How best to teach and compose negative messages is a topic that continues to challenge and spark debate among business communication educators and researchers. Even where business communications textbooks emphasize the importance of context and audience analysis to determine whether to adopt a direct or indirect arrangement when expressing bad news, many still favour an indirect approach. In reviewing 50 years of negative news research, this article highlights the major concerns that continue to influence the debate as educators challenge and question existing models for addressing this rhetorically complex message genre.
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