Writing Good Replies To Difficult Stakeholders

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! 

 

Whether they are your customers or clients, 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.  

 

Most of all, do not compromise on your company policy or integrity. Work out the balance of transparency and confidentiality, and ensure a high level of accountability and responsibility.   

 

Let OUR TRAINER 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! 

 

Objectives 

At the end of the one-day workshop, participants will be able to: 

  1. understand stakeholder needs and organisational constraints 
  2. respond in firm but friendly manner without compromising company policy 
  3. deal with difficult customers/clients 

 

Outline 

DIFFERENT TYPES OF REPLIES  

  • why they matter 
  • how they matter 

DIFFERENT TYPES OF STAKEHOLDERS 

  • the good, the bad and the ugly 

REPLY STRUCTURE 

  • know your company policy 
  • how it looks 

REPLY EQ  

  • how it works 

CLOSURE  

  • the right way to end 

 

Testimonials 

“Being new to the sector, this course provided me the insights to writing a better paper (and highlighted the different types of papers) through structure, conventions etc.” 

  • Tang Ee Ket, NUHS, GITU (June 2023)  

“Sunny is one of the most dedicated and passionate lecturers I have come across. He is clear in his delivery and explanation, and weaves in real life examples of the concepts he teaches.”  

  • IPOS (Jan 2018) 

 

Who should attend 

Frontline and service staff, including HR, PR and CR, who need to deal with challenging customers. Even the occasional memo-writer will benefit from the writing pointers shared by our writing coach. 

 

Trainer’s Profile 

Sunny is a Trainer of Trainers (TOT) and has taught many writing courses to approach writing in a highly professional way, be it minutes or approval writing. He is currently a board director of five international firms where the art of written communication is a key to winning contracts, customers and confidence.  

He was a deputy military security chief and head of the International directorate in Mindef’s Defence Policy Office. As a former desk editor in The Straits Times, he has trained media practitioners and reporters how to write sharper yet simpler stories, slogans and headlines. He was a member of the SAF Scholars Selection Board and chairman of a university’s Resource Panel. 

As a volunteer, he was a Mediator with the Ministry of Law, a Council Member of the Singapore Red Cross Society and writes regularly on social issues for the local and regional; mainstream and social media.