Clark B. Montgomery M.Ed. Extension Cohort Project Writing Research April 6, 1999

"Good Ways To Deliver Bad News" Sittenfeld, C. (1999, April). Fast Company, 23, p. 58-60

Summary

Conveying bad news to a family member, friend, associate or subordinate is never a pleasant task. When confronted, most of us either avoid the assignment or are largely ineffective with our efforts. In response, Dr. Robert Buckman, a cancer specialist from Toronto, has developed an approach to dealing with this distasteful chore. So effective is Dr. Buckman's message that he currently lectures doctors, students and businesspeople on "bad news" communication.

The importance of being an effective bad news communicator is founded on Dr. Buckman's premise that, "leaders who want people to take them at their word in good times had better choose their words wisely during bad times." According to his approach, good communication requires clarity, listening skills, exploration of perceptions, and the legitimizing of emotions for others while refraining from becoming emotionally involved yourself.

The importance of clarity in communication is obvious. Effective conveyance of information hinges on the clarity of the communication. Too often, bad news messages are clouded with ambiguity, hesitation or embarrassment in an attempt to "soften the blow" or avoid confrontation. Clarity doesn't have to be synonymous with rudeness. Delivering bad new begins with listening, not talking. Letting people first express their feelings and then acknowledging those feelings builds trust that can make further communication very effective. Regarding perception, by taking measures to understand the viewpoints held by both sides of a bad news issue helps to insure there is accurate communication, ie. no mismatch between perception and reality. Lastly, understand that bad news always involves strong emotions and that it's important to acknowledge the distress those emotions create. However, good communicators don't let the emotional distress of others interfere with the task at hand. In the author's words, "If you've got to fire someone, you can't not fire them because they're crying."

Reflection

Dr. Buckman's approach to delivering bad news appears reasonable and makes sense. Far from being a revolutionary intellectual discovery, many individuals would likely reach the same conclusions if only time and effort were spent dealing with the issue. What makes Dr. Buckman's concept noteworthy is that he has taken the time to address this issue. While a good share of the population would just as leave ignore, avoid or quickly convey bad news, Buckman recognizes that good leadership requires, not only addressing confrontational situations, but doing so in a constructive manner.

Not a native Minnesotan, I have been both amused and chagrined at the hesitancy of a seeming majority of the state's population to deal with confrontation on any level - commonly referred to as "Minnesota Niceness". Perhaps attending Dr. Buckman's lecture should be a component of the state's Drivers License Exam.

Discussion

In my discussion with others, no one agreed with the drivers license proposition.

-- Anonymous, April 08, 1999

Answers

Thanks for your comments. You did a nice job summarizing the article and providing your thoughts about it.

Remember to apply what you have read in each article to your work with Extension. Also, go into more detail on your discussion about the article with others.

Have you been commenting on any of the articles your peers are writing about?

-- Anonymous, May 20, 1999