WEBVTT - Bad news doesn't improve with age

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that bad news rarely improves with age. If

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<v Speaker 1>you need to share news that you know will disappoint

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<v Speaker 1>or anger someone, or will require a big shift in plans,

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<v Speaker 1>don't delay. It is rarely helpful, and it is sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>harmful to hold bad news. Deliver it soon and everyone

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<v Speaker 1>can begin to move on. If you have ever been

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<v Speaker 1>the recipient of bad news, you know that in general,

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<v Speaker 1>the hardest moments come right afterwards. There might be grief

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<v Speaker 1>or anger or worry, but those arrive on the scene

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<v Speaker 1>pretty fast. If it's clear you're going to need to

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<v Speaker 1>change plans, that will likely be obvious too, and these

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<v Speaker 1>emotions are hard. But after the initial flood or sense

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<v Speaker 1>of new responsibility, you start processing all of that. You

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<v Speaker 1>start making a plan for the steps you need to take.

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<v Speaker 1>As you do that, the shape of the problem starts

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<v Speaker 1>to become clearer, and you start marshaling the resources to

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<v Speaker 1>deal with it. Doing that can start making the situation better.

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<v Speaker 1>The problem with delaying information is that the grief and

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<v Speaker 1>anger are inevitable, as is the moving forward. But waiting

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<v Speaker 1>raises the specter of you being perceived as untrustworthy or

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<v Speaker 1>people making decisions that they wouldn't have otherwise. The bad

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<v Speaker 1>news isn't going to get better with time, but the

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<v Speaker 1>situation itself could get more complicated, as can your relationship

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<v Speaker 1>with anyone who needs to know. So for example, if

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<v Speaker 1>you have lost your job, it is best to tell

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<v Speaker 1>your spouse right away. He'll want to support you and

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<v Speaker 1>form a plan to gather for how you'll navigate the

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<v Speaker 1>job search and the loss of your paycheck. If you

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<v Speaker 1>delay telling him, he may feel angry at being left

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<v Speaker 1>in the dark, and he may have incurred an expense

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<v Speaker 1>he wouldn't have if he'd known about the circumstances. This

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<v Speaker 1>may not be the time to book that surprise trip

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<v Speaker 1>to New Zealand. I mean, maybe it is if you

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<v Speaker 1>are completely financially comfortable, since you won't have to hurry

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<v Speaker 1>back to a job. But if your job loss will

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<v Speaker 1>materially affect the family, then it is good to tell

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<v Speaker 1>the people it will affect. If your cat got hit

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<v Speaker 1>by a car, tell your kids immediately. They are never

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<v Speaker 1>going to be happy about it, of course, but you

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<v Speaker 1>will threaten their trust if they find out that you

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<v Speaker 1>knew the cat had died, but let them think he

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<v Speaker 1>was just wandering around and might come home now. Obviously,

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<v Speaker 1>there are exceptions. Occasionally it does make sense to delay

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<v Speaker 1>sharing bad news. For instance, if you have a health

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<v Speaker 1>diagnosis that you need to share, you may decide to

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<v Speaker 1>do that after a loved one's wedding this weekend. If

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<v Speaker 1>you know your spouse is giving a huge presentation at work,

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<v Speaker 1>you do not need to call to tell about that

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<v Speaker 1>major roof leak right before, especially if you have already

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<v Speaker 1>called the appropriate professionals and are dealing with it. You

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<v Speaker 1>can fill her in afterwards. But those are exceptions. In general,

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<v Speaker 1>bad news doesn't improve with age, So if you need

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<v Speaker 1>to deliver bad news, think through what's likely to happen

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<v Speaker 1>when you share the news, and unless that chain of

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<v Speaker 1>events is likely to be far worse today than it

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<v Speaker 1>would be at some specific time in the future, deliver

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<v Speaker 1>the bad news now. By sharing the bad news sooner

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<v Speaker 1>or the worst of the response will be behind you

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<v Speaker 1>and you can all start dealing with the emotions or

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<v Speaker 1>tasks you need to handle. But you won't lose people's

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<v Speaker 1>trust in the process. Holding onto that is a bit

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<v Speaker 1>of good news, even if the overall news is grim.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our times. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from him. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's b E the number four, then breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled

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<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters. Thanks so much. Should I

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<v Speaker 1>look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the

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