Managers have to deliver bad news at some point. Learning to deliver the bad news with grace takes practice.
Delivering bad news to staff is never easy. Here are some tips to help guide your delivery.
Be honest – if you sugar coat the news, it will be transparent so it is important to respect that the adults you lead will appreciate the straight and honest truth.
Check your information – make sure that your information is accurate and that you have the facts and figures to back up any claim. Realise that without the solid proof, acceptance will be tough. Provide the data in charts or graphs and give staff copies or access to this information on the internal web site.
Anticipate questions – think of what questions you’d have if this news was being delivered to you or your loved ones. Prepare your answers to these questions so that you will not be caught off guard. You may want to create an FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions page on the company’s internal web site to help give answers to common questions.
Show empathy – take a walk in your staff’s shoes. Show them you care and that their feelings matter. Give them the support they need i.e. counsellors, time off etc.
Face time – bad news needs to be delivered face to face. Do not send a memo or email with bad news. The bigger the impact this news will have, the more important it is to be face to face with your audience.
Clear message – make sure your message is clear. Ambiguity can cause confusion and misunderstandings. Speak with your communications department as they may be able to help you craft the message to the company communication style and to ensure the message is inline with corporate values.
If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion
If you liked this blog entry, try:
Change Management and Innovation
Copyright © 2007 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright.
