Communicating Bad News

Scenario: You are a middle manager at a large technology organization, and leadership has informed you that the company will be going through a reorganization. The company has been losing revenue, and immediate action is necessary. A mass downsizing is impending.

Your job is not in jeopardy. However, you will lose team members in the downsizing. Your team members are panicked, and you need to step up to address the issue with them. You also need to maintain productivity and results. You call a meeting to discuss this with your team. This is a challenging message to communicate.

Discuss your approach by addressing the questions below:

• What is your communication strategy with your team?
• How often will you communicate with your team about updates? Remember, you need to keep them informed but not panicked.
• How will you get critical messages across while keeping your team productive?
• What can you do to reduce the challenges of distraction and the rumor mill for your team?
• Cite sources used.