Responses
Question 1
Replying to Person 1
Hello,
Your response to the post is quite insightful. Your post indicates how you would prefer to write content, especially on social media. Instead of using a neutral tone, you highlighted your preference for a positive tone. I agree that focusing on the positive aspects first will prepare an audience for the negative news (Kitz et al., 2023). You also provided a personal example, stating that when you encounter messages written with a positive tone, you are likely to read through them to the end, unlike when the tone is neutral: Responses.
Nonetheless, your post slightly differs from mine. I focused on writing imaginative and creative content to attract an audience. Instead of only focusing on positivity, my response shows I may consider both positive and neutral aspects.
After setting a buffer to cushion subsequent negative news, I stated that the next step would be to communicate the negative news itself. Thirdly, I highlighted the need to redirect an audience. A statement that offers a solution after delivering negative news would suffice.
References
Kitz, C. C., Barclay, L. J., & Breitsohl, H. (2023). The delivery of bad news: An integrative review and path forward. Human Resource Management Review, 33(3), 100971. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2023.100971
Replying to Person 2
Thank you for your post. Your response on delivering negative messages is quite insightful. You stated that to deliver negative content, you would begin by first giving positive perspectives. I agree with this! You provided an example of how you may deliver negative messages.
As you rightly put it, marketing expired food by starting with “the food is unopened and consumable” will attract and reassure an audience to keep engaged in the content. Also, offering a $5 reward for individuals who purchase encourages an audience to purchase expired foodstuffs. It is more of a neutral statement that shows that despite the expiration, there is an incentive to purchase the goods. Great response.
Nonetheless, there is a slight difference between your post and mine. I indicated that I would include positive or neutral information before delivering the negative news, while you solely focused on positive information as a buffer. I also indicated that after delivering positive information, I would proceed to expressly state the negative news.
Finally, I indicated that I would follow the negative news with a redirect to shift an audience’s attention from the negativity to a solution (Mclean, 2015). This will help assure an audience that all is not lost despite the challenges.
References
Mclean, S. (2015). Business communication for success. Flat World Knowledge.
Question 2
Replying to Person 1
Hello,
This is a great post. Your response offers great insight into the ideal characteristics of a flyer. As you rightly put it, the access is excellently executed, such that an audience can discern its multiple features. Again, you delved into the very crucial aspect of structuring.
As you rightly indicated, the flyer’s content is sufficiently spaced such that one can tell the date, time, and location apart. Further, I agree that the inclusion of festive features goes a long way in indicating what the event is about. Another strength I discovered in the graphic is the inclusion of multiple colors to attract an audience (Baker, 2001).
The flyer has a shade of blue, black, and lavender colors on a white background that collectively creates a festive mood and attracts an audience’s attention. Another aspect of the flyer I found interesting was the use of varying heading levels to draw attention. For instance, the term ‘CHRISTMAS’ seems to have taken the largest space on the platform.
References
Baker, W. H. (2001). Hats: A design procedure for routine business documents. Business Communication Quarterly, 64(2), 65–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/108056990106400207
Replying to Person 2
Hello,
This is an insightful post on how to create attractive graphics. From the outset, you stated that the flyer was designed for a fundraising campaign, and I agree that it fits the purpose. As you correctly pointed out, the designer has effectively put varying headline levels into use to create emphasis based on importance. Using bigger and bold fonts for the heading “Holiday Bake Sale” is meant to draw an audience into the flyer’s purpose (Ladd, 2010).
Further, you delved into using different (especially big) font sizes and how this facilitates the flyer’s visual features since one can read them from a distance (Ladd, 2010). After examining the flyer, another aspect I found informative is the usage of the evergreen fig trees on the flyer’s edges to create a festive mood. Besides, the page color incorporated on the flyer’s edges is synonymous with the Christmas mood as it often characterizes Christmas lights.
References
Ladd, A. D. (2010). Developing Effective Marketing Materials: Promotional Posters and Flyer Design Considerations. Institute of Agriculture, The University of Tennessee.
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Question 
Question 1: respond to a peer’s post by noting how their answers to this prompt are similar and different to yours.
Person 1
When writing the Facebook post, I would use a cushion or buffer by writing in a positive tone and using positive information. In my opinion, when I read posts or see information on social media, if it has a positive tone, I am likely to read it and check into it rather than a neutral tone. For the explanation, it is quite simple to state that letting expired food that is still good go to waste is bad for our planet, as it fills up landfills.
When stating the negative news of expired cereal, I think that a more energetic, fun tone is better. An example would be stating, “Who doesn’t love FREE food? Come grab a box of expired cereal that still tastes great at the food pantry!” instead of “Expired cereal at the food pantry is free.” Redirecting for this instance could be just stating the fact that cereal is free.
College students most likely want to save money, so free food is great. Another great way to redirect this negative news is by letting the students know that if they take a box of cereal, they are saving the planet by decreasing the amount of waste.
Person 2
I would use a buffer statement to begin my Facebook post stating that “there is free food available”. This would be an eye-catching statement to college students with limited resources and is a positive concept of giving to others. I then would state that “all of the food is unopened and consumable” utilizing the explanation technique. The explanation is short and concise, explaining the purpose behind the post.
I would follow that with the negative news, stating that “the food may be outside of the expiration date, but all food available is nonperishable and safe to consume”. While this informs consumers of the expired food, it reassures them that it is edible.
I would then list the date and time of the distribution and state “We cannot wait to distribute our plentiful stock of cereal to the students of SMSU” and possibly “As a reward, we will be gifting all students who participate a $5 gift card for Mustang Market to use in the future” as a positive redirection and incentive. This information would remain consistent across all short documents created to relay a consistent
Question 2: respond to the post of a peer and offer suggestions about what other strengths are present in the report your peer shared.
Person 1
The flyer I found was on my Facebook feed from a local business in my hometown. HATS stands for headings, access, typography, and space. The headings on a flyer are quite different than a document, as there is no table of contents or introduction usually. On this flyer, I can visibly see that it is for a Christmas Open House.
The access is nicely executed on the flyer. Although there are no bullet points, it is spaced correctly so that I can easily find the time, date, and location of the event. There are also many festive graphics on the flyer. When looking at the typography, there are more than two different fonts used, but I can easily read all the text against the background. The main heading is also in a larger font than the rest, making it known what this flyer is for. All of the space on this flyer is well-portioned. It is spaced evenly and easy to read, along with being very festive and eye-appealing.
Responses
Person 2
I have located a flyer for a local fundraiser for the school. The HATS guidelines include headings, access, typography, and space. The flyer that I have attached includes a heading that is much larger than the rest of the text that states “Holiday Bake Sale”. This heading includes two different fonts or typography.
The access information that states what, when, and where is in another font with some of the information bolded such as who is in charge of the fundraiser and what the fundraiser consists of. The font size used is easy to read and the color contrasts the red background. The spacing throughout the flyer is appropriate and professional.
It allows all of the flyer space to be utilized, while also not looking congested. There are also some graphics that represent the holidays such as gingerbread cookies and holly which allows a consistent theme throughout the flyer.