Deliver bad newswithout the theatre.
When you need to deliver bad news, do not hide it in slide 12. No warm-up. What is true, plainly, then a bounded recommendation. If you want the deck version, it is two slides: “what’s true” and “what we need”.
Fill it in. Copy it out.
Type into the boxes and the copy-ready version writes itself. Copy it, print it, or save it as a PDF. Press Example to see a filled-in version.
Drafts save in this browser only. Nothing leaves your machine.
Chapter 15The Bad News Four
When you need to deliver bad news, do not hide it in slide 12. No warm-up. What’s true, plainly — then a bounded recommendation.
THE BAD NEWS FOUR (Chapter 15) • What’s going well: [something real] • What’s changed: [plain language, no blame] • What the impact is: [trade-offs, not excuses] • What we’re doing about it: [a bounded recommendation] • What I need from you is: [a decision, not a favour] — From Just F*cking Ship It · voltsmethod.com/learn
If you want the deck version, it is two slides: 'What’s true' and 'What we need'. Anything more is usually just your nerves trying to feel busy.
From Chapter 15, Just F*cking Ship It by Matthew Barrington-Packer
When to reach for it,
and how to fill it in.
Use it when
- The project is late, over budget or off course, and you have to say so.
- You are tempted to soften it until it no longer means anything.
- You need a decision from someone who will not enjoy the news.
How to fill it in
- What’s going well: one honest line, not a cushion.
- What’s changed: the fact, plainly.
- What the impact is: time, cost, scope or risk, with numbers.
- What we’re doing about it: the action and owner.
- What I need from you is: one bounded ask.
Where it usually goes wrong.
Bad news buried late reads as bad news hidden. Lead with it.
“Some delay” invites the worst assumption. Say how much.
Anything beyond “what’s true” and “what we need” is usually your nerves trying to feel busy.
Quick answers
How do you tell stakeholders a project is late?
Early, plainly and with a plan: what changed, the impact in numbers, what you are doing about it, and the one decision you need from them.
Should you start bad news with good news?
One honest line of what is going well is fine. A cushion of praise before the problem reads as spin.
What if I do not have a fix yet?
Say so, and give the date you will have options. A bounded “we will know by Friday” beats a vague reassurance.
The rest of the toolkit.
A template fixes ambiguity.
The book fixes the room.
This is one of the tools from Just F*cking Ship It, the five-move VOLTS Method for getting stuck work shipped. Read it in an afternoon. Ship something by Friday.