2002 WARREN NORTON & ASSOCIATES PTY LTD 1

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Management & Professional Development

When working with clients, staII, peers or management, we are Irequently in the position oI
having to Ieedback to them inIormation that can either be 'good news or 'bad news. At
other times we are in a selling capacity where we are presenting ideas and proposals and
attempting to 'make the sale or persuade someone to do what we suggest.

DELIVERING "GOOD NEWS" AND "BAD NEWS"
When you hear a song it may bring back a memory oI a person, event or place. That is, the
song is "associated" to many other details in your memory oI that past experience. Some
people will associate 'the boss`s oIIice with pain (perhaps being harshly dealt with). When
they are told to go to the boss`s oIIice they may immediately associate it with the painIul
memory.

Whether the memory is good (the song) or bad (the boss`s oIIice) apn association has been
created.

It is important to understand that we can become associated with the news we deliver and that
this is not always desirable. II Ior example you were to advise your staII that they were to
receive a $500.00 bonus - you would want to be associated with the news. On the other hand,
iI you are to advise your staII that the organisation is to retrench 5 people and some oI your
staII will be among them, you would want to be dissociated Irom the news.

Remember the saying 'Dont shoot the messenger? The strategies outlined in this section
will help you to either separate the news Irom you, the messenger, or where desirable keep
you linked to some degree to the message.


Examples oI situations in which you may wish to be dissociated Irom 'bad news are:

Project milestone overrun or cost blow-out
Client lost
InIringement oI law
Incorrect sample treatment
Feedback to employee on poor perIormance


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Examples oI situations in which you may wish to be associated with 'good news are:

Pay rises
Project completed ahead oI time and/or below budget
DiIIicult job well done
Contract won
New client won

DISSOCIATION
Noting that both dissociation and association are situational, we shall be providing a series oI
strategies that illustrate the ways to separate you Irom the issue. These examples relate to a
variety oI contexts in which you may Iind yourselI.

Client Situation
When providing Ieedback to a client that the client is not likely to be happy with, it may be
useIul to dissociate yourselI Irom the 'bad news.

1. Prepare yourselI by taking with you to the discussion a report, analysis sheet or
even a blank note pad. The concept is to make the document become
'associated with the bad news, so that neither you nor your client is the 'bad
news. Place the document to one side, not on the desk between the two oI you.

2. Whenever you are going to reIer to the bad news, stop talking, break eye contact
with your client and look to the report, analysis sheet or note pad. Looking only
at the document, you then talk about the problem. Change your tone oI voice
Irom your normal tone, show perhaps Irustration or anger. Any hand gesture
should be to the document.

3. Only when you have completed what you are saying about the issue, do you go
back to eye contact with the client. And then only aIter you have paused, taken
a breath and changed your tone oI voice back to normal.

4. When discussing solutions with the client (either their ideas or yours) Iace away
Irom the document and Iocus on the client. II it is necessary to reIer back to the
bad news, turn back to the document and address it until complete and then back
to the client. Remember to change your tone each time.

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Employee Situation
Sometimes it is necessary to discuss your dissatisIaction with an employee`s work
perIormance or work habits. In these situations we again should dissociate ourselves Irom the
'issue so that we may preserve the relationship and be able to resolve the issue.

1. As with the client situation discussed above, have a note pad that you can 'associate
with the issue. When discussing the issue, look to and talk to the pad. Use a diIIerent
tone oI voice Irom your normal speaking tone. Your voice can express anger or
displeasure at the issue.

2. When you have Iinished addressing the issue and wish to seek a solution, pause,
break your eye contact with the pad and regain eye contact with the employee. In
your normal tone, ask the employee how they believe we can overcome or address the
issue.

3. At any time that it is necessary to discuss the issue itselI again, pause, Iocus on the
pad, not the employee and change tone when speaking.

