I’m often asked how to give bad news by managers who must tackle the painful task of telling someone they are about to lose their job. When it came up again recently, it reminded me to re-post this free resource.

This was originally written for the workplace, but change the language a little and the rules are good for any situation where you are  worried that your message will be poorly received. (but I don’t mean “Dear John, I’m sorry to have to say that you are redundant”).

If you have to give bad news in a different situation from the one described in this download, use your imagination and follow the basic steps to inform your approach

Most people aren’t trained in how to give bad news, and nobody likes it. Sometimes we unintentionally ‘hide’ behind complicated language, or a position of authority, or we distance ourselves by appearing cold or detached. When we do any of these we simply add insult to injury.

This download gives pointers to help make a difficult job more acceptable, to people on both sides of the conversation.