Techniques for Delivering Bad News
Delivering bad news can be the worst part of the job for any manager. That's not because the truth, on its face, is difficult to convey. It's the anxiety of the possibility of handling it poorly—and knowing that doing so can worsen the impact on your employees, their productivity, and your whole company. Finding the best way to cushion the blow on everything from layoffs to salary freezes to personal reprimands is something that troubles even the leaders of country's top companies. No one likes having the painful conversation—but meting out the bad with the good is a part of the job as a manager.
10 Tips for Delivering Bad News in the Work Place
i)Set the stage. When framing your delivery of the news, first try to get into their heads and think about what’s important to them. Think about how the news will impact the audience and also think about how it impacts you. Then relay that information. By revealing your personal feelings about the situation, you can build a rapport and practice empathy that can help to fend off the audience’s natural reactions which may be anger, resentment, cynicism, or any number of other feelings.
ii)Be direct. Avoid talking too much and clouding the issues. It’s important to succinctly explain the situation and the steps that must be taken. Don’t try to sugar coat the message because you’ll likely end up confusing your audience.
iii)Acknowledge the problem. When bad news has to be delivered despite the hard work and efforts of the team, it is imperative that you acknowledge and recognize their efforts and then carefully explain the decision along with the plan for turning things around.
iv)Know what you want the audience to feel, think or do after they hear your news. Then, as you’re framing your delivery, be sure to communicate the facts, the steps that are being taken, and what you need them to do.
v)Practice. As with just about anything, practice makes perfect. By rehearsing the conversation, you’ll become more comfortable and confident about what needs to be said. And, when you deliver the news with confidence, your audience is much more likely to not only respect you, but also be able to accept that the bad news is out there and you’re now doing everything you can to make things right.
vi)Stay on topic. When having to deliver bad news, it’s very easy to take an off-ramp and become side-tracked as a way to avoid the inevitable. By doing this, you’re only making the task harder for yourself and more confusing for your audience.
vii)Don’t let your audience steer the conversation. Bad news can make people emotional, particularly when it involves performance feedback or the need to terminate employment. Acknowledge the other person’s feelings, give them a minute (or 10) to collect themselves, and move forward with the conversation. Putting it off for another day doesn’t help anyone in the long run.
viii)Provide alternatives. When it’s necessary to provide critical feedback, it’s necessary to also provide alternative actions as well as a timeline for completion. While you may have some concrete ideas for actions that need to be taken, you’ll be better served by following the next two steps before firming up your plan.
ix)Ask for feedback. Ask your audience open-ended questions that are directly related to the issue at hand and do what you can to make the environment safe enough to allow the person or people to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas.
x)Listen. There are a few clichés that are apropos to this sort of situation. Namely, silence is golden. By not speaking and trying to fill in the gaps in the conversation, you are opening the door for the other person to provide feedback and to communicate what they really think. If you try to lead the conversation, you’ll likely just end up with your audience parroting the ideas you’ve just planted. In addition, make sure you’re actively listening to what they have to say rather than thinking about how great it will be when the conversation is finally over. By listening, you’ll be much better able to work with the person or team to move beyond the bad news and begin the work that needs to be done to rectify the situation.
ii)Be direct. Avoid talking too much and clouding the issues. It’s important to succinctly explain the situation and the steps that must be taken. Don’t try to sugar coat the message because you’ll likely end up confusing your audience.
iii)Acknowledge the problem. When bad news has to be delivered despite the hard work and efforts of the team, it is imperative that you acknowledge and recognize their efforts and then carefully explain the decision along with the plan for turning things around.
iv)Know what you want the audience to feel, think or do after they hear your news. Then, as you’re framing your delivery, be sure to communicate the facts, the steps that are being taken, and what you need them to do.
v)Practice. As with just about anything, practice makes perfect. By rehearsing the conversation, you’ll become more comfortable and confident about what needs to be said. And, when you deliver the news with confidence, your audience is much more likely to not only respect you, but also be able to accept that the bad news is out there and you’re now doing everything you can to make things right.
vi)Stay on topic. When having to deliver bad news, it’s very easy to take an off-ramp and become side-tracked as a way to avoid the inevitable. By doing this, you’re only making the task harder for yourself and more confusing for your audience.
