Humanities Homework Help

Writing for Diplomacy

(or how to avoid getting your car keyed)

Similar words and phrases can have different connotation. Some phrases can smooth over an awkward situation and others can get you in more trouble. People will have very different reactions to “Would you please shut up?” vs. “Would you please be quiet?” Understanding how to phrase things diplomatically and put people at ease is crucial to navigating adult life.

Example:

Original:

[“Neighbor,

You need to keep your *&$% dog quiet! It’s keeping the entire neighborhood awake! If you don’t get that dog to shut up, I’m calling the police!”]

Questions to Consider:

-What exactly needs to be said?

-What do I want to happen/what is my ultimate goal?

-Will the language I use here help the situation or make things worse?

-Am I unnecessarily hurting/offending/threating this person? What are the consequences of offending this person?

-Do I have any sincere, constructive solutions about what might be done?

-Is my information correct?

-Is there anything I can say to “soften the blow” or smooth things over?

What needs to be said (in a constructive and polite way): 1) dog is barking frequently, 2) it is keeping neighbors awake, 3) police may be called.

Change “You need to…” to _______________________

Change “Keeping the entire neighborhood awake…” to ___________________

Change “Get that dog to shut up…” to ________________________

Change “I’m calling the police…” to _____________________

Added: ________________________________

Revised edition:

[“Neighbor,

You may not be aware, but your dog has been barking frequently at all hours, even at night. Several neighbors have complained of being woken up. Please understand that if the situation doesn’t improve, we’ll have to file an official complaint with authorities. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”]

_______________________(*Assignment Starts Here*)

Directions : Look at the following statements (1-3). For each original statement, look at the Questions to Consider and list what phrases need to be changed or added. Then, rewrite each statement to be more diplomatic, polite, and constructive.

“A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down” –Mary Poppins

1) Original Statement

[“Roomie,

Stop eating all my food! It’s not my fault you’re too lazy to go to the grocery store and it’s not my job to feed you. Put on some pants, go to the store, pull your weight, and grow up!”]

Look at Questions to Consider from the first page.

What needs to be said (politely and constructively): 1) you’re unhappy that they’re eating your food, 2) you want them to contribute more to household groceries, 3) you want to discuss boundaries, so this doesn’t happen again.

Change “Eating all my food!”

Change “It’s not my fault you’re too lazy…”

Change “Not my job to feed you…”

Change “Pull your weight and grow up…”

Add ________________________________________

Type your revised edition: (3-4 sentences)

2) Original Statement:

[“Dear son/daughter,

I’m very disappointed in you for failing History. If you didn’t waste time with your friends and spend every waking moment on your phone, this wouldn’t have happened. If you don’t shape up you’ll never amount to anything!”]

Look at Questions to Consider from the first page.

What needs to be said (kindly and constructively): 1) you’re unhappy they failed their class, 2) you’re concerned about distractions, and 3) you’re worried about them and their future.

Problem phrase to be changed _________________

Problem phrase to be changed _________________

Problem phrase to be changed _________________

Added: ________________________________

Type your revised edition: (3-4 sentences)

3) Original Statement:

[“Dear Ms./Mrs./Mr. Boss,

Making me work overtime without paying me overtime is illegal. It’s happened several times over the last three months. If it keeps happening, I’ll have no choice but to sue this company for what I’m owed. Good day.”]

*This is a delicate situation, so approach with caution*

Look at Questions to Consider from the first page.

What needs to be said (politely and constructively): 1) you were worked overtime hours without overtime pay, which is not legal (do your research first!*), 2) it’s happened frequently (give specific dates and times), 3) if it keeps happening, you’ll file a complaint (decide whether you even need to include this).

Problem phrase to be changed: ____________________________________

Problem phrase to be changed: ____________________________________

Problem phrase to be changed: ____________________________________

Added: ______________________________________

*https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/overtime (Links to an external site.)

Type your revised edition: (3-4 sentences)