddenly and frowned. “It sounds childish, telling it.
As if it were some silly sort of extravaganza. But there’s the dialogue.
Smart and unexpected, you know. Modern drawing-room stuff put up
against the heart of the forest and the figures of the story-books.
Bringing the sublime and the ridiculous together, you know—and the
material and the ideal, and the every-day and the remote. Silly
fallacies of our own day, set against the truth in words such as Æsop
would have used.” He stopped suddenly and threw out his hands in
a despairing gesture. “Oh, what’s the use?” he demanded. “I can’t
get at it at all, just talking about it. You’ll have to see it in writing.”
“I’m sure I understand,” Baron reassured him. “You don’t put it so
vaguely at all. And you know I saw the first act.”
“Yes.... But I’ve done that over—ever so much better.” He clasped
his knee in his hands and fidgeted for a moment. And then he broke
out with—“And the settings! The four seasons, in the forest, for the
four acts. Big things to hit the eye—but nicely, you know, so that the
drama doesn’t suffer—so that it’s not choked, you might say.”
“Yes,” said Baron, “I understand.”
Baggot began to go more into detail touching the plot. He put this
part of it very incisively. Occasionally he laughed, or his eyes blazed
with satisfaction. He had reached the end before it was time for them
to leave the car.
Bonnie May had seemed to be listening attentively to Mrs. Baron; but
once Baron heard her say, with slight confusion: “I beg your pardon,”
because she had not responded to a question that had been put to
her.
Now, as they were getting ready to leave the car, she nodded her
head decisively.
“Why are you nodding?” asked Mrs. Baron. She was frankly irritated.
And the child prevaricated. “Oh, I think it’s because I’m—well,
satisfied.”
The entrance to Fairyland might have been described as a study in
chaos. Hundreds of people were pouring into the gates, and they
were all coming immediately under the spell of the bedlam of noises
and the blaze of lights.
Baron had one moment of grave doubt as he marshalled his party
before getting into the vortex of human forms. He thought his mother
could not have looked less satisfied with things in general if she had
been the Peri of the legend, just turned back from paradise because
she hadn’t brought the thing that was expected of her.
But Mrs. Baron was playing a game. Rather, she was fighting a
battle, and she remarked calmly, in response to Baron’s anxious
look. “It won’t be so bad after we get inside.”
“No doubt you’re right,” replied Baron; and then they all pressed
forward.
They got by the gatemen just as a car of the scenic-railway variety
was cut loose from its moorings on a high platform to which it had
been dragged, and began its incredibly swift descent along a far-off
vista of trees and lights. Women shrieked as if they were being
enveloped in flames, and tried to hold their hats in place.
“Mercy!” was Mrs. Baron’s comment; whereupon Baron dropped
back a step, and hid his mouth with his hand.
The inrush of persons behind kept them going somewhat smartly
past the first group of “attractions”: an “old mill-wheel,” with an
entirely uniform supply of water tumbling down upon its buckets; a
shooting-gallery; a negro with terrified, grinning face protruding from
a hole in a curtain as a target for a group of men who were throwing
baseballs.
A merry-go-round started just as Baron’s party passed, and a
popular melody was ground out with quite superfluous vehemence.
Mrs. Baron paused—startled into making a halt, seemingly—just
long enough to catch a glimpse of an elderly couple, a man and a
woman, mounted upon two highly colored lions. They were
undoubtedly country people, and the woman’s expression indicated
that she was determined not to betray unfamiliarity with the high life
of the city.
Mrs. Baron hadn’t even an ejaculation which seemed at all adequate
to her needs in this case.
“I think the theatre’s over this way,” said Baron, steering a course
which promised escape from the main currents of the crowd.
Yes, there was the theatre, standing on a knoll with trees growing on
its sides. A curved, flower-bordered road led up to its entrance.
Conditions rapidly improved. There weren’t nearly so many people,
and what there were were of a quieter type.
Half-way up the knoll Baron turned about for a bird’s-eye view of the
whole place. But beneath them a Midway blazed, and he caught
sight of a lady on a platform before a tent, who was coiling a very
large snake about her neck, while a little farther away a princess—
she seemed to be—in red satin and spangles, sat wearily on a
palanquin on top of a camel.
He thought it would be as well for his mother not to see these
choicest fascinations of Fairyland. He directed attention to the
theatre ahead, which was modelled after what is left of a famous
Roman ruin. And so they completed their climb without looking back.
A grove surrounded the theatre, and under the trees there were
chairs and tables.
“Chairs!” exclaimed Mrs. Baron. “They’re the first thing I’ve seen....”
She turned one about and sat down.
“Fine idea, that,” said Baron. “Let’s all sit down.”
“It’s plenty of time to go in when you hear the overture begin,”
observed Bonnie May; whereat Mrs. Baron regarded her with rather
a blank expression; but she said nothing.
From the portals of the theatre strolled Thornburg, and instantly his
glance took in Baron and his party.
It was Baggot who observed that the manager seemed about to join
them.
The manager did. He came toward them across the grass and shook
hands with Baron. He was smiling almost benignantly.
Baron introduced his party. Thornburg was rather casually cordial in
his manner. Then he took in the fact that the child in the party was
Bonnie May.
“So this is the little girl?” he inquired. He drew her to his side and
flushed with pleasure. His entire appearance changed. “I had an idea
she might be over to the house to-night,” he added, turning to Baron.
“No,” said Baron, “she preferred to come with us.”
Bonnie May shrank slightly from the stranger’s touch; but after she
had regarded him critically she yielded to it. He seemed rather a
good sort, she thought. He wasn’t loud, and he didn’t take things for
granted too much.
