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How To Deliver Bad News |Leila's House of Corrections

Whether it's layoffs, salary reductions, or the loss of a large client, delivering bad news is difficult for everyone. Ease the blow by preparing ahead of time, getting to the meat of the message quickly, and even practicing with a trusted colleague. But remember that after your announcement, it's not over—check in with each team member to see how you can help them deal with the news.

If you have questions or suggestions for future video topics, Leila wants to hear from you.

Speaker: Leila Bulling-Towne, Executive Coach, The Bulling-Towne Group

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Tags: Video, News, Corporate Communications, Team Management, Workforce Management, Marketing, Human Resources, Leila's House of Corrections, recession, economy, management, support, team

 

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How To Deliver Bad News |Leila's House of Corrections

Whether it's layoffs, salary reductions, or the loss of a large client, delivering bad news is difficult for everyone. Ease the blow by preparing ahead of time, getting to the meat of the message quickly, and even practicing with a trusted colleague. But remember that after your announcement, it's not over—check in with each team member to see how you can help them deal with the news.

If you have questions or suggestions for future video topics, Leila wants to hear from you.

Bad news, whether it s layoffs, salary reductions, or loss of a large client is rarely painless to give or receive. There are numerous ways to handle it poorly, and most of us are guilty of one or more missteps . . . Come on managers, it s time to learn to deliver bad news.

Regardless of the business climate, conveying bad news is a manager s responsibility.

While you cannot control the reactions of individuals to the messages you give, you are in charge of your own emotional responses. When delivering bad news, here s what to do.

#1: Prepare.

Winging it is not the way to go when delivering critical information. Preparation is essential. Gather data. What are you saying and why? How will it affect the individual, team, and company? Organize your thoughts so you can be ready for questions.

#2: Think of the outcome.

What do you want people to do or say after you convey the message? What do you want them to think? Look ahead.  Think about the impact of what you re saying now on the end result. This will prepare you for the inevitable question from those affected of  Well, what am I suppose to do now? 

#3: Don t beat around the bush.

Get to the meat of the message fast. Yes, you need to provide details, but you don t want to preface bad news with a long introduction or an expanded explanation of why this is happening. Save the details for after you state what the  big  news is. Beating around the bush only serves to increase the anxiety.

#4: Practice.

If you re anxious about delivering bad news, it will show up in subtle ways, such as in your body language. Consider practicing your message in front of a trusted colleague, who can point out nervous tics, like averting your eyes or wringing your hands. In the absence of that colleague, you could use a mirror or even a video camera.

Once the message has been stated, it s not over. You may need to personalize the information. Remember that your team members are individuals, and they will react to the news individually, and some of them will have questions and concerns. Reflect upon the employee s fears and ask questions about how you can help.