Saying the Hard Thing
Delivering Bad News
What you'll learn
- →Deliver bad news directly, briefly, and without burying the lead.
- →Learn the structure: state the news, give one sentence of context, pause for their reaction.
- →Resist the urge to soften it into ambiguity — softening makes it worse.
Proof task
Don't just watch. Do.
Write down the bad news you've been delaying delivering to someone. Now write the three-sentence version: the news, the context, the pause. Practice it out loud once. The script is the gift you give yourself before you make the call.
Share this lesson
Pass it on.
Chapters
Jump to a moment.
- 0:00The hook
- 1:15The pattern
- 2:45The interrupt
- 4:30Practice scenario
- 5:30The proof task
Up next in Saying the Hard Thing
Keep going.
Reflect
“What bad news are you currently sitting on because you're protecting yourself, not them?”