news from time to time, and winning professionals do it with the proper
attitude. A doctor advising a patient she needs an opertion does it with
compassion. A boss informing an employee he didnt get the job takes on a
sympathetic demeanor. Grief couselors at airports after fatal crashes share
the grief-stricken sentment of relatives. Big winners know, when delivering
any bad news, they should share the sentiment of the receiver.
Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this sensitivity. When
youre weary from a long flight, has a hotel clerk cheerfully chirped that
your room isnt ready yet? When you had your heart set on the roast beef,
has your waiter merrily warbled that he just served the last piece? When
you needed cash for the weekend, has your bank teller gleefully told you
your account is overdrawn? It makes you as traveler, diner, or depositor
want to put your fist right through their insensitive grins.
Had my neighbor told me of the impending rainstorm with sympathy, I
would have appreciated his warning. Had the Grehound salesclerk
sympathetically informed me that my bus had already left, I probably would
have said, Oh, thats all right.
Technique #34
Its the Receivers Ball
A football player wouldnt last two beats of the time clock if he made
blind passes. A pro throws the ball with the receiver always in mind.
Before throwing out any news, keep your receiver in mind. Then deliver
it with a smile, a sigh, or a sob. Not according to how you feel about the
news, but how the receiver will take it.
How to Give Them the Bad News (and Have Them Like You All the
More) 133
Ill catch the next one. Big winners, when they bear bad news, deliver
bombs with the emotion the bombarded person is sure to have.
Big winners know how to give bad news to people. They also know
how not to give any news to anyone, even when people are pressuring them.
Lets explore that next.
How to Respond When You Dont Want to Answer (and Wish Theyd
Shut the Heck Up)
One of my clients Barbara, a ministar in the furniture business, recently
separated from her husband and business partner, Frank, a megastar in the
furniture business. They suffered a long and messy divorce that resulted in
them keeping the business jointly but not having to deal with each other.
ooja
(Ooja)
#1