Deck 11: Bad-News Messages

Question 1

Severity relates to the probability of a bad event occurring.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

If you gather as much information as you can from a variety of sources, then you are less likely to make objective judgments and propose fair solutions.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

When delivering negative performance reviews, managers should focus on attitudes and intentions rather than actions and results.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

One advantage of giving bad news in a written communication is that you can ensure that you state the bad news with more care and accuracy.

Question 5

According to communication specialist Dave Zielinski, communicators should avoid openness when delivering bad news.

Question 6

In her message, Bettina first explained that one of the company's major clients went bankrupt and then she said that several employees had to be laid off. This is an example of a less-direct message.

Question 7

One characteristic of high-performing organizations is that employees will share bad news with superiors but not with each other.

Question 8

Delivering bad news without knowing the details tends to cause unnecessary anxiety among receivers.

Question 9

When bad-news message recipients know you are concerned about them, they generally respond without antagonism and even appreciate your honesty.

Question 10

The power of delivery often outweighs the content of the message in feedback situations.

Question 11

Geraldo's tendency to be evasive when delivering bad news will not affect the way others perceive his credibility.

Question 12

In performance reviews, providing feedback only on observable actions typically provokes defensiveness.

Question 13

According to David Falk, trust and long-term success in business are built on honesty in bad-news situations.

Question 14

It is inappropriate to ask colleagues to review bad-news messages that you plan to deliver to groups of customers or employees.

Question 15

Zach uses simple and direct language in an announcement stating that his company has discontinued a popular product because the cost of production has soared. His choice of language will help customers to believe that he has been up front with them.

Question 16

Bad news is best delivered in person.

Question 17

The mum effect occurs when bad news is filtered out of messages as they are passed up the chain of command.

Question 18

The person delivering bad news should not discuss the immediate impacts of that news on recipients.

Question 19

Barb has just been told that her job is about to be eliminated. This is an event over which she had no control.

Question 20

Business professionals may consider using a less-rich channel of communication when bad news becomes more controllable, less likely, and/or less severe.

Question 21

Oskar has to write a letter rejecting a customer's request for a replacement for her five-year-old air conditioner, which is past its warranty. Which of the following is an appropriate buffer statement he might use?

A) I am sorry to hear that your air conditioner has broken down during this heat spell.
B) Are you certain you did the recommended yearly maintenance of your air conditioning unit?
C) We are sorry that the air conditioning unit we installed is no longer working.
D) The warranty on your air conditioning unit expired two years ago.
E) Our records show that you decided not to renew your service contract when we contacted you.

Question 22

Which of the following is an advantage of delivering bad news in person?

A) Verbal delivery of bad news message requires less time than written delivery.
B) Compared to written delivery, verbal delivery results in better documentation of the message.
C) One can effectively clarify and explain the bad news when it is delivered in person.
D) Verbal delivery of bad news provides directions that bad-news recipients can refer to later.
E) Compared to written delivery, verbal delivery can deliver bad news to more people more effectively.

Question 23

The degree to which the bad-news message receiver can alter the outcome is referred to as

A) controllability.
B) severity.
C) likelihood.
D) power.
E) adaptability.

Question 24

Which of the following should communicators avoid when delivering bad-news messages?

A) bearing responsibility for one's own role in causing bad news
B) committing to transparency and honesty in delivering bad news
C) viewing delivery of bad news opportunistically
D) sympathizing with the recipients of bad news
E) telling the truth even when it is not popular or politically correct

Question 25

Vanessa, the customer relationship manager at Silver Fish Inc., has to decline an unreasonable claim made by a customer. Vanessa will not be able to replace the product or provide a refund because the cause of damage is not covered by the product warranty. Which of the following is the best teaser statement for Vanessa to use in the subject line of her bad-news email?

A) response to your claim
B) rejection of your claim
C) malfunction of our product
D) appreciation for your business
E) your false claim

Question 26

For the majority of bad-news messages, it is advisable to

A) allow scope for speculations and anxiety among recipients.
B) keep the structure of the message as indirect as possible.
C) deliver it as soon as possible even if it lacks details and specifics.
D) ensure that your expression of sympathy is longer than two sentences.
E) keep the message as impersonal as possible.

Question 27

Ursula, a team manager at the head office of Elixir Corp. in Germany, was sorry that her subordinates in the French unit of the company had to be laid off. She sent an email to deliver this bad news to her French subordinates. Which of the following justifies Ursula's decision to deliver the message through email instead of meeting them in person?

A) A written message, such as email, is a richer communication channel than a personal meeting.
B) Working in a virtual team limits Ursula from delivering the bad news in person.
C) Bad news, such as an employee layoff, has high controllability and low severity.
D) Delivering bad news in person signifies Ursula's lack of concern and goodwill.
E) Delivering bad news in writing will help Ursula's credibility more than delivering it in person.

Question 28

An email that rejects a colleague's idea should ideally start with a(n)

A) list of the problems the organization will face because of the idea.
B) reference to shared work goals.
C) explanation of the idea's immediate negative impacts.
D) logical criticism of the colleague's idea.
E) list of other colleagues who disliked the idea.

Question 29

Which of the following is the best example of a less-direct message?

A) Employees will have to bear a salary cut due to the recession.
B) Your last quarter's performance rating is low due to your absenteeism.
C) The warranty clause has expired, so we will not be able to replace your television.
D) This employment contract is terminated, because you have failed to meet our quality standards.
E) Your idea has been judged infeasible because of the company's lack of funds.

