It’s all in the delivery

Kelli Rodda

Business owners can’t avoid delivering bad news. Well, they may try to avoid it at all costs, but that only makes the situation worse.

If you’re getting an ulcer wondering how to break bad news to a vendor or employee, Geoffrey Tumlin, author of Stop Talking, Start Communicating: Counterintuitive Secrets to Success in Business and in Life, says there are some strategies to help you deal with these conversations more promptly and successfully.

“Delivering bad news is an essential skill, even if it won’t win you any popularity contests,” he says. “Dealing with issues promptly and decisively can save you time, energy, and money; not to mention all the mental anguish you feel while putting off a difficult conversation.”

Here are Tumlin’s four tips to consider when you need to deliver a message the other person won’t want to hear.

Get to the core of the matter. “Your core message is obvious when you’re giving bad news: It’s the thing you don’t want to say,” he says. “Your core message might be, ‘We’re switching vendors,’ or, ‘We have to let you go.’ The message you’ve been avoiding is the message you need to deliver.”

Stick to your guns. “Remember, when giving bad news, you’re not negotiating, fact finding, or gathering input,” he says. “Resist the temptation to get pushed, cajoled, or charmed off your message. Keep your end goal in mind and deliver your less-than-pleasant message here and now.”

Explain yourself (but not too much). It’s important to make sure that the other party understands your bad news message and doesn’t walk away with the wrong impression, he says. For instance: “We have to let you go because we’re bringing on someone with a different skill set.” “We’re switching vendors because we need different service schedules.”

“Strive to state your core message and explanation—the reason behind the message—in one sentence,” he adds. “You can repeat variants of your message and explanation if you want to say more, but don’t add new information or you may encourage a drift away from your core message.”

Get out. (Of the conversation, that is.) If you’ve communicated your core message, and the other person understands, it’s probably acceptable to start thinking about an exit, he says. Naturally, you should address any obvious questions (like “Do we keep making deliveries this week?” “When’s my last day?”), but be wary of answering too many speculative or probing questions.

“When you overstay a difficult conversation, you might end up giving up ground you hadn’t intended to, talking about topics that are better left unaddressed, or escalating the conversation to the point of hostility. It’s a simple formula: Be clear, be concise, and be gone.”

For more about Tumlin and his book, go to www.tumlin.com.