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Permalink Reply by Yasmeen(S.admin) on June 29, 2012 at 12:12pm

Preparing to give bad news.
Prepare for it, because when you have bad news to convey in a professional environment, there are ways to do it correctly, and ways to make a mess of it. There are different approaches to this and different techniques, depending on (among other things) the nature of the news, the circumstances in which it is delivered, the gravity of the news, and how the news will be used. The following set of steps will give you some guidelines about how you can create the appropriate result with the appropriate impact.

While reviewing these methods, you will see one that stands heads above the rest from a philosophical point of view, and it is presented last. The first methods you see are here because they are common techniques and you should know how to recognize them. Only the last one has the element of true character. That doesn’t mean, however, that you should ignore the first ones. They do have their place. Just be aware of when they are appropriate and when they are not.

Never, never, never give bad news first!


The Spin Technique

You might see this used in political venues and by corporations broadcasting to the public; no matter how bad things are, everything is presented in positive terms: "I’m pleased to report that at this pace he will finish with school and that he is currently in the upper 98% in his class of only 100 students!" The presentation may appear to be "off the cuff" but in reality it takes careful planning and well-timed delivery. (If you didn’t catch it, the quote above does not say he will graduate, and the upper 98% in a class of 100 means there are only two worse students. The word "only" is added for no reason other than to distract and confuse.)

1Know your subject well: You are going to make bad news sound like good news. To do so effectively, you must be knowledgeable of other facts and issues that are close to the situation. If, for example, you are presenting bad news about the deterioration of a forest due to extensive lumber harvesting, you must also know about other environmental impacts (e.g. fauna habitats). In this approach, you will be questioned about ancillary items. Be prepared.


2Use statistical references: Using numbers to back your presentation is a powerful tool. The truth is that, if carefully prepared, statistical references (this is different from real statistics that might weigh against you) can be used to back nearly any position. That doesn’t make the position right, but it does add power to your presentation. It’s a Sophist approach (Sophists focus on being able to argue either side with equal effectiveness – usually categorized as individuals without regard for "truth").

3Do not present points that do not support your position: Having said that, it is possible there are points you know will be raised. It may be desirable to diminish those points during your presentation. If that is appropriate, do not disparage or "brush off" the opposition, but rather indicate why those opposing points are either irrelevant or incorrect. Don’t spend a lot of time on this – the more time you take the more solidly the opposing positions will be anchored. Address them and move on. "To address animal protectionist concerns, we have thoroughly studied the impact on local fauna and conclusively proven it to be negligible. We will make our studies available to appropriately qualified reviewers." End of story – no questions.

4Give the appearance of being intellectual: You don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar to make your point, but it’s important that the audience believes you are well versed on this, and other related subjects. References to obscure but pertinent facts can have a powerful psychological impact. "As most of you know, the six-year-old gymnogyps mates in the early fall and our efforts are clearly sensitive to this important event."

5Be upbeat: There is a line, often crossed, between an upbeat presenter and a snake oil salesman. "Trouble with a capital ‘T’ and that rhymes with ‘P’ and that stands for pool!" Even if you are selling snake oil, you don’t want to come across that way, right now. Remember, this is a bad news presentation.

6Be ready for fallout: This technique is almost always transparent on an intellectual level. You are appealing to an immediate emotional reaction. After that reaction fades, the hope is that your sound bites will have enough exposure to carry. You will definitely get commentary on the "glossed over" areas. How you handle that is not within the scope of this document.

Compare and Minimize

You probably see this most frequently in reviews of activities gone wrong. "Things could have been much worse. Yes, there may have been mistakes made but we had a good plan and executed it perfectly. Remember how bad things were when the same thing happened two years ago? Well, this was much better in every measurable way." This type of presentation is often used to (try to) conceal fault. It rarely does that, but on a positive note it allows the presenter to admit mistakes and save face at the same time. On the downside, it will appear childish and petulant, if not performed well. "But mom! Nobody did good on the test and Johnny and Mary even got an F and the test next week is the important one!"

