Answer to Question #192357 in Marketing for Rajiv sabharwal

Question

MaxPlus Cottons is closing its Chennai manufacturing plant amidst a slow economic

climate. Mahesh Kumar, Chief Operating Officer needs to be the bearer of bad news. The

silver lining is that all employees will be redeployed to other plants, and there will be no

job cuts. Considering the nature of the news, Mahesh has decided to use the indirect

approach while writing the email. He is thinking of an effective buffer to use in the

opening paragraph. What is a buffer? Explain any 5 types of buffers, illustrate with

examples.

Answer 1

A buffer statement is inserted at the beginning of the correspondence to cushion the impact or reduce the severity of the message. They are a form of neutral language, commonly used to soften the blow when communicating bad news in a business environment.

They are several types of buffer as explained below; firstly, there is Appreciation buffer which is expression sincere thanks for receiving something for example: your payment was well received yesterday. Thank you. Secondly, we have cooperation buffer which conveys your willingness to help in any way you realistically can for example employee Services is here to smooth the way for all of you who work to achieve company goals. Thirdly, we have fairness buffer which shows the reader that you have keenly considered the problem and appropriate measure has been taken for example for the past one month we have observed those using company internet for purposes not intended for the company and we can detect any pattern of use that can explain its frequent slowdown. Fourthly, Good new buffer where you start with the part of the message that is appealing for example a new laptop is in shipment for after the recent crash. Lastly, we have praise buffer where you start with praising the person on a certain attribute for example you really did well presentable interview.