It is never easy or comfortable to communicate a decision that will be patently unwelcome. Even if legitimate, it may well trigger fear, frustration or even anger. What is the most effective way to announce such a decision?
Be absolutely clear to avoid misunderstandings
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Don’t dilute your message to make it more acceptable: executing on the decision will only be more difficult. Express yourself in a clear, short and fully understandable way.
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Work on preparing your communication, e.g. Call on a third party to better anticipate reactions.
Let people vent their frustrations
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Listen carefully to the reactions without trying to answer too quickly; else you may create the perception that you don’t take their point seriously.
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Should you discover new elements, show that you take them into consideration, e.g. Adjust the organization plan to factor in an idea from a team member.
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Make a decision when the time is right. It is important to know when to close the debate and move on to something else.
Ensure the message has been clearly understood
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Encourage your team to re-word your messages to detect potential misunderstandings.
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Highlight the first few concrete steps to implement the decisions and fix a milestone to measure progress.
Take action
Prepare to announce a difficult decision (10 min)
To announce a difficult decision is naturally an uncomfortable exercise… Hence the importance of preparing it well.
Don’t leave space to ambiguity: an unpopular decision can easily be misunderstood, and its opponents will take advantage of any lack of clarity to postpone the action. Write down your arguments to ensure they are clear and coherent, and test them with a person of trust.
Work on your speech and your posture to announce the decision in a firm manner. E.g.: don’t apologize, don’t minimize your statements to “muddy the waters”, do not turn away from your counterparts’ eyes as this could confuse the message.
Prepare yourself to listen to the reactions of rejection without responding too quickly: it is important that each person can express their frustration, as this is part of the acceptance process. After these two listening times, you will be able to engage in negotiation, for example on the decision implementation process.
Observe someone who is communicating a difficult decision (30 min)
Using others’ examples is an excellent way to progress when it is done in a methodological manner.
In the coming week, be particularly attentive to the “touchy” situations of communication that you can witness. E.g.: a colleague who presents an ambitious project, a leader that shares a decision that might be unwelcome, a politician who announces a controversial measure…
How did these people go about making their announcement? Were they clear? What, in your opinion, enabled their audience to get the message? What could they have done better? What could you reuse?
How did they react to the questions and the objections? What gave their audience the feeling of being heard and understood? In your opinion, did the message get across? What lesson can you learn from it?
Work on the clarity of your statements (20 min)
It is very common that statements that appear clear to the person who formulates them are misunderstood by their audience.
During a forthcoming presentation, place particular attention to ensure you have been well understood:
Ensure you reformulate your statements to express your arguments in several different manners. E.g.: use synonymous words, combine ideas, hard data and illustrating examples, plan visual supports and a body language that support your message.
Use a simple and direct language. E.g.: one idea per sentence, direct form (no passive voice), talk in the first person. Summarize in a few words your key messages at the end of the presentation.
Regularly ask questions from your counterparts and invite them to reformulate your statements to ensure they have correctly understood. E.g.: “What seems important to you in what I have just presented?”
Practical Tips
> Announcing a difficult decision
> Minimizing the risks of misunderstandings
Find out more
> Communicate to be understood
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