1Identify common references: You want to find other, similar events that had less favorable outcomes. You will use these as comparisons. Generally speaking, the more the better, but don’t use the entire list – keep some in reserve for backup. Definitely, the worse those other things are, the better the comparison. "The outcome of our efforts was phenomenal when you consider that three of the other teams failed to recover over 30 times as many."

2List every good thing that was done: You’re not going to ignore the bad news, but you want the focus to be on the effort rather than the result. "Despite the hazardous working conditions and the lack of proper funding and the obvious lack of local support those men and women persevered and overcame - they deserve our deepest thanks!"

3Focus on the future: Catastrophes are nothing more than opportunities to improve. When you start talking about the future, you must expand on recent efforts. Don’t point out the things that weren’t done, but rather stick to how this lesson showed how the good things that were done can be improved and can be done better and faster. "I'm going to work even harder to make sure the fallout from events like this are minimized, even further!"

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen(S.admin) on June 29, 2012 at 12:13pm

The Sandwich Method

Good News – Bad News – Good News

In business environments you will often find that the earlier "slick" presentations just don’t work. This is particularly true when ethics and accountability are held to high standards. This method gives you a way to present bad news in a way that both starts and ends on a positive note without "smoke and mirror" techniques. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to report that our new testing procedures have improved our failure detection by 97% over the past three months. We had one catastrophic failure which, regrettably, resulted in the loss of an expensive robotic arm, but on a more positive note, the arm was scheduled for replacement during the next fiscal year and this event allowed us to advance our retrofit which has further increased productivity."

1
Identify the good news: Before the negative event, what was going well? Find something that was on the up swing that is related to the bad news. It’s important to present this first. Do not ever present the bad news first. If you do that, the audience will often focus on that and you will lose their attention – they won’t even hear the good news. Give them something interesting so they’ll want to hear more.

2
Present the facts: After the initial good news, lead directly into the bad news. Don’t segue with "and now the bad news" or you’ll deflate the positive impact the previous good news brought. When you state the bad news try to be be somewhat monotonic in nature but don’t waiver and don’t be apologetic.

3
Outline the positive results: You’ve stated exactly what happened. Now, most importantly, what did you learn from it? Bad things do happen; accept it. But you can use those events to improve. This is most commonly called a post-mortem analysis. Done properly, such an analysis can lead to dramatic improvements. When you present your summary of the post-mortem, you will be telling the audience how this negative event poses a future benefit.

4
Avoid excuses: Yes, it happened. No, it wasn’t a good thing. No, you’re not trying to dodge responsibility. Your objective is to state the news and nothing but the news. You’re simply going to put it in such a way that the audience recognizes you as a person of integrity. When done properly it’s likely you’ll get a round of applause by using this method.

5
Avoid finger-pointing: Instead of a blame fixer, be a problem fixer. Don't try to assign the bad news to someone - not even to yourself. Quibbling over who did what to whom behind which barn isn't going to solve anything. We were having a good day, something bad happened, here's what we're doing about it.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen(S.admin) on June 29, 2012 at 12:15pm

YE HINT HAI EFFECTIVELY BAD NEWS K AUB AP KHUD LIKHAIN K SCANRIO MAIN KIA GHALTI HAI JO K ACCORDING NHN HAI GIVEN HINTS K

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen(S.admin) on June 29, 2012 at 12:18pm

