All of us have encountered bad news at least once in our lives. Whether receiving a rejection letter from a college or having to inform someone that they have lost their job, we can all admit that we dislike the process. Regardless, bad news has to be dealt with carefully. If we are the ones delivering the news, here are a few tips to get it done:
1. No Sandwiches: Avoid putting the bad news between good news.
2. No Dancing: Just get it over with.
3. No Demeaning: Use some tact. Be direct, but don't be a jerk.
4. No Grouping: Separate the person from the problem.
5. No Rushing: Allow some time for discussion.
6. No Defending: Say it and be quiet.
7. No Sharing: Avoid telling people the whats and whys.
None of us like to be the Bearer of Bad News but how we deliver it really does make a huge difference. Although we cannot change the fact that it’s bad news, we can at least deliver the news the right way and make it less painful to the recipient.
Here is a great Video (funny too!):
Works Cited:
Kearns, Kevin. "Top 7 Business". 4/9/2009
Great tips.. I never really thought about preparing and practicing before delivering bad news. Many times, I have just winged it without thinking much about it. Now that I reflect upon those instances, their outcomes where not the most desirable and some conflict arose at times. After reading your post, next time that I have to give some bad news, I think that I would atleast prepare myself more and practice before delivering the news. thanks for your post =)
ReplyDeleteYour post combined with the visuals made a very interesting post! I am moving in with my boyfriend (which to my dad and best friend was considered bad news) and I completely went about it in the wrong way. With my dad I tried to beat around the bush and of course he knew something was up. Next time I'll have to remember to be direct.
ReplyDeleteThese were all great tips and points!
ReplyDeleteI love the title! Grabs the attention of the reader! I agree it is better to not "beat around the bush" and to just deliver the information.
Also, the graphics were great, I would suggest having a graphic without the watermark infront from the site that you took it off!
This is a great post. I think that these are tips that everyone should read. It is very hard to be the one to tell a person that they are fired or something that could be even worse. Alot of time people like telling the person getting the bad news, good news to ease them into the bad news. Any way you look at it, bad news is nad news. I really enjoyed this post!
ReplyDeleteGreat Job! I think you hit on all the major concepts. It seems that people need to be more forecoming when delivering bad news instead of prolonging it or avoiding being the bearer of the bad news.. just get it over with and tell the truth.. great tip!
ReplyDeleteNice post and very catchy title. I like how you gave an example of receiving bad news like a college rejection letter. My daughter just got one of those the other day from a university she was hoping to get into. I liked your 7 Nos.
ReplyDelete