Bad-News
Messages
Chapter Ten
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2014 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Learning Objectives
LO10.1 Describe how delivering bad news impacts your
credibility.
LO10.2 Explain considerations for deciding which
channels to use when delivering bad news
messages.
LO10.3 Summarize principles for effectively delivering
bad-news messages.
10-2
Learning Objectives
LO10.4 Compose effective bad-news messages in
person and in writing for various audiences,
including colleagues, external partners, and
customers.
LO10.5 Deliver and receive negative performance
reviews constructively.
LO10.6 Review bad-news messages for
effectiveness and fairness.
10-3
Maintaining Credibility When
Delivering Bad News
 Honesty and
openness are keys
 Although people do
not like to get bad
news, they expect the
truth
10-4
Maintaining Credibility When
Delivering Bad News
Many assume that communicating bad news
to customers shakes relationships and breeds
mistrust
Delivering bad news the right way can
actually strengthen customer relationships
and lay the foundation for increased trust
when conditions improve
10-5
Guidelines for Bad News Messages
Deliver the Bad News in a Timely Manner
Choose the Right Mix of Channels
Sympathize with the bad-news recipients and soften the blow
Provide a simple, clear rationale
Explain immediate impacts
Focus on solutions and long-term benefits
Show goodwill
10-6
Understand How the Bad News
Will Affect Your Audience
Delivering bad news often creates stress,
anxiety, and other strong emotions
More than with other types of messages, you
may need to work hard to focus your
message on serving others
10-7
Choose the Right Mix of Channels
Bad news is best delivered in person
This allows rich communication, where you
can use verbal and nonverbal cues to show
your concern and sensitivity
10-8
Choose the Right Mix of Channels
 An advantage to
placing bad news in
writing is being able to
control the message
more carefully and
ensure that you state
the bad news precisely
and accurately
10-9
Advantages and Disadvantages of Bad
News in Verbal and Written Forms
10-10
Choose the Right Mix of Channels
 Severity
 how serious or
detrimental the bad
news is.
 Controllability
 the degree to which
the bad-news
message receiver can
alter the outcome
10-11
Choose the Right Mix of Channels
 Likelihood
 relates to the
probability of the bad
event occurring
10-12
Types of Bad News and Richness of
Communication Channels
10-13
Sympathize with the Bad-News
Recipient and Soften the Blow
In person, most people make a judgment
about your genuine concern for them based
on many factors, including your past
treatment of them and your nonverbal
behavior
You may use a one- or two-sentence buffer to
start the bad-news message, which softens
the blow
10-14
Sympathize with the Bad-News
Recipient and Soften the Blow
 Buffer
 a statement to
establish common
ground, show
appreciation, state
your sympathy, or
otherwise express
goodwill.
10-15
Buffers for Bad-News Messages
10-16
Sympathize with the Bad-News
Recipient and Soften the Blow
Teaser message
 Signal to recipients that an upcoming
conversation or other communication may
involve unpleasant news
 Prepares recipients emotionally yet does not
reveal specific information
 Often written
10-17
Getting the Tone, Style,
and Design Right
Aim for a tone of genuine concern in a
professional manner
Inject some positive direction to the message,
but don’t provide false hope
Use a writing style that is simple, accurate,
and jargon-free
Maintain a simple design
10-18
Less-Effective Delivery of
Bad News to a Client
10-19
Delivering Bad News in
Writing to Colleagues
Mum effect
 occurs when the chain of messages within an
organization is filtered at each level to leave out
or inaccurately state the bad news
The message that top executives often hear
ends up being unrealistically rosy
10-20
Delivering Bad News in
Writing to Colleagues
In all management positions, you will need to
give bad news to your boss, your peers, or
those you supervise from time to time
Your ability to deliver bad-news messages
constructively will foster a transparent and
open work culture.
10-21
Bad-News Message to Employees
10-22
Delivering Bad News in Writing
to External Partners
External partners can include suppliers,
consultants, or joint-venture partners
You are better off breaking bad news to them
in a rich communication channel—in person
or by phone
10-23
Less-Effective Bad-News
Message to a Supplier
10-24
More-Effective Bad-News
Message to a Supplier
10-25
Delivering Bad News in
Writing to Customers
Bad-news messages to customers contain the
same essential components as other badnews messages.
When writing this kind of bad-news message,
you want to emphasize the options
available—solutions the customer has control
over.
10-26
Delivering Negative Feedback
 Adopt a team-centered orientation
 Avoid sugarcoating the bad news
 Explain the impacts of the individual’s poor
performance on organizational performance
 Link to consequences
 Probe for reasons performance is not higher
 Emphasize problem solving rather than blaming
 Be firm
10-27
Giving Clear and
Targeted Feedback
10-28
Focusing on Actions and Results,
Not Attitudes and Intentions
10-29
Establishing Measurable
Expectations
10-30
Receiving Negative Feedback
You will have many opportunities to get
feedback about your performance and
potential
Seeking and receiving feedback, even when
it’s negative, will help you develop the skills
you need to make an impact in the workplace
and move into new positions.
10-31
Reframing Your Thoughts to Initiate
Feedback Conversations
10-32
Reviewing Bad-News Messages
When writing bad-news messages, always
reread them several times
Place yourself in the position of the recipients
so you can try to imagine how they may feel
and react
10-33
Reviewing Bad-News Messages
Consider asking trusted colleagues to review
your message and give feedback
They may be able to give you a neutral and
objective view of the situation.
10-34
Are Your Bad-News
Messages FAIR?
10-35