Negative Messages
« Previous EntriesHow to Orally Deliver Bad-News Messages
Monday, March 1st, 2010Download this PDF file
Unpleasant news is too important to “wing it.” Take time to deliver it in an honest, sensitive manner. Prepare ahead and put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
By delivering the message with tact and kindness, you maintain the relationship and leave a positive impression in the worst of times.
The Need for News–Even Bad News
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010Employees thrive when information flows freely and seize up or become distracted when uncertainty replaces understanding. In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of Psychological Science, people who are mildly neurotic (and let’s face it, who isn’t mildly neurotic?) are more stressed by uncertainty than by a clearly negative outcome.
So, how [...]
Five Key Things to Communicate in a Post-Layoff Employee Meeting
Thursday, February 4th, 2010It’s one of the most somber meetings in business. With more and more companies laying off unprecedented numbers of workers, many firms are choosing to hold a town hall meeting with the remaining employees the day after the big announcement. While such gatherings have all the levity of a funeral, they’re an increasingly important way [...]
Grey's Anatomy Shows How Not to Communicate in Times of Change
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010Most Thursdays, several women from my circle of friends get together to watch Grey’s Anatomy, the ABC dramedy about a team of surgeons at a fictional Seattle hospital. While I enjoy these weekly gatherings as a time to relax and think about life outside work, a recent episode (Oct. 1) illustrated exactly how NOT to [...]
Ten Things Not to Say When Firing an Employee
Monday, December 7th, 2009Job cutting is never easy, but it often becomes progressively harder as we go deeper into an organization.
At the beginning, employers may be able to lay off only weak employees they might have considered letting go anyway. While these weak performers are human beings worthy of dignity and respect, we can make ourselves feel [...]
Turning Bad Buzz around for Best Buy
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009Best Buy was in the news the other day for an oops. It offered a 52-inch HDTV that normally sells for $1,600 on its web site for $9.99. Eager web surfers gleefully pulled out their credit cards and placed orders.
As word of the deal spread, Best Buy realized the mistake, quickly pulled the offer from [...]
Electronic Media: Four Considerations for Bad-News Bearers
Friday, May 15th, 2009Communicating negative information to subordinates is one of the more discomforting managerial responsibilities. Yet managers frequently have to make tough decisions which sometimes result in unfavorable outcomes for subordinates.
Managers may be lured into using electronic media to distance themselves from the victim(s) of the bad news. A consequence of this choice may be more [...]
Ten Things to Leave Out of a Resignation Letter
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008You might think it’s fairly obvious that certain sentiments should never be included in a letter of resignation. But you might be surprised at what some people think is acceptable to include in this final communication between employer and employee.
View the original here.
Rejecting a Job Applicant
Friday, August 1st, 2008The phone rings, and you pick it up. The voice on the other end sounds distressed. She identifies herself as a job applicant that your company recently rejected. Could you please tell her why she didn’t get the job?
According to attorney Barbara Kate Repa, such questions are commonplace among rejected job applicants. Proceed with [...]
How to Deliver Bad News
Friday, August 1st, 2008Business communication expert Dana Bristol-Smith, featured in O the Oprah Magazine, comments on how to deliver bad news in this KFMB, Channel 8, San Diego news report.
View the original here.
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