Presentation Situation
When making a presentation to a group, it may be necessary to deliver bad news. The most
appropriate ways in which to dissociate you Irom this news is to have the material generated
on Ilip chart (depending on the size and nature oI the group). Stand away Irom the chart on
which the inIormation is presented while talking about it, and as with both previous examples,
Iace the chart (side on to your audience), talk to the chart and change your tone Irom your
normal tone. On completion oI the discussion about the news, 'post the Ilip chart on one oI
the walls.

II you are to then go on and generate solutions, once the new chart is completed, post it on the
opposite wall. In reIerring to the solutions, stand close to the chart and talk in your normal
tone while Iacing the group. This allows you to 'associate with the solution - not with the
problem.

ASSOCIATION
Associating with good news or solutions to issues Irequently involves doing the opposite to
disassociating, as seen in the previous examples. At other times, there is no bad news and
there are no issues to be resolved. However, we need to ensure association with the good
news by the actions we take.

Client Situation
There is something special about being able to deliver good news to a client. We tend to Ieel
good about it and hope that they do to.

In order to ensure that you are associated with the good news, link yourselI to it by moving
your look between the material and the client. Your gestures should be to the material and
your voice should sound excited (iI appropriate) or at least happy in tone. Use 'I or 'We
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to make the link - however, do not overuse these terms. II the client has been involved in the
creation oI the good news in some way - even remotely, link them to it as well in reIerences
you make.

Employee Situation
The most common complaint by employees is that they do not receive recognition or
Ieedback on their perIormance. In providing this, we as managers are meeting a very real
need and have an excellent opportunity to associate ourselves with the employee in a positive
way. When corrective action is required, employees who are used to both good and bad news
will respond more appropriately.

In providing positive Ieedback you can create an association by talking to the employee,
looking at them as you would under normal circumstances, talk enthusiastically (without
going overboard) and linking yourselI and the employee verbally through things you may
have done together to bring about the situation. Only do this iI it is true - and don`t overdo
your role. The purpose is to allow the employee the opportunity to enjoy the Ieeling oI
success.

A very simple association procedure in this situation is to ask the employee how they Ieel
about their perIormance or achievement and let them tell you about it.

SPOTS HAVE MEMORIES!
One oI the concepts on which association - dissociation is built is that people associate places
with people or events. An example was given earlier about our association with the boss`s
oIIice - unpleasant memories with the spot (the oIIice). The same principle applies in the
context oI communicating with others in one-to-one situations or one-to-group.

When presenting the bad news in the earlier examples, the idea oI the pad or report was to
create another 'spot on which the client or employee would Iocus their attention when the
bad news was being discussed. What happens is that the pad or report (the spot) becomes the
Iocus oI negative attention - not the deliverer oI the news.

Frequently when using the pad or report, you will Iind that automatically when the client or
employee discusses the bad news, they will look at and gesture to the same pad or report. In
other words they associate the spot with the bad news.

The concept can be used in other contexts.

Presenting Proposals & Marketing Situations
In presenting a series oI proposals to a client, you may lay the proposals out on the desk side
by side. Watch where the client places most attention. Monitor their Iacial expression and
listen to their discussion. You will Iind that some clients will very quickly settle their Iocus
on one proposal. II you are reading the situation correctly, they will be starting to associate
with that proposal.

In order to test this move the remaining two proposals oII to one side. II the client pulls them
back or asks you to lay them out again, you have mis-read the situation. II their attention is
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on the remaining proposal, you have now successIully removed the other options, thus
allowing the client to be very clearly Iocused.

Occasionally it may be necessary Ior either you or the client to talk about the other proposals.
ReIer to them as 'options. The client can always come back to options iI they need to.

As with previously described situations, the person presenting the proposals should establish a
series oI spots Ior diIIerent purposes. When 'presenting inIormation you may choose to sit
close to the desk, lean slightly Iorward and use your normal tone.

When responding to questions, move your selI back in the chair (perhaps even move the chair
back 4-5 inches), lean back and change your tone. Should you go back to presenting, move
back to your original position.

