Post by Adam Turteltaub

No one likes to be the bearer of bad news, but if you sign up for a job in compliance, you are inevitably going to be one. The challenge is doing so in a way that is most productive.

Long-time compliance veteran and executive coach Amii Barnard-Bahn has invested a great deal of time in studying this challenge. She reports in this podcast that social science has discovered that bad events impact us five times more than positive ones. We are programmed not to want bad news. Worse, messengers of unwelcome information tend to be deemed unlikeable and less competent. There is even some malevolence towards them, believing, usually wrongly, that the person got some pleasure from sharing the unpleasant news.

So how do we overcome it? She developed a six-step process:

* Psychologically prepare your audience

* Rehearse confident delivery

* Be present and fully focused

* Convey benevolent, proactive intent

* Explain without justifying

* Add a sense of urgency

Psychological preparation of the audience, she explained, is often overlooked. When people are surprised it can slow down their thinking and increase negative emotions. So, it is best to prepare people for what is coming. Then let them know what the cost will be, time involved and what needs to change.

Conveying benevolent, proactive intent is about overcoming the gut perception that somehow you were involved, wanted the incident to happen or are to blame. Chances are you were not the one at fault and you need to help people see it. When you did make a mistake, take the blame, accept responsibility and then show a path forward.

Listen in and learn more about how to make delivering bad news better.