How To Be the Bearer of Bad News

Sometimes life can get difficult. Things can happen with your friends or family and sometimes that puts you in difficult situations. One of those situations is having to deliver bad news to someone. This is never easy, but it’s unavoidable. If you are put in a position to deliver bad news to someone you’re probably wondering how to go about navigating this difficult task. You want to be mindful of the person you’re breaking the news to while being clear, and you also want to minimize their reaction while you tell them. There are a few helpful things to keep in mind when you tell someone bad news.  

The first thing to consider is who your audience is. Do you know this person well? What is your relationship like with the person you’re telling the bad news to?  Can you predict how they will react? And if so, are you prepared for how they will react? If you don’t have an answer to most of these questions, the situation could get out of hand quickly. Timing is also important. Ask how the person is feeling that day, and take it into consideration as you break the news, but don’t stall or put off telling them. The timing will never be perfect and waiting longer to tell someone important information can lead to worse problems for both you and the recipient.

The next thing to focus on is to know your news. How bad is the news? How can you lead into the topic? How will this news affect a person’s life? Is it even your place to inform this person about this, or are you crossing a line? Knowing exactly what information you’re dealing with is vital.

Now that you’re ready to sit down and give the news there are a few ways to make it easier. The first thing to do is to stay positive. Positivity can go a long way, especially if someone is hearing disappointing or upsetting news. It gives some light to the situation and keeps things hopeful. Second, state things directly. This goes back to knowing your news before you tell it. If you don’t have all the facts or you’re trying to avoid telling them certain details the conversation can get confusing, which is definitely something you want to avoid. Be clear so the person is caught up to the situation without wasting time.

Honesty and empathy is key to this process. Put yourself in their shoes and try to understand what this difficult news is putting them through. Telling someone that you know how they feel will make them feel less alone as they process. It’s always a good idea to offer a solution or a silver lining to the situation so the outlook will be better. You don’t want to leave someone with no steps to move forward. After you’re done talking take some time to listen to their response and answer questions they might have. Be there for them.

Giving bad news, no matter how bad, is still a difficult thing to deal with. If you keep some of these suggestions in mind the next time you have to deliver some it could make the process easier for both you and your audience.