But Mrs. Baron stiffened and seemed bent upon bringing upon the
entire group that discomfort and embarrassment the creation of
which is one of the finer social accomplishments. “Sit down, Bonnie
May,” she said. She patted an unoccupied chair with her hand and
smiled. There was something in her manner which caused Bonnie
May to regard her with surprise.
Thornburg, too, observed her rather deliberately. For an instant he
seemed to forget himself, to be absent-minded. Thornburg was of
that type of man who seems to surrender unconditionally when a
woman employs strategies, but who resolves to do what he pleases
when her back is turned.
Baron resented his mother’s attitude, her decision not to be
communicative and gracious. He stood by the manager’s side and
spoke of the splendid picture the garden presented. For a moment
they stood in silence, looking down upon the tangle of many-colored
lights which marked the course of the Midway.
The steady stream of people who had been entering the theatre had
begun to diminish, and now the notes of the overture arose—the
“Poet and Peasant.”
Bonnie May sprang to her feet. “There it is,” she said, and both
Baron and Thornburg smiled down on her. Then Thornburg escorted
the party into the theatre.
Baron noted the immense audience, sitting in a blaze of light; a fairly
quiet and pleasant-appearing audience. He noted, too, that where
one might have expected to find walls at right and left there were
vast open spaces, through which stars, beyond waving horizontal
branches, were visible. Rolled canvas, which might be let down in
case of rain, rattled slightly in the breeze, and one or two disturbed
sparrows darted into the place and rested, chirping, on a girder
overhead.
Then Baron had eyes only for Bonnie May, who had undergone
some strange sort of transformation the moment she had entered the
theatre.
Her eyes were enough to thrill an ordinary world-weary person. Her
color became brilliant. Then her body began to respond to some
overmastering influence. One might have thought of her as a little
palfrey about to enter a great parade with many bands in it. She was
not merely proud and happy; she was quite entranced with delight.
When the usher, with the manner of his kind, darted down the aisle
until he was some eight or ten steps in advance of the party, the
child hurried forward a little, and then turned about, her face alight
with eagerness; and suddenly she stood still until Mrs. Baron came
up to her, and seized that amazed lady’s hand and laid her cheek
against it and patted it rapidly.
“It’s all right, child,” whispered Mrs. Baron warningly, in dread of a
scene; but her voice was like a caress, and her eyes were beaming
with joy. She was thinking how little she had had to sacrifice, and
how very well worth while the sacrifice had been. Truly, it would have
been cruel to deprive the child of a pleasure which meant so much to
her.
The man who stood with his big bass fiddle in the orchestra pit was
making a dreadful noise on one string—sawing it rapidly—when the
usher flung down a row of seats. Mrs. Baron went in first, followed by
Bonnie May. Baron took the next seat, leaving the aisle seat to
Baggot.
The overture ended, and the orchestra leader laid down his baton,
while he and his musicians began to adjust themselves in easy
positions in their chairs.
Somewhere a man at a switchboard performed his duty, and one
light after another went out until the theatre was in darkness.
Then the curtain lifted.
But to Baron it all meant less the story of Paula Tanqueray, up there
on the stage, than it did the story of Bonnie May, close by his side.
Tanqueray’s friends discussed his approaching marriage and his
bride to be; the argument of the drama received its simple statement,
and presently the ill-starred woman appeared. But through it all
Baron knew that his thoughts were chiefly with the child by his side.
She was so completely lost in the rapture of every passing moment
that he felt a strange uneasiness. Here was something more than a
normal enjoyment. She had the extraordinary gift of being able to
appraise the value of the make-believe—to gauge the truth of every
look and word and movement, and at the same time to lose herself
in the story. She clasped and unclasped her hands in silent, painful
intensity; there were little, strange movements of her head as a
result of her acute sympathy with the work of the playwright and
players alike. And sometimes she hung upon a word that halted, and
smiled with rapture when a difficulty was surmounted.
Baron thought, grotesquely enough, of a little fish fallen from a hook
into the grass for a breathless moment, and then getting back into its
proper element and rushing away with a mighty flicking of tail and
fins.
Bonnie May had been of the theatre once, and Baron realized, as he
watched her, that somehow, sometime, she would return to it again.
When, at the end, the report of a pistol was heard, and the
stepdaughter of Mrs. Tanqueray came screaming upon the stage,
Mrs. Baron set her lips in a hard line.
“Nobody to blame but herself!” was her comment. She, too, had
been deeply impressed by the play.
But the larger faith of the little girl asserted itself. “Oh, don’t say that!”
she begged. “She’d have been all right, if they’d really loved her in
spite of all!”
It was the reality of it that held her, Baron perceived—or her ability to
see it as something real.
The puppets, the make-believe—these were off the stage, for Bonnie
May. The truth and beauty and reality were on it.
He smiled thoughtfully as they all filed up the aisle, amid a babble of
voices. The child might be wrong; but was it strange that so glorious
an ignis fatuus should have power to lead her on to the end?
As they left the theatre they passed Thornburg, standing near the
entrance alone. For an instant there was a peculiar, inscrutable
expression in his eyes; then he pulled himself together and smiled
and lifted his hat. But after this perfunctory greeting was over, the
manager steadily regarded Mrs. Baron, who did not look at him.
That quiet, masked glance made Baron uncomfortable, and
instinctively he stooped and took Bonnie May firmly by the hand.
In another moment they were lost in the throng.
CHAPTER XX
CONCERNING LAUGHTER
The next afternoon Baron received a very cordial letter from

