"Difficult Communication" was something that came up as a topic of interest during Mary Uhl-Bien's instruction on Leadership & Sales Management. Understanding that this is an area of interest - nay, urgent need for learning among EcSELL Institute members, I thought it would be helpful to share the story below. Although it describes "customer" relationships, I remind you that the principles are likely the same for your sales team members. Said another way, your 'customer' is the recipient of the communique.
Turning Bad News Into Good Vibes - New Siegel Gale Simplicity Survey Finds Organizations Can Strengthen Customer Relationships in Times of Crisis
This study examined letters sent to customers by mail telling them about changes to their credit. The letter which was discovered to be the best overall and the most "informative, balanced, direct, and made[readers] feel most loyal to the company" was one that was sent to mortgage customers explaining the bank's new policies. The letter's key features were:
1) Explicitly stated its commitment to transparency; and
2) Contained easy-to-understand descriptions.
Other letters had positive features including truthfulness and respect. According to Siegel+Gale's Global Director and Practice Leader of Simplified Communications, Lee Rafkin there exists a "Strong correlation between clarity, comprehensive explanations, and respect on
the one hand, and trust, engagement, and loyalty on the other" in these types of written communication.
Applied to delivering bad news to your customers, peers, salespeople, etc... do the same principles of Clarity, Truthfulness, Respect, and Relevance apply?
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