vii)Don’t let your audience steer the conversation. Bad news can make people emotional, particularly when it involves performance feedback or the need to terminate employment. Acknowledge the other person’s feelings, give them a minute (or 10) to collect themselves, and move forward with the conversation. Putting it off for another day doesn’t help anyone in the long run.
viii)Provide alternatives. When it’s necessary to provide critical feedback, it’s necessary to also provide alternative actions as well as a timeline for completion. While you may have some concrete ideas for actions that need to be taken, you’ll be better served by following the next two steps before firming up your plan.
ix)Ask for feedback. Ask your audience open-ended questions that are directly related to the issue at hand and do what you can to make the environment safe enough to allow the person or people to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas.
x)Listen. There are a few clichés that are apropos to this sort of situation. Namely, silence is golden. By not speaking and trying to fill in the gaps in the conversation, you are opening the door for the other person to provide feedback and to communicate what they really think. If you try to lead the conversation, you’ll likely just end up with your audience parroting the ideas you’ve just planted. In addition, make sure you’re actively listening to what they have to say rather than thinking about how great it will be when the conversation is finally over. By listening, you’ll be much better able to work with the person or team to move beyond the bad news and begin the work that needs to be done to rectify the situation.
Personal View
The above article describes the technique that should be followed while delivering the bad news messages. Delivering bad news is the most difficult part in the business. So this news should be delivered sensitively. For delivering bad news follow the following pattern:
1.
Buffer
Buffer means giving a non-threatening introduction to the topic. It is used to reduce the pain of the receiver. Good
buffers avoid revealing the bad news immediately but they do not convey a false
impression. Buffering involve
a.
Best
news: Start with the part of the message that
represents the best news.
b. Compliment – praise the receiver's efforts but with honesty and sincerity.
b. Compliment – praise the receiver's efforts but with honesty and sincerity.
c.
Appreciation
– admire the receiver for his sincere efforts and avoid thanking the recover for something you are about to refuse.
d.
Agreement
– make a relevant statement with which both reader and receiver can agree.
e.
Facts
– provide objective information in order to introduces the bad news.
f.
Understanding
– show concern towards the reader.
2. Presenting the reasons
Next step to be followed in delivering the bad news is presenting the reasons for refusal of request.
a.
Being
cautious in explaining – While explaining the reasons for the refusal of request always remember not to use such words, which can cause legal problems.
b.
Citing
reader or other benefits if plausible – If possible then show how your decision is beneficial to receiver as well as others.
c.
Explaining
company policy – instead of hiding behind company policy, explain it and don't use it as an excuse for the refusal of request.
d.
Choosing positive words – avoid using negative words because such words can hurt the felling of the reader.
e.
Showing
that the matter was treated seriously and fairly – make the receiver believe that the decision taken is just and fair.
3. Cushioning the bad news
a.
Positioning the bad news strategically – instead of revealing the bad news straight away try sandwiching the news between other sentences.
b.
Using
the passive voice – passive-voice verbs enable you to depersonalize an action.
Whereas the active voice focuses attention on a person. Using passive voice is more beneficial.
c.
Accentuating
the positive – describe the receiver what he can
do instead of what he can’t do.
d.
Implying
the refusal - Be certain that you make the bad news clear, thus
preventing the need for further correspondence.
e.
Suggesting
a compromise or an alternative – suggest a compromise or an alternative, if available.
4. Closing pleasantly
After
explaining the bad news sensitively, give a pleasant and personalized closing to your message in order to promote goodwill of the business.
a.
Forward
look – anticipate future relations or business.
b.
Alternative
– suggest more alternatives if available.
c.
Good
wishes – offer good wishes and compliments.
d.
Freebies
– when customers complain, companies can send coupons, samples, or gifts to
restore confidence and to promote future business.
e. Resale or sales promotion – when the bad news is
not devastating or personal, try referring to resale information or promotion .Reference
10 Tips for Delivering Bad News in the Work Place. (n.d.). MBA-Online-Program.com | Directory of Online MBA Programs. Retrieved from http://www.mba-online-program.com/10-tips-for-delivering-bad-news-in-the-work-place
How to Deliver Bad News to Employees | Inc.com. (n.d.). Small Business Ideas and Resources for Entrepreneurs. Retrieved from http://www.inc.com/guides/201101/how-to-deliver-bad-news-to-employees.html
Business Communication: Process and Product by Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loeury
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