Thornburg. The manager was delighted with the fine account of the
Fairyland opening that had been printed in the Times. That was the
sum and substance of his letter. There was nothing about the
compact to which Baron was a party.
“Just the same, he’s got something up his sleeve,” Baron mused.
And his next thought was: “But I’ve kept my word. If she doesn’t want
to go there’s no reason why I should urge her to. She’s getting along
all right where she is.”
Two weeks slipped by, and then one day at noon as Baron was
emerging from the lobby of the Times building he heard a familiar
voice in the street. The Thornburg automobile stopped and the
manager pushed the door open.
“Been to lunch yet?” called Thornburg.
“Just going,” was the response. Baron would have prevaricated if
he’d had time to think; but now it was too late and he made the best
of the matter as Thornburg pulled him into the car.
“Come with me,” said the manager, and then he became silent as he
threaded the machine through the down-town congestion.
He did not speak again until they were in a comparatively quiet
restaurant whose patronage was drawn chiefly from theatrical people
who did not come in until late in the evening.
Both men observed that they were to have the place practically to
themselves, and then Baron was promptly given to understand what
it was that Thornburg wanted.
“That’s really a fine little girl,” said the manager, frankly regarding
Baron across the table.
“You mean Bonnie May. Yes, she certainly is. The fact is, you can’t
begin to realize how uncommonly fine she is until you know her
better.”
“Well, that’s just the point. When am I going to know her better?
When is she coming to us?”
Baron gave his whole attention to the waiter for a minute. He was
trying to think of a response that wouldn’t concede too much. He
held the strong cards now. It would be foolish to relinquish them.
The waiter was gone now.
“The fact is, Thornburg,” said Baron, “she doesn’t seem at all eager
to accept your invitation. I’ve told her about it, and explained what a
fine place you’ve got, and all that—and she just changes the subject.
You know I didn’t agree to force her to act. That’s just what we both
agreed not to do.”
“Childish timidity—the first time,” said Thornburg. “If you’d bring her
over once she’d get over feeling that way.”
“She’s just about as timid as a sunbeam. She’d go anywhere if she
thought she’d enjoy it. The fact is, she’s absolutely satisfied where
she is, at present. Let the matter rest awhile. When things become
monotonous I’ll call her attention again to your invitation.”
Thornburg shook out his napkin violently. “That sounds like beating
about the bush,” he said. “You know how to get a child started. ‘Oh,
look!’ you say to them. Get them excited. Then they’ll do anything.”
“I don’t want to get her excited,” replied Baron dryly.
“Yes, that’s just it!” retorted the other. “A little excitement would be
good for her. I see the advantage of having her at your place part of
the time, but I see the advantage of having her with us, too. It would
be a shame if she ever got to thinking highly of some of this polite
flubdub—” He checked himself in embarrassment and brushed
imaginary crumbs from his waistcoat.
“Won’t you enlighten me as to what you mean by ‘polite flubdub’?”
Thornburg became almost defiant. “Being chilly, for one thing. And
not seeing people. That kind of business. It used to be all right, but
it’s out of date now. Class distinctions and that sort of thing—that’s
all done away with. You might as well hang a knitted tidy up in an art
display. Nothing but the goods counts these days.”
“No doubt you’re right,” responded Baron briefly. He felt it would be
impossible for him to admit that he saw any special application in
what Thornburg had said.
A silence followed. Baron permitted a considerable degree of
arrogance to stifle his friendlier thoughts. Thornburg had spoken
offensively; which was rather less excusable than “polite flubdub.”
Yet, Baron reflected, nothing in Thornburg’s manner could alter the
fact that it might be greatly to Bonnie May’s advantage to accept the
hospitality of the manager and his wife.
The impression of the child in the theatre not long ago recurred to
him—the imperative call upon her which the skill of the players had
exerted.
“You’re right, Thornburg,” he said finally. “I’ve been procrastinating—
that’s all. I’ll speak to her again. The next time I’ll even say ‘Oh,
look!’—or words to that effect. In your own expressive phrase, we’ll
give her a chance to decide which of us ‘has the better attraction to
offer.’”
This new promise weighed heavily on his conscience that afternoon

