This document discusses best practices for communicating bad news messages. It notes that the goals of bad news messages are acceptance, legal protection, message clarity, and maintaining a positive image. It describes two approaches for delivering bad news - direct and indirect. The direct approach states the bad news upfront while the indirect approach breaks it gradually. The appropriate approach depends on factors like whether the news is personally upsetting, may provoke hostility, or is unexpected. Specific tips are provided for different types of bad news messages and techniques like de-emphasizing the bad news, avoiding apologies, and not hiding behind policies.

2. What is Bad News?

3. Bad News:
Someone or something regarded as undesirable.
One that is unpleasant or undesirable: A trouble
maker within a group is always bad news.
“any news that adversely and seriously affects an
individual’s view of his or her future” (Buckman
1984).

5. Goals in Communicating Bad
News Messages:
Acceptance
Legal
Protection
Message
clarity
Positive
image

6. Acceptance:
– Explaining clearly and completely.
– Your message should be so clear that the receiver understands .
– The receiver should not have to call or write to clarify the message.
– No ambiguity involves in your message.

7. Positive Image:
– Placed bad news in buried position
– Avoid unnecessary use of negative words.
– State the bad news at once : avoid the looping it again and again.
– Emphasize any positive impact.

8. Message clarity:
– Negative news is better accepted if it is delivered sensitively.
– Use language that respects the receiver and attempts to reduce bad feelings.
– Avoid creating legal liability or responsibility for you or your organization.

9. Legal Protection:
– Limit the risk of legal liability to yourself and the organization.
– Avoid creating legal problems Show that the situation.
– Decision was fair, impartial, and rational.
– Receivers are far more likely to accept negative news if they feel they were
treated fairly.

10. Use of Voice:
– Two types:
Focuses on the person to whom
the message is intended to.Active
Passive-voice verbs enable you
to depersonalize an action.Passive

11. Approaches:

12. Direct Approach:
– States the bad news first.
– Firmness and directness are required.
– Effective in situations:
I. Bad news is not damaging.
II. Receiver don’t care.
III. Receiver prefer directness
IV. Firmness is necessary.

13. Bad news is not damaging
– The bad news is insignificant.
– Doesn’t personally affect the receiver.

14. Receiver don’t care:
– Changes in service, new policy requirements, legal announcements.
– These critical messages may require boldness to ensure attention.

15. Receiver prefer directness
– Some companies and individual announcements even bad news to be
straightforward and presented without frills.

16. Firmness is necessary.
– Messages that must demonstrate determination and strength should not use
delaying techniques.

17. Indirect Approach
– Basically its used to inform the bad news to the customers.
– Negative news is generally easier to accept when broken gradually.
– Here are instances in which the indirect strategy works well:
i. When the bad news is personally upsetting.
ii. When the bad news will provoke a hostile reaction.
iii. When the bad news threatens the customer relationship.
iv. When the bad news is unexpected.

18. Bad news is personally upsetting:
– If the negative news involves the receiver personally, such as a layoff notice.
– Telling an employee that he or she no longer has a job is probably best done in
person and by starting indirectly and giving reasons first.
– When a company has made a mistake that inconveniences or disadvantages a
customer, the indirect strategy makes sense.

19. bad news will provoke a hostile
reaction:
– When your message will irritate or infuriate the recipient, the indirect method
may be best.
– It begins with a buffer and reasons, thus encouraging the reader to finish
reading or hearing the message.
– A blunt announcement may make the receiver stop reading.

20. Bad news threatens the
relationship:
– If the negative message may damage a customer relationship, the indirect
strategy may help salvage the customer bond.
– Beginning slowly and presenting reasons that explain what happened can be
more helpful.
– After that directly announcing bad news or failing to adequately explain the
reasons.

21. bad news is unexpected:
– Readers who are totally surprised by bad news tend to have a more negative
reaction than those who expected it.
– If a company suddenly closes an office or a plant and employees had no inkling
of the closure.
– That bad news would be better received if it were revealed cautiously with
reasons first.

22. Methods of indirect approach:

23. Types of bad news message:
Negative answer
to routine
request
Negative
organizational
news
Negative
employment
news

24. Negative answer to routine
request:
– Refusing Routine Requests When unable to meet a request.
– The direct approach works best for most routine negative responses.
– Consider the following points:
a) Manage time carefully; focus on the most important relationships and requests.
b) If the matter is closed, say so.
c) Offer alternative ideas if possible, particularly if the relationship is important.
d) Don’t imply that other assistance or information might be available if it isn’t.

25. Negative organizational news:
– Managers must share negative information with the public at large.
– Most of these situations have unique challenges that must be addressed on a
case-by-case basis.
– One key difference among all these messages is whether there is a plan for the
announcement.

26. Negative employment messages
– Most managers must convey bad news about, or to, individual employees from
time to time.
– Recipients have an emotional stake in these messages.
– Therefore, this message must tactfully avoid hurting the reader’s feelings.
– So taking the indirect approach is usually advised.

27. State the Message
– Bad news messages must be written carefully so as not to cause the reader to
break off relations completely.
– Follow these general guidelines for bad news messages:
I. Consider your audience.
II. Convey bad news effectively.

28. Communicating the bad news:
– 5 components:
opening
message
supportalternative
close

29. Three techniques for saying no
clearly:
A. De-emphasize the bad news:
B. Avoid apologizing:
C. Avoid hiding behind company policy to cushion bad news:

30. Differ between good and bad
news messages:
– Receive favorable response
– Use direct approach
– Good occasions
– Less stress on emotions
– Brings happiness
– Receive unfavorable favorable
response
– Use indirect approach mostly
– Bad occasions
– No care of emotions
– Brings sadness mostly