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Delivering Bad News…

Does Not Have to be Bad…

By #KristinaWritesPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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Not sure how I got the title of the ‘Official Bad News Deliverer’ in my friends’ group; but I digress… it is inevitable when there is bad news to be delivered, I am the one who is called upon to do it. I do not think it is because I am patient, because I am not. It is surely not because I do not cry when others cry, because my eyes have a mind of their own when it comes to tears. And it is certainly not because I can distance myself from the news itself, nope…I internalize everything! Maybe it is in the delivery. Maybe that is it. I am nowhere near perfect, but I can deliver news well.

Even recently I realized that how composed I was made a huge difference in just how I was able to deliver news and how others were able to receive it. I had to kind of sort myself out first and calm myself down. One of the biggest issues I saw with this was that I was missing details and specifics when I was talking with others. Not only was it confusing them, but it was also confusing me too! Both things I did not want to do. I had to take a step back and take in a few deep breaths to get my composure to finish the conversation and be able to answer any questions that they had without sounding like a total and complete wreck at the same time.

One big obstacle I had to really learn how to overcome is the inflection I use when I talk to people. I have a bad habit of talking ‘softly’ to people when it involves bad news. Like I am preparing them for my delivery, so to speak. Over the years I have had to teach myself to talk to people dependent on their age and understanding. I deal with teens a lot during my volunteer time, and I had to learn I cannot talk to adults or children with the same inflection as I do teens. If I talk to soft, I feel as though I am talking down to them, and if I talk to high or overly educated, I feel like I am talking ‘over their heads’. Either way I have had to teach myself to adjust where necessary, so everyone understands what is being said.

I can only imagine the main reason why I get roped into delivering the bad news is that I don’t negotiate. If there is bad news to deliver, then I deliver it. However, I realize that even when there is bad news to deliver, there is always something that I can do to help. Whether it is simply just offering to help. Many times, people will not accept help, but just to have the offer made is a huge burden lifted in many circumstances. Also, and I had to learn this early on, I do not make false promises. If I have never been through the same situation, I do not tell them that I know what they are going through. Because I don’t! So, I do not try to pretend as I do. That will not help anyone.

When it comes to bad news and delivering it to anyone; just be patient. It is not going to help either side to rush through it. By doing that, information tends to get skewed, misunderstood, or even left out. None of those things can be good for either side. Trust me when I say that delivering bad news is never a good feeling, but since it must be done, it might as well be done as tactfully as possible. I will continue to be nominated as the friend that delivers the news to others, and I am okay with that.

Until Next Time.

#KristinaWrites

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Humanity
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About the Creator

#KristinaWrites

I love life & everyone in it! I have realized what I really want to do with my life; Write!

So, I'm an Ghost Blogger, Content Writer & Generalized Creator based in Texas and I write about...Life!

Follow Me: Facebook

Website: KristinaWrites

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