Delivering Bad News Tactfully and Effectively

In any sort of confrontational situation it is always best to play neutral, or towards the empathetic side.  Trying to dominate the situation only escalates the confrontation; this is called being competitive, or competing for dominance.  “A competitive strategy often results in conflicts that are more angry and stressful than they need to be” (Cahn, 82).  When you are trying to dominate a situation, the person you are confronting will rise to match your energy.  The calmer you handle a situation the calmer the response you will receive.

Conflicts should never be avoided, they happen all the time, and if avoided the situation is only likely to get worse before it gets better.  It is up to us to determine how each conflict pans out.  Not every conflict has to be an ugly argument.  When delivering bad news or corrective criticism to someone especially an employee they will typically feel like a target and may put up a defensive position.  You don’t want to make anything you say sound like an insult or degradation to that individual.  You want to help that person as much as possible and still get the outcome that is best for you and your company.

In the case of the employee with a short fuse getting the ultimatum to shape up or they’ll be fired, you have to be empathetic but stern.  They have to know the seriousness of the situation but know that you are with them, not against them.  In this situation where the employee has been in the wrong, you can’t compromise much.   By compromising some things, in the end, you are not getting the results your company needs and the employee may feel inclined to fall back on their old habits.  Collaboration needs to be made.

“Collaboration means using integrative behaviors and developing mutually satisfying agreements to solve the problem once and for all…collaboration incorporates cooperative, integrative, and assertive behavior.” (Cahn, 82-83).  By coming across that someone else’s concerns are just as important as your own you are opening a doorway for positive reception.  Remaining calm, and working with rather than against an individual is a sure way to get improvement as long as that is what the employee wants too.  If they employee is not serious about their job or position they may not change at all, or put little effort into it.  At that point there is nothing further you can do but let that employee go.  If you have a dedicated employee they will take everything to heart and make a serious effort to correct their behavior and work ethic achieving the goals that you have both mutually put into place.

Cahn, D., Abigail, R. (2007).  Managing Conflict Through Communication (third edition).  Boston:  Pearson Education Inc.