Getting the message across

26 03 2007

Some people just have a knack of getting a not very nice message across in a very polite – even humorous – way. I was reminded of that when I received this email to all staff in a company from one of the long time staff members (I have permission to quote this, but I’ve removed any identifying information):

Hello fellow kitchen users

Over the last 2 years I have been taking the tea towels home every week to wash them (thanks go out to <name> who was doing the upstairs tea towels while <department> was in the downstairs office). Don’t get me wrong, this has been an enjoyable experience for me, but I feel like there is a limit to the amount of fun a person should allow themselves, so I have decided to step down as the Tea Towel Maintenance Officer. If anyone would like to take on the title, feel free, otherwise please don’t complain about there being no clean tea towels. By the way there is a stack of clean ones in the far right cupboard where the sink is – once they’re gone, they’re gone.


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26 03 2007
Karen

Excellent example! When writing about a potentially negative situation, I always try to use the opportunity to exercise my diplomatic skills. If I want to call myself a writer, I ought to try to do my best in every writing situation. Kind of like practice piano scales. Then, when a big crisis erupts, a calm writing style emerges naturally.
I sense that the person who wrote that example has a very good attitude in general, which also helps. When you add a dash of humor (or humour!), the result is very enjoyable. Great inspiration as well.

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