How Leaders Can Deliver Bad News

f N OLDEN day:. messenuers who lbrought bad tidings rirkcd heirru killed fbr their ettorts. Times and customs have changecl . but this rruch remains the samc: no one likes being the bearcr of bad ncws. Unfitrtunately, it is becoming more and nlore necessary these days.

Profits are falling. salaries and benefits are being cut. projects are bcin-e cancelled, peoplc are bcing laid off, plants are being shut down, and busi-

By Chris Witt

nesses are going under. When you're a leader. whcther or not you havc the title. what can you siiy'i What .shoultl you say / tse credible.

This rruch is clear: you cannot n(/r conrmuniciite. Retusing to talk about problems won't makc thcm go away. It won't win yctu pcoplc's trust and respcct. And it won't reassure thent or gain thcir willingness to take thc actions iind make the chan-ges that are necessary.

Onc way or another. the bad news u ill gr't out. Thc question is not u lrt'tht'r but /r,,rr' lo e ornmunie ute il. Fclllow these guidelines tcl make a po(en(iirllv puinful experiencc rnor.e pt'rsitive. both for you and fbr the peoplc you're addrcssing.

Your words are only as believable lr\ y()u llrc. Mukc sure y0ur nresslue is consistent with what your audicnce already knows about your values, actions and commitmcnts.

Choose the right time and place.

As a gcneral rule-there are exccptions, of course-you'll want to communicatc the bad news as soon as possible. People will f'cel betrayed if they think you have unnecessarily kept them in the dark. But as the book ol' Ecclesiarstcs says, there's a timc and a place fbr cverything. And the time and thc place for breaking bad news to people is whcre and when they fecl saf'est.

Tailor the message to the audience.

In some situations. you'll have to address just one audience-your employees. your department, your team, your clients. But in larger or-eanizations you may be faced with several audiences-the board of directors. cxecutive team, stockholdcrs, departrnent heads and managers, the rank and file. the public. the rnedia-and you'll have to create a message that is suited to each audience's particular concerns, roles and responsibilities. Give people an advance warning.

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Letting people know the gcneral purpose o1' the meeting braces them fbr bad ncws. In person or by email. simply let pcople know when and where the meeting is bein-r held and tell thcm you'll be discussing "recent developments" or "news from the main office." Don't go into details at that time. and don't provide false reassurances. It's okay to let people start worrying, as long as you don't keep them on the hook for long.

Be prepared.

Whenever the ncws is bad. the stitkcs are high. Would you approach any high-stakcs presentation without knowing what you're going to say and how you're goin-r to say it? This is not the time l'or ad-lib remarks or for shooting fiom the hip. This is the time for carefully chosen words and a confidcnt delivery.

Start with the facts.

Be truthful and never say anything that you can't substantiate. For all too obvious reasons, people todaY have grown distrustful of leaders in both politics and business. So it's even more imperative for you to lead with integrity. Tell people what they need to know as objectivelY, fairlY and completely as possible. Do not sugarcoat or downplay the bad news. Pattern yourself after Sergeant Joe Friday: "Just the facts, ma'am." Then tell people what those facts mean. Be empathetic.

Acknowledge people's feelings in a compassionate way without turning the event into a therapy session or a sob fest. Avoid telling PeoPle You know exactly how they feel, or going into too much detail. You might want to say something like, "I know how difficult and painful these changes will be." If appropriate, share your own feelings. Whatever you saY, Your underlying message needs to be both credible and caring. And then put your organization's actions behind it. Provide hope.

Don't make promises You won't be able to keep or give assurances about the future that may not hold true. But give people reason to believe that their work has meaning, their contributions have value, and their prospects have potential. Leaders see possibilities when others see only failure, and people need hope now more than ever' Encourage action.

You have people's attention. (Bad news has a way of making PeoPle sit up and take notice.) You've told them what is happening and explained why.

You've given them hoPe. Now set them to work. Tell people exactly what you want them to do, and show them how they will benefit from doing it. Reinforce values.

Show people how everYthing Your organization is doing to address the situation or to respond to the crisis is in alignment with its values. How your organization acts and how you personally act under pressure tells people more about what you really value than anything else you say. Use this time as a teaching moment.

Repeat. Repeat. RePeat.

Don't be like the Proverbial husband who told his wife that he loved her on the day theY got married and hasn't told her again because he said it once and, darn it, she should know. At best, people hear onlY Part of anY speech, rarely the whole of it. This is especially true when they are steeling themselves for what they fear is coming. So you have to say it again and again and again. Once you've spoken face to face to everYone involved, schedule fbllow-up meetings. Make yourself available to talk in a variety of settings.

No one wants to be the bearer of bad news, but true leaders do it without flinching because they know it needs to be done. TheY know it is in the best interests of those they serve.

- An executive speech coach with over 25 years of professional speaking experience, Chris Witt is author o/ Real Leaders Don't Do PowerPoint and founder oJ Witt Communications, LLC. Reach him at (619) 295-841 I or via www.wittcom.com.

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