Start with the good news first. If it’s bad news, soften it with a context-setting introduction. It’s a practice that works well for business communication but apparently, our city didn’t get the memo.
I received a flyer in the mail that starts out: “Free yard waste pick-up days will no longer be offered this year.” What?! Why?! But if you read further, it says: “Instead, property owners are allowed 24 FREE yard waste tags per season, per property.” It’s a far cry from the 40 bags we had previously been allowed on the free days but it’s the good news of this message. Why bury it?
And why spend the money mailing a flyer but making residents now go to City Hall to pick up the tags during the inconvenient hours of Monday-Thursday 7:30 am – 4 pm? It would have softened the blow if the tags had been mailed instead of just the announcement.
When creating your message, consider it from the perspective of the one receiving it. If you must make a change, do all you can to mitigate the impact on those affected. Mail the tags with the message!
