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Covered in this course
Course contents
This training course is broken down into 2 sections
- 1 Delivering Bad News
- 2 How to Deliver Bad News

About this course
Life, unfortunately, doesn’t always deliver good news. But there are good ways to deliver bad news. Sometimes we need to share information that will upset, anger, worry or disappoint someone.
If it’s delivered carelessly or unkindly it can add to the pain the recipient already feels, which makes a bad situation worse. Do it thoughtfully and skilfully, however, and you can share the bad news while helping the recipient accept it and move forward with clarity, certainty, and, perhaps, even optimism.
During this online training course, we’ll consider what it means to “frame” a conversation and how misframing can make a positive outcome less likely. We also cover a few different things that can be done to make delivering negative news a more positive experience.

Presented by
Simon AlisonThe importance of Delivering Bad News Training
It’s important that you comply with the law and understand the positive impact this training course can have on your organisation and employees.
Find out moreAvailable in 41 languages
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Delivering Bad News Training certificate
Download and print
At the end of this Delivering Bad News Training course, users will be given a printable certificate.
In addition, brief in-course questions guide the user through the sections of the training and are designed to reinforce learning and ensure maximum user engagement throughout.
As well as printable user certificates, training progress is all stored centrally in Atlas (our Learning Management System) and can be accessed any time to reprint certificates and act as proof of a commitment to ongoing legal compliance.
What does my certificate include?
Your Delivering Bad News Training Certificate includes your name, company name (if applicable), name of course taken, pass percentage, date of completion, expiry date and stamps of approval or accreditations by recognised authorities.
Please note if you are using our course content via SCORM in a third party LMS then we are unable to provide certificates and you will need to generate these in your host LMS yourself.

2 real user reviews
Good course
Very good course that made you think about how to deliver bad news and turn into a two way street and make it come across in the best way possible
It was very helpful
It will help me in the future if I am put in the situation to give an employee some bad news.
Why is this training important?
Business benefits
Sometimes we need to share information that will upset, anger, worry or disappoint someone. Perhaps a member of the team hasn’t been performing as well as expected; you need to terminate someone’s employment; you need to tell your manager that you’re not going to meet your deadline; or perhaps you need to cancel important plans with a friend. Whatever the news might be, how we *choose* to share it makes a critical difference. If it’s delivered carelessly or unkindly it can add to the pain the recipient already feels, which makes a bad situation worse.
For example, back in 2021, a US-based mortgage provider hit the headlines after firing over 900 members of staff, via a group video call. During the awkward, one-way conversation, the CEO announced “If you’re on this call, you are part of the unlucky group that is being laid off. Your employment here is terminated, effective immediately”. The CEO used the call to express how *he* was personally affected by the decision that *he* had made and how difficult it was for *him* to make, but gave none of the 900 people who were now jobless a chance to express *their* feelings or to ask any questions. When a recording of the call was made public, the CEO was widely criticised, and three senior members of staff resigned.
With that being said, it's essential that bad news is delivered thoughtfully and skilfully. This is a skill that should be practiced, and by providing your staff with effective training, you're helping to protect your business.
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