Howe Writing Initiative Farmer School of Business Miami University

Delivering Bad News

Delivering bad news gracefully and clearly is an important skill for business professionals. How
you deliver bad news reflects on you as a communicator and on the business you may represent.
As with all business writing, audience awareness is of paramount importance when delivering
bad news. The following guidelines will help you to deliver bad news in ways that are clear, informative, and respectful of your audiences.
Treat your audience with dignity. Many of the guidelines for writing with you-attitude apply
to delivering negative messages (see the related handout at the HWI website). Remember that
you are writing to human beingsbusinesses that forget about empathy when communicating
bad news do so to their own detriment.
When writing, put yourself into your audiences shoeshow would you react to this sort of
news? Also, consider what information is relevant to them and be sure to provide it; leaving out
relevant information may mislead audiences or drag the bad news delivery process out, as they
may request additional information that you will then need to provide, consuming more of both
your and their time.
Deliver news clearly. Although at times you may need to buffer your message (see below),
readers need to easily find and understand the news. Readers need to know the message is important for them to read. Avoid burying the news late in the message, since that could cause them
to skip over it.
Cushion or buffer the bad news, while retaining clarity. Business audiences expect directness and candor, but most audiences do not like a sudden shock. Many business writers employ
buffering techniques to soften the blow of bad news, such as beginning with relevant background
information to prepare the reader for the news to come. Such buffers should not hide or obscure
the negative message, however.
Avoid putting your audience on the defensive. When describing something the audience has
(or may have) done to cause the problem you are addressing, use passive verbs and impersonal expressionsavoid using you to keep the reader from feeling singled out or to keep
from assigning blame. While business writing experts often urge writers to avoid passive
voice, in such cases it can be the most rhetorically effective choice.
You may want to use passive voice and impersonal expressions as a cushioning device when
delivering bad news to large groups or to individuals who you do not want to put on the defensive. However, as with other buffering techniques, bad news you deliver in this way
should not lose its clarity.
Avoid hiding behind euphemisms. Although writers may want to buffer or cushion bad
news, the use of euphemisms can mislead readers, or give the impression the author is trying
to avoid the issue (and so may not be reliable or trustworthy).

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Justify and/or explain. Audiences will want to know the details behind or rationale for bad
news. Share relevant facts and reasons that your audience will need to understand and come to
terms with the negative message. Being forthright can help maintain good will with readers,
whereas keeping them in the dark can cause distrust or confusion. In the case of a refusal, for example, a clear rationale may help your audience to accept the decision and to feel that they would
have made the same decision.
Avoid simply quoting company policy as a rationale for a refusal; rather, give the rationale behind the policy. Hiding behind policy gives audiences the impression they are dealing with an
uncaring bureaucracy and certainly does not generate good will.
Present positives. When possible, point out the good that can come from a situation; however,
be sure to avoid seeming disingenuous. A letter of dismissal that presents as a positive all the
extra free time the recipient will now have to spend with family will likely create more antagonism than good will.
Offer solutions or alternatives. Recipients of bad news will often want to know how a problem
might be solved. If the office parking lot will be closed for repairs to a water main, where should
employees park? If your company no longer carries a particular product, can you suggest an alternative? If an error or crisis has occurred that you have the authority for correcting, letting your
audience know what you are doing to correct the problem not only makes bad news less bleak,
but also can protect your credibility.
Keep your audience in the loop. While some communicationssuch as a refusal of a request
or declining a job applicantmay only require a single communication, others may need ongoing attention. If you have just revealed a reporting error to your boss or board, they will expect to
be kept updated about further developments resulting from the error and actions taken to correct
the problem.
Consider your multiple audiences. Written communications all have the potential of reaching
more than the audience addressed. Something you write to one client may reach others or news
sources.

Modified from:
Bies, R. (2012, May 5). The 10 commandments for delivering bad news. Forbes. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2012/05/30/10-commandments-fordelivering-bad-news/
Lange, M. (2006, March 16). Letting them down gently. Accountancy Age. Retrieved from
http://www.vnubme.com
Locker, K.O., & Kienzler, D.S. (2013). Business and administrative communication (10th ed). New York,
NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Nordquist, R. (n.d.). Bad-news message. About.com: Grammar & Composition. Retrieved from
http://grammar.about.com/od/ab/g/Bad-News-Message.htm