There may be other 'spots, such as leaning to the leIt or right, which you need to establish
during the presentation oI a proposal. These could include a 'marketing spot where you test
the client`s readiness to buy and ask Ior the order, a 'negotiation spot where diIIerences are
worked out and so on.

PRESENTATION SPOTS
People associate certain locations the presenter uses with activities that take place during the
presentation. The presentation spots outlined here deal with the Iollowing:

Presenter Spot
Acknowledgement Spot
Mediation Spot
Questions Spot
Marketing Spot

When presenting, it is important to anticipate any possible resistance. This is proactive.
Groups Ieels 'saIe - more comIortable, iI they know the presenter understands them and
their concerns. People attend presentations with other things on their minds - this needs to be
acknowledged. In going proactive, the presenter is only acknowledging the issues - not
fixing them.

Presenter Spot (PS)

'Good aIternoon. Welcome to today`s presentation. We will be examining
the impact oI Federal legislation on requirements Ior dealing with employee
termination and dismissal. This is a changing area that concerns managers
at all levels oI organisations.

Breathe, go silent, look thoughtful, move to Acknowledgement Spot


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Acknowledgement Spot (AS)
'Some oI you may not believe there is anything new to learn about the
situation.
'Others may be looking Iorward to hearing about the latest developments.
'Some oI you may be concerned with the work you have leIt behind to be
here today.

or

'A part oI you may be saying 'this better be good.
'A part oI you may not Ieel like being here this aIternoon.
'And another part may be looking Iorward to learning about the latest
developments in this area.


Breath, go silent, look thoughtful, move to Mediation Spot

Mediation Spot (MS)
Use one or two oI the Iollowing. The choice will depend on whether you have reIerred to
'some oI you or 'parts during the Acknowledgement.


Presenter
Spot
AS
MS
Presenter
Spot
AS

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'As long as we are here .... let`s give it our best shot?
'As long as we are here .... let's take the opportunity to learn what we can
about the applications oI the new measures to our own situations?
or
'There may be another part oI you ... ready to listen to new ideas.
'There may be another part oI you ... looking Iorward to the changes in our
industry.
On the other hand, .. since we are here, lets give it our best shot.


Breathe, go silent, look thoughtful, move to Presenter Spot

Presenter Spot (PS)

'This aIternoon will consist oI two sessions with a stretch break in between.
First we will cover .....

All oI the content delivery is done Irom the Presenter Spot. This spot can be a reasonable size
area - however, it should not include any oI the other spots, or go too close to them.

Question Spot (QS)

When someone asks a question ...

Breathe, go silent and move to the question spot beIore you answer them.
When you have answered any questions, move back to the Presenter Spot,
Iollowing the same pattern - breathe, go silent and move the Presenter Spot
beIore you recommence delivery.


Presenter
Spot
AS
MS
Presenter
Spot
AS
MS
QS

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Marketing Spot (MktS)
When you give a presentation and wish at the end oI it to market a product or service, the best
thing is to dissociate the presenter Irom the marketing iI possible. This is done by having a
second person give the marketing spiel. This will not always be possible. Sometimes the
presenter will have to do the marketing as well. As with questions, move away Irom the
presentation spot and to a new spot, Irom where you deliver the marketing message.





In moving Irom your presentation spot to the marketing spot, breathe, go silent and move to
the marketing spot beIore you commence marketing.

II questions are asked during the marketing phase that are marketing related, answer them
Irom the marketing spot. Should a question during this time relate to the inIormation in the
presentation, go back to the Question Spot to answer it.

Each spot should be preserved Ior it`s speciIic application, thereby associating the spot with
it`s purpose. Logically then, this also dissociates the spot Irom any other purpose. Should
something go wrong between the presenter and the audience (i.e. loss oI control, clash etc.) at
the Presenter Spot Ior example, the presenter should move away Irom that spot and establish a
new Presenter Spot. The same would apply Ior any oI the other spots a presenter uses.

Presenter
Spot
AS
MS
QS

MktS