when he went home; for Bonnie May, unusually radiant, was waiting
for him at the door.
“Mr. Baggot was here to-day,” she began. “He left his play. And he
talked to me about it. He said you might keep it as long as you liked.”
“All very kind of Mr. Baggot.” Baron thoughtfully disposed of his hat
and cane. When he turned to the child again there was a little furrow
between his eyes.
“Bonnie May,” he began, “do you remember my telling you some
time ago that Mr. and Mrs. Thornburg would be glad to have you visit
them?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“They thought possibly you might have forgotten. They asked me to
remind you.”
“Thank you. And he’s made the prettiest copy of it, with red lines
drawn under the words you don’t have to learn. Can’t we go up-stairs
and see it? I put it in your room.”
“Yes, we’ll go up-stairs.” He was irritated by her supreme indifference
to the matter which he had tried to bring to her attention. He meant
to have this thing out definitely.
She rushed away in advance of him so impetuously that he paused
and looked after her in amazement. The furrow disappeared and he
was smiling.
And then the whole strange situation struck him with renewed force.
Was she really the daughter of Thornburg, and was he afraid to
claim her? Or was there no connection at all between her and the
manager, and did he, Baron, hold the trump-cards in that game
which meant the permanent possession of her?
If she were Thornburg’s, why shouldn’t Mrs. Thornburg frankly say to
her husband: “I know everything—but I still want her”? It occurred to
him that it might be his duty to suggest just that course to her. But
old habits of restraint were too strong for him. After all, he didn’t
know the Thornburgs very well. He scarcely knew Mrs. Thornburg at
all.
Moreover, “it was a very pretty quarrel as it stood.” He had been
frank and aboveboard every step of the way. If others could not or
would not be so, that was no concern of his.
He went up into the attic, which was made golden by a flood of late
afternoon sunlight. In truth he found himself in an atmosphere that
was delightful in its warmth and aloofness and quietude.
Bonnie May hurried toward him, the manuscript in her hands. She
was trembling with eagerness. A foolish little creature in some
respects, surely, thought Baron.
He glanced at the title-page and turned half a dozen pages
aimlessly. And when he glanced at Bonnie May he was amazed by
her expression of wonder, of distress.
“You don’t seem to be interested in it!” said she.
“Not a great deal—just now. I’d have to get into it, you know. When
I’ve more time. Besides,” he tossed the manuscript aside, “I’m
deeply interested in something else just now.”
She quickly evinced a pretty spirit of submission. In response to his
gesture she sat down near the window, opposite him.
“I’ve been thinking about you to-day. Seriously.”
“I hope I haven’t been queering anything?”
“Not a bit of it. We’re all very much pleased with you.”
There may have been something of patronage in the tone. At any
rate, she replied with a little smile: “Thank you. You know an artist
always strives to please.” As he regarded her quietly she added
more earnestly: “It’s strange that I got by, too, when you come to
think about it. I was hardly prepared to play a nice part when I came
here. Anyway, not a part where you have to have so much—what the
critics call restraint. You can take it from me, the nice parts aren’t half
as fat as the nasty parts.”
He did not remove his eyes from her face. He had the thought that
she was very far away from him, after all. From all of them. “I wish,”
he said, “you wouldn’t always talk as if you were only taking part in a
play. Somehow it doesn’t seem quite friendly. We’re trying to make
this a real home for you. We’re trying to be real friends. We’re trying
to live a real life. Why not look at it that way when you’re with me?
Wouldn’t that seem friendlier?”
She looked at him with a little flicker of anxiety in her eyes. “You
see,” she said, “I can’t help thinking all the time that everything I do
must be like a nice ingénue part, and being afraid that you’ll come
home some day and find I’ve been doing some soubrette stuff.”
He shook his head and abruptly assumed a new attitude. “Did you
understand me clearly when I said that Mrs. Thornburg wishes you
to visit her?”
“I think I didn’t pay much attention,” she admitted, looking away from
him. “Did you—wish me to go?”
“I think it would be very nice. If you didn’t like them, you needn’t ever
go again.” He tried to speak lightly.
She brought her eyes to his now, anxiously. “When did you think I
ought to go?” she asked.
Baron brought his chair down with a bump. “I didn’t say you ought to
go, exactly. Don’t put it that way. I only thought it would be nice and
kind of you to go, because they wish it. I’d be anxious to have you
come back quite soon, of course.”
“And—and mother: does she wish me to go, too?”
Her use of that word brought warmth to his heart. “She doesn’t wish
it. Frankly, I think she wouldn’t like it at all. But I think she’d consent.”
She was greatly relieved. She leaned forward and patted him on the
knee. “I was afraid you might be planning to cut down the company,”
she said.
He looked at her without comprehending readily.
“I mean,” she elaborated, “I thought maybe it was a case of cold
feet.”
He flinched. “Oh, Bonnie May!” was his disapproving rejoinder.
“You mean it’s stale?” she asked. The expression in her eyes was
innocent, perplexed.

