Free Paper Sample: Delivery of Bad News

I am writing regarding the recent request by your company for me to formulate a strategy which will enable your company to deliver bad news to your employees. Delivery of bad news can have some serious implications on an individual, and before deducing a strategy to deliver bad news, it is paramount to deeply analyze what happens to people when they receive bad news (Kletz and Amyotte, 2019). In that manner, each individual can be approached in a unique manner, which can reduce the impact of the bad news. Some individuals can pass out after receiving bad news or develop complications that can lead to tragic eventualities such as death. As an expert in communication, I recommend that when delivering bad news, it is important first to prepare yourself as a messenger. If the top management delivers the bad news as is in most cases, preparation should be conducted to ensure emotions are compartmentalized. The messenger is prepared with the necessary skills to deliver the bad news meticulously. As highlighted earlier, people react to bad news in different ways, and it is important to give prior communication.

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Giving prior communication on the advent of bad news prepares the recipients psychologically and emotionally. It can also promote transparency in the workplace and foster a good working environment for employees. The bad news will never come as a surprise if this strategy is followed when delivering the news. Biazar (2019) reiterates the importance of consultation with stakeholders to find the necessary support and confidence when delivering bad news (Biazar et al.,2019). The consultation enables further research into the issue in question and enables the addition of material left out during information gathering. A consensus in such issues is very important when using this approach because it will enable the information delivery process without hiatus due to miss information. Documentation is very important as it enables easier reference to the issue if it pops up and needs attention. Before delivering the news, the proper channels should be followed concerning the chain of authority. The mode of delivery should be dependent on the severity of the matter, and for serious matters, the communication should be done face to face. Leaders should on delivering sad news to ensure that they hit the head on the nail rather than beat around the bush. They should try as much as possible to convey the news with one robust explanation as to why it happened (Richter et al.,2016). At the same time, managers should ensure that they end the news on a positive note. He/she should leave the company workers knowing that all will be well soon, by either telling them a solution is in the oven cooking, and it will soon be found. The tendency to give forward-looking information at the end helps reduce the impact of negative information.

Another important trait an individual tasked with relaying bad news should have is that they should ensure it is delivered on time. It will help prevent the condition of the situation, moving from bad to worst or to a situation that is out a hand and can't be handled. Delaying will also result in people in the company, raising eyebrows and questioning why the administration decided to stall until the situation got out of hand.

Managers should before they pass the grieving news to ensure they adequately rehearse and practice since it’s not a simple task. From body language to facial expressions, to tone of delivery and word choice, all this should be on point. One achieves this in many different ways, either by having a mock audience, doing it in front of a mirror while observing your facial expressions. Using close family members or trusted allies is also another advisable way of training before delivering sad news. Through this, people will help judge if your body language is on point and as required.

An individual good in passing news information should be equally good in public relations (Glaser, 2016). That after the bad news has been relayed, the same individual will always inform the company, from the management to the subordinate staff, on the company's achievements from time to time as it helps give workers hope that the situation has improved or is improving from the time the bad news was let out. So, one should make sure they put to public the company's success from time to time, keeping in mind that identification and more so perception is reality.

Once an individual makes known the bad news, the company must immediately address performance issues surrounding the place and ensure they are corrected to build worker commitment and support from there. After that, the progress of the performance should be given to the board of governors so that they can keep an update on how the team is progressing after the bad news. Correcting performances helps in clearing the air in the company.

Finally, following the proposed strategy will ensure proper communication of bad news with due consideration of the recipients.

Sincerely,

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References

Biazar, G., Delpasand, K., Farzi, F., Sedighinejad, A., Mirmansouri, A., & Atrkarroushan, Z. (2019). Breaking Bad News: A Valid Concern among Clinicians. Iranian journal of psychiatry, 14(3), 198.

Glaser, J. E. (2016). Conversational Intelligence: How great leaders build trust and get extraordinary results. Routledge.

Kletz, T., & Amyotte, P. (2019). What went wrong?: case histories of process plant disasters and how they could have been avoided. Butterworth-Heinemann.

Richter, M., König, C. J., Koppermann, C., & Schilling, M. (2016). Displaying fairness while delivering bad news: Testing the effectiveness of organizational bad news training in the layoff context. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101(6), 779.