December 15, 2022 | By David M. Wagner

You know the adage in journalism – “don’t bury the lede.” But when it comes to delivering bad news, that’s what many leaders do.

Unfortunate circumstances are inevitable. Leaders must face the challenge of communicating difficult changes to the people affected.

One flawed approach is to obscure or sugarcoat tough messages to make them easier to swallow. But this can have the opposite effect.

Here are two examples of what not to do.

One company facing financial difficulties had to cut an employee benefit. Company leaders communicated their decision at the end of a long email filled with other news updates.

A different organization with overhead constraints needed staff to work on client-billable projects or take time off. Management muddled the message with an email whose subject made staff think they were being given paid time off, rather than being instructed to use vacation days.

These anecdotes share some characteristics:

• Leadership faced a difficult decision that had a negative impact on stakeholders (staff, in both cases)

• Management communicated its decision to stakeholders by email

• The key information – the decision and its impact on stakeholders – was buried deep within the message

The consequences were also similar. Recipients felt leadership had, at best, not properly informed them of important changes or. At worst, they felt deceived. Trust deteriorated.

But done effectively, delivering bad news can build rather than erode trust. Here are some ways to communicate tough messages with compassion, empathy, and forthrightness.

• Use the delivery method that’s best for the recipients. Email lets the giver of bad news get their words exactly right and avoid witnessing immediate, negative reactions. But is it best for the recipients? Meeting with a team or individually may be more difficult and take more time, but if practical, connects message giver and receiver(s).

• Communicate bad news clearly and up-front. Don’t wait until the end of a meeting or email to get the point across. It truly is better to rip off the bandage. But also brace your audience so they’re prepared to hear bad news (“this won’t be easy to hear”).

• Acknowledge the impact of the situation. Difficult changes can have practical as well as emotional impacts. Giving voice to both (“I recognize this may constrain many of your vacation plans, which know is disappointing and upsetting to hear”) helps demonstrate that you care about how stakeholders (staff or otherwise) are affected, and that you weighed the impact in you decision.

• Explain why this is happening now. Describe how you tried to avoid this outcome. If you had to make a choice, own up to it and explain why you believe it was the right one.

• Give recipients a chance to digest and respond. At a minimum, this means not cramming the news into a meeting or message with other business. People are more likely to accept tough situations if they feel like their questions and concerns were heard.

With some thoughtful planning, you can maintain or even increase stakeholder trust despite difficult delivering unpopular news.