Communicating Bad News

Andy Jordan is President of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Roatan, Honduras-based management consulting firm with a comprehensive project management practice. Andy always appreciates feedback and discussion on the issues raised in his articles and can be reached at [email protected]. Andy's new book Risk Management for Project Driven Organizations is now available.

  Communications Management  

There are occasions when the real world imposes itself on the world of work—and project managers are forced to communicate bad (sometimes traumatic) information that will never be forgotten by anyone involved.

I’ve been part of a department and initiative that got rid of 90% of staff on one day. I also had to let a number of people know that our project was being shut down, that their job was being made redundant, or that they weren’t the successful candidate for a job.

These kinds of issues are likely to be something that an individual has to communicate. I’m not suggesting that project managers are a replacement for HR, professional support functions, and similar individuals. Those functions are critical and must be utilized wherever appropriate. However, there will be occasions where project managers have to convey unwelcome news, whether supported by those functions or independently. The ability to do so effectively and compassionately is essential.

Now, I don’t know about you, but no one ever taught me how to do that. It wasn’t covered in any leadership or communications training I received, and I have never felt properly prepared. I don’t want those conversations to be easy—they should require focus, attention and an exceptional amount of care.

But I want to be able to conduct those conversations with as much …

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