10 Key Points For Delivering Bad News — Document Transcript

• 1. COMMUNICATING BAD NEWS 10 KEY POINTS 1 In business, there are 2 ways to deliver bad news: (1) intra-person (E.g. person-to- person, telephone) or (2) in writing (E.g. letter, memo, email). The strategies presented for communicating bad news can be equally applied to the intra-person or written method.
• 2 There are 4 specific goals in communicating bad news. The primary goals are (1) to ensure that the receiver accepts and comprehends the bad news; (2) to maintain a positive image of yourself and the organization you represent, as this reflects directly on your ethical behavior. The 2 secondary goals are to (3) be clear in your message, as the clearer the message, the lesser the chances of further correspondence or inquiries on behalf of the receiver; (4) to protect yourself and the organization by limiting the risks of triggering legal liabilities.
• 3 Whether communicating bad news intra person or in writing, special attention must be made to the choice of language. To avoid legal liabilities, limit the use of the following language: (1) abusive language in the form of name calling, defamation, libel or slander is legally actionable when false, harmful to the person’s good name and published. (2) Careless language such as words that do not communicate an exact intention, as well as damaging or misinterpreted statements. (3) Inaccurate language such as communicating extra information, making promises that cannot be upheld, admitting or accepting responsibility as a result of feeling guilty, ambiguous apologies that can be held legally liable.
• 4 Selecting the use of the active voice or the passive voice is critical in the delivery of the bad news. An active voice focuses on the person to whom the message is directed to; for instance, I think the Mandarin class you are taking Tuesday afternoons is a hobby; therefore, I cannot grant you the afternoon off. As for the passive voice, it is the most appropriate to convey bad news in business, especially when referring to techniques that enhance sensitivity. Unlike the active voice, it focuses on the action as shown in this example: since your Mandarin class on Tuesday afternoons is a hobby, no time off is allowed.
• 5 Traditionally used as a method to deliver constructive feedback, it is preferable to avoid referring to the sandwich method to communicate bad news in business. The pattern of presenting good news, followed by bad news, and good news in closing tends to detract the receiver’s attention towards the good news, omitting the bad news.
• 2.
• 6 Analyzing the context in which the bad news is to be delivered implies the application of the direct pattern or the indirect pattern. The Direct Pattern states the bad news first and is most effective in situations when firmness and directness are required or when the receiver may disregard the bad news. The Indirect Pattern begins with a buffer and the presentation of the reasons that lead to the delivery of the bad news, it is most efficient in communicating bad news in business situations when relationships want to be preserved.
• 7 To correctly follow the indirect pattern, one must adequately apply its checklist. (1) Open with a buffer by presenting the best news, a compliment, appreciation, facts, understanding or apology. (2) Follow by introducing the reasons to support the negative message through providing a careful explanation, explaining the company’s policy, using positive words or presenting appropriate evidence. (3) Make an effort to cushion the bad news: use the passive voice, imply a refusal, state compromises and propose an alternative. (4) Conclude in a pleasant manner implying a forward look, information about the previously proposed alternative, good wishes and goodwill.
• 8 There are several steps to consider when delivering bad news to customers. (1) Apologize if you or your organization is responsible. (2) Clearly pinpoint the problem and accept responsibility. (3) Explain what you are doing to remediate the situation and how you will ensure that it does not occur at a further time. (4) Promote goodwill (E.g. gifts, rewards, benefits, bonuses). (5) Imply that you appreciate the customer’s business and praise their understanding. (6) Confirm that you are eager to reestablish the relationship and maintain it in the long term.
• 9 To successfully deliver bad news personally in an organization, one must respect the following guideline: (1) gather information prior to confronting another employee. (2) Focus on practicing what you want to say. (3) Precise the origin, current status of the problem and your plan to resolve it. (4) Bring a witness, to increase credibility. (5) Choose the appropriate time to deliver the bad news - avoid stressful periods or Friday afternoons. (6) Remember to give the receiver time to process the bad news.
• 10 To counter the challenges of communicating bad news in a multicultural environment, one must (1) understand that the “Western” way to deliver bad news is not the “Universal” way. (2) Broaden their knowledge to the new cultures of the workplace. (3) When possible, research foreign business communicating strategies prior to engaging in communicating the bad news. (4) Evaluate the context in which the bad news is being delivered. (5) Always refer to the indirect pattern as it lessens the impact of the bad news and may diminish a cultural misinterpretation.

Permalink Reply by malika<silent tears> on June 29, 2012 at 3:16pm

thnx dear