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Categories: PMO Leadership
| News (noun) / newly received or noteworthy information, esp. about recent or important events. |
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Top 10 Tips for Delivering Bad News Bad news is bad enough. Don't make it worse by deliverying it badly! Tip #1: Don't sandwich. Don't put the bad news between good news. The good-bad-good combination usually confuses people or worse, makes them think that you are playing games with the truth. Also, victims of the sandwich approach may walk away remembering only the good news and forget the bad and you will likely have to deliver the bad news again. If the news is especially bad, limit the meeting to the bad news. You can always cover good stuff later. Tip #2: Don’t dance. Don't dance, spin, or beat around the bush; just get it over with. If the person is about to get very disappointed, there will be no benefit from a discussion about what was on TV last night. If your recipients know something is coming, they will be annoyed with you for stretching things out with fake conversation. Aimless chatter may also make you appear unsure of yourself and potentially result in you losing control of the communication. Tip #3: Don't rush. Allow time for discussion, questions, and in some cases venting. The recipients may need you to clarify what the bad news really means to them in terms of its current and future impact. If you don't allow time for this with every person involved and at the table, you will likely have to have this meeting and discussion again. Tip #4: Don't group. Separate the bad news from the person. Just because the news is bad, that does not mean that the person is bad. Make sure to stay focused on actions and behaviors, and not make personal attacks. The person may be a bad fit for the project but can still be valuable to another project or team. Judge the behaviors of the person or people involved, but don't group the behavior with the person. Tip #5: Don't demean. Always use tact when delivering bad news. Be direct, but don't be an ass. For example, in the popular TV show "The Apprentice" Donald Trump creates suspense and entertainment with his weekly end of the show proclamation "You're Fired!" However, Trump is quick to admit that in real life he would never say such a thing or behave in such a way. Rather he would be more likely to say "Hey, this isn't working and I want to make a change." There is no need to demean. As Trump says, that's bad business. Tip #6: Don't defend. Don't defend bad news. It is what it is. So say it truthfully, sit back, and be quiet. There is no need to go on and on and on. Too many words makes you look and sound unsure of yourself and this may lead others to think that you are not in control of the situation and that there might be even more bad news that you are not telling them. Tip #7: Don't leak. Don't make bad news worse by leaking information to people who really don't need to know. Sure, it may make you feel better to commiserate difficulties to a trusted colleague, but is feeling supported worth the news spreading to unwanted areas? In most cases, the answer is no. Tip #8: Don't prevaricate. No matter how bad the truth may seem to be, prevaricating from it only makes matters worse. Though sometimes it may be tempting to sugar-coat bad news, or to partial disclose bad news, or even to flat out misrepresent bad news, in all cases such actions are very short-lived. Honesty is always the best policy. Tip #9: Don't dismiss. Bad news, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Just because you do not think that the bad news is really all that bad, that doesn't mean that others think the same way. Take care and measure to see bad news through the eyes of the person that you are delivering it to. Don't dismiss their point of view or worse don't be oblivious to it. Tip #10: Don't argue. Arguments are rarely a good thing. Why? Usually, they are or quickly become forceful attempts to change another person’s point of view, and thus result in a "winner" and a"loser" situation and experience. Arguments always cause some damage, even if you "win." The next time you find yourself involved in a conflict of opinion, keep the discussion a discussion. |
Posted on: October 29, 2011 01:13 PM |
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