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CHAPTER 7: Writing Routine and Positive Messages

Strategy for Routine Requests

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Strategy for Routine Requests

 Use the opening to make your request.

Open with your request:

 Mention any benefits to the reader of complying with request.

Close your request by requesting a specific action in a courteous close.

 Include any relevant deadlines.

Common Examples of Routine Requests

 Asking for information or action

When asking for information or action:

When asking for recommendations:

 Open with a straightforward request for a recommendation.

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 Explain the problem and give details.

Strategy for Routine Replies, Routine Messages, and Positive Messages

 To communicate the information or good news.

 Start with the main idea.

Common Examples of Routine Replies, Routine Messages, and Positive

 Answering requests for information and action

When answering requests for information or action:

 Use a direct approach if the request is simple or straightforward.

 Acknowledge receipt of the customer’s claim or complaint.

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 Take steps to repair the relationship.

Maintain a professional demeanor by avoiding the following:

 Don’t blame anyone in your organization by name.

When you are asked to provide a recommendation or reference, be sure to list:

 The candidate’s full name

Companies can send effective informative messages by:

When writing instructions:

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businesspeople by sending unexpected notes containing goodwill messages.

Send messages of appreciation to document someone’s contributions (a sincere thank-you

The Future of Communication: Communication Bots

OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES STUDENTS OFTEN FACE

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SUGGESTED CLASSROOM EXERCISES

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TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

7-3. Answers to starred discussion items not provided.

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7-5. Answers to starred discussion items not provided.

APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE

7-7. Answers to starred discussion items not provided.

7-8. Answers to starred discussion items not provided.

PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS

Exercises for Perfecting Your Writing

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As the owner of a small construction company, I need an accounting firm that is

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improved version is below:

We look forward to hearing from you soon.