A: Bad News Letter: Problem with service
Scenario:
Just last week, your academic organization held a three-day international conference at a
local hotel. You coordinated the logistics. About two-hundred people attended —
participants (mostly research scholars, professors/teachers from universities/colleges in
Canada as well as different countries, local colleagues) attended the conference and took
part in its proceedings.
Throughout the three days of the conference, the event faced many problems: necessary
equipment was missing or did not work (be specific); lunch on the second day was an hour
late; coffee and tea were cold on the first morning; and event staff spoke rudely to you and
to at least one of the participants, who complained bitterly to you. You spoke with the event
manager at the hotel repeatedly during the conference to express your concerns and to try to
get everything working right.
You have discussed the situation with your supervisor and with your organization
colleagues, and everyone agrees that the organization should not pay the full fee to the hotel.
Plan a responsive letter (in response to the invoice from the hotel) to the manager at
the hotel, explaining why the organization is not paying in full and suggesting future
steps.
4
Instructions:
1. Write a short paragraph or two explaining your Goal for the letter, and analyzing both
Audience Need and Barriers facing this communication.
2. Write a formal letter. You should include letterhead and other features to make the letter
as professional and ‘real’ as possible