It may seem innocent enough – writing a reply to a stakeholder on a routine matter or small issue. Yet it is such complacency and a lack of professionalism that usually get a writer entangled in all sorts of difficult consequences – including a potential lawsuit!
The situation is made worse when dealing with challenging stakeholders, ranging from the impatient to the unreasonable to the downright nasties. There is no need to panic, neither is there a need to descend to their level of impropriety.
Understand them, uncover their needs and unleash good responses – these are the tri-tics of good replies.
Let DR SUNNY GOH help you write polite and pleasant, yet firm and fair emails to provide your stakeholders with a sense of satisfaction in that uneasy correspondence and subsequent pleasant ones!
Dr Sunny Goh is a Trainer of Trainers (TOT) and has taught many writing coaches to teach writing programmes he has designed for government servants and private sector officers. He was head of the International directorate in Mindef’s Defence Policy Office, where he has written Cab Memos, budget papers and presented Singapore’s position at international fora. He was a member of the SAF Scholars Selection Board and chairman of a university’s Resource Panel.
He was also a Desk Editor at The Straits Times, where he taught reporting and interviewing skills at its School of Journalism. In all, his participants had included CEOs, professors, staff writers, technical specialists, undergraduates and students. It doesn’t matter how high a participant’s work status may be – all that mattered is a penchant for learning.
As a volunteer, he was a Mediator with the Ministry of Law, a Council Member of the Singapore Red Cross Society and writes regularly for the local and regional media.
