Into each life a little rain must fall—and sometimes you are the cloud. Whether you are a manager, team leader, or coworker, eventually you will find you need to be the one giving a colleague bad news—maybe a layoff or cancellation of a project. While you can never make it good, below are some ways to make it less bad.
Build your base. Hopefully, this is not your first interaction with your colleague. Ideally, you will have spent some time working with them, getting to know them, and building a professional relationship. Use what you have learned to predict the best way to present the information to them, and how they may react. Will they just want the facts, or would they prefer some personal discussion before moving to the problem at hand? What do you know of their schedule—can you wait until after a major deadline to raise the issue?
Decide what to share. How much detail do you need to share? What information do they already have? You probably need to explain the issue, timeline, and possible consequences, but may decide not to share specific names or all the details of the backstory. Remember that everything is relative: you have had time to process the information, and may know things could have been worse, but they have not. Make sure you don’t appear happy to share what they will consider bad news.
Find a good time. Pick a day and time, and make an appointment, but don’t make them wait too long. You may want to have another person present, as a calming presence or de-escalating influence. But don’t invite too many people; you don’t want your colleague to feel like you are ganging up on them.
Provide the facts. Be direct and clear, but not harsh. Do not talk around the issue or make them read between the lines. For example, saying “Four of the recent quality assurance reports have had calculation errors” is much better than saying “The quality assurance department has become careless.” Scientists like data, but you may need to connect emotionally before they are ready to hear that data. Have a clear goal for the end of the conversation. What is the problem that needs to be solved, and what are the parameters that affect possible solutions? Do you need them to help develop a solution, or are you presenting one they will need to implement?
Follow up. You have been thinking about the issue for a while, but it may be a surprise to them. Give them time to absorb, consider, and formulate questions. Set up a timeframe for next steps, and make sure it is clear who will initiate what. Document the conversation, including what everyone said and what was agreed. Share the summary with everyone to confirm they have the same understanding. If you are asking them to develop a solution, provide feedback before implementation.
Being the person who has to deliver bad news is never fun. But with some careful planning and forethought, you can ease the pain and make it a less unpleasant experience for everyone involved.
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