COMMUNICATING

BAD NEWS

P RE SENTE D B Y:
T EAM -GR EEN
 INTRODUCTION
• C ommunic ating ba d ne ws is o n e o f th e
mo st c ritic al roles you play as a ma n ag e r.
• De li veri ng bad news is nev e r eas y, b u t
profe ssionals ne ed to de liver b ad n e ws in
ma ny diffe re nt situa tions, b o th in te rn a l
a nd e xterna l to th e orga niza tio n
 REASONS FOR DELIVERING
BAD NEWS

• Not receiving a promotion

• Not receiving a ra ise
• Increased work hours
• C hange in w ork location
• C hange in be nefi ts
• L oss of the job
• Poor pe rforma nce re view
• Dow nsizing
• L ayoffs
• C losing a n office or branc h
• De nia l of p rofessional developmen t or
tra ining request.
 G OALS F OR B AD NE W S
COM MU NIC ATIO NS

1 B E C L E A R A N D C O N C IS E

H E L P T H E R E C E IV E R U ND E R S TAN D AND
2
ACCEPT THE NEWS.

3 MA IN TA I N T R U S T A N D R E S P E C T

AV O I D L E G A L L I A B I L I T Y O R E R RO N E O US
4
A D MI S S I O N O F G U I LT O R C UL PA B IL IT Y.
 STRAREGIES

1 Research and prepare. 4 Give time for a response.

2 Be direct and honest. 5 Establish next steps.

3 Take responsibility.
 DIRECT APPROACH
A direct approach offers the bad news immediately in the
communication.

Intro Body Closing

Clear Reason for Positive
statement of the decision, statement to
the bad news provide maintain a
alternatives good
relationship
 DIRECT APPROACH EXAMPLES

"Mr. Sm it h, you ha ve bee n consis tent ly over a hal f hour late t o work for the last month. You are
now under proba ti on for t he next month. If thi s si t uati on persi st s, t he next st eps are s alary
reducti on and t he n te rm inat ion. If you have any questi ons or want to speak directl y to i nform m e of
exte nua ti ng circum stances, please feel free to connect."
 INDIRECT APPROACH

A Proactive barrier that helps cushion the stock of bad

BUFFER
news

Explain the causes of the bad news before disclosing it

REASON

BAD Reveal the bad news without emphasizing it provide an

NEWS alternative or compromise it possible

End with a personalized forward looking pleasant

CLOSING
statement,avoid refering to the bad news
 INDIRECT APPROACH EXAMPLES

"Thank you so much for your i nterest in t he Manager 2 pos it ion. We we re i mpressed wit h your
crede nt ia ls, and we re ple ase d to have met you duri ng t he intervi ew phase of the process. During that
pha se, we i nte rvi ewed t wel ve people, from t he overal l appl i cat ion pool of 295 for t his posi ti on, many
of whom had both appropri at e educat ion and mul ti ple years of experi ence i n sim il ar posit ions.
Unfort una te ly, we cannot offer you thi s posit i on at this t ime, because you have had fewer years of
e xperi ence compare d to ot he rs . However, we were i mpressed wit h your skil l s, and encourage you t o
appl y agai n for a ppropri at e openings whi ch wil l be advert is ed wit hin t he next t wo mont hs. T hank you
agai n for your interest in XYZ company. "
 SPEAKING IN LONG-WINDED
1
SENTENCES
Mistakes to be
avoided while 2 MAKING AN INAPPROPRIATE JOKE

communicating bad
news. 3 PROJECTING HIGH ENERGY

STARTING THE CONVERSATION AT THE

4
WRONG TIME OR WRONG PLACE

5 AVOID LEGAL LIABILITY

THANK YOU!