Question 30

Which of the following is an example of a bad-news message that is characterized by high severity and low controllability?

A) laying off an employee
B) rejecting a customer claim
C) giving an employee a poor review
D) deciding to no longer use a supplier
E) rejecting a colleague's idea

Question 31

Which of the following is an ineffective way to soften the blow of a bad-news message?

A) a direct message structure
B) a buffer statement
C) a teaser message
D) an expression of concern for the recipient
E) a rationale for the difficult news

Question 32

Which of the following is an example of a bad-news message that is characterized by high severity and high controllability?

A) laying off an employee
B) rejecting a customer claim
C) giving an employee a poor review
D) cutting back employees' work hours
E) rejecting a colleague's idea

Question 33

Hideki has to tell Manny that his language has offended some colleagues. He also must say that Manny is on probation for three months to give him the chance to change his behavior. Hideki should deliver this message in a(n)

A) email.
B) phone call.
C) video call.
D) personal meeting.
E) memo.

Question 34

Which aspect of bad news relates to the probability of the bad event occurring?

A) adaptability
B) controllability
C) likelihood
D) severity
E) consequences

Question 35

Which aspect of bad news indicates how serious or detrimental a bad news is?

A) severity
B) consequences
C) controllability
D) adaptability
E) likelihood

Question 36

In a bad-news message, a buffer is a statement that is typically used to

A) express criticism.
B) distance yourself from the recipient.
C) convey false hope.
D) show appreciation.
E) express disappointment.

Question 37

A person who has to deliver a bad-news message should gather as much information as possible from a variety of sources to reduce the

A) credibility of the message.
B) severity of the situation.
C) impact on both the sender and the receiver.
D) probability of making irrational judgments.
E) controllability of the situation.

Question 38

Compared to delivering bad news in person, delivering bad news in writing

A) allows for richer communication.
B) provides greater scope for immediate feedback.
C) allows for intentions to be demonstrated more easily.
D) appears more callous and impersonal.
E) is more efficient and therefore more sensitive to the audience.

Question 39

Which of the following is most likely to be communicated in writing?

A) rejection of a colleague's idea
B) the decision to cut employees' hours
C) a poor review of an employee's performance
D) the decision to lay off an employee
E) termination of a long-term supplier's contract

Question 40

Jacob, the owner of Unicorn Systems, wants to inform employees that they will receive a twenty percent salary cut to help the company survive a recession. If Jacob communicates this bad message in an honest and an open manner, it will likely

A) enhance Jacob's credibility.
B) undermine Jacob's character.
C) increase the negative impact of the bad news on employees.
D) signify that Jacob is incompetent in challenging situations.
E) damage the company's chances of long-term success.

Question 41

For a boss who has to deliver negative performance reviews, focusing on attitudes and intentions will

A) prevent employee defensiveness.
B) increase the effectiveness of the review.
C) be considered perceptive.
D) be perceived as judgmental.
E) increase the credibility of the boss.

Question 42

Research on Uno Motor Corp. revealed that the company shows signs of the mum effect. As a result, Uno Motor is likely to

A) underperform year after year.
B) succeed on most projects.
C) develop a transparent culture.
D) accurately state bad news.
E) build its credibility with employees.

Question 43

Which of the following is an effective way of delivering a negative performance review?

A) using an accusatory or confrontational tone
B) adopting a team-centered orientation
C) focusing on attitudes and intentions rather than actions and results
D) pointing out mistakes rather than problem solving
E) sugarcoating the bad news

Question 44

Juana wants to reject her colleague's idea. To deliver this bad news effectively in writing, she should

A) use a lot of jargon in her message.
B) use a simple design for her message.
C) avoid the use of buffer statements.
D) ensure that the message looks slick.
E) use a direct message structure.

Question 45

A person who has to deliver bad news should avoid

A) using a neutral subject line for the message.
B) including a short buffer at the beginning of the message.
C) expressing sympathy to the readers.
D) taking the blame for something that is not his or her fault.
E) providing a rationale for the unfavorable decision made.

Question 46

A person with high emotional intelligence will usually

A) manage emotions to respond constructively to negative feedback.
B) remain unaware of the negative emotions he or she feels.
C) respond to negative feedback by criticizing the other person.
D) display withdrawal during negative feedback.
E) seek and accept only positive feedback.

Question 47

At an annual training meeting, Watson says, "Managers have to stop using the good news-bad news-good news approach for performance reviews. It gives poor performers a false sense that their work is acceptable." Watson is asking the managers to stop applying the ______ approach to delivering bad news.

A) sandwich
B) teaser
C) buffer
D) sugarcoat
E) direct

Question 48

Which of the following is an example of an external partner for a snack food company?

A) Bill owns 50 shares of company stock.
B) Fran has worked for the company for the last 13 years.
C) Joyce visits the company annually to evaluate quality control.
D) Mega Munchies is the company's major competitor.
E) Alice begins working as the company's chief financial officer.

Question 49

McKenzie has to tell his subordinates about a company-wide freeze on wages. In his message, he should end with

A) a buffer.
B) a focus on his own concerns.
C) an expression of goodwill.
D) a blaming statement.
E) a teaser message.

Question 50

Which of the following is the best example of setting measurable and realistic expectations?

A) Jessica tells Halim that she believes he can turn things around for his next performance review.
B) Marsha tells Eddie, a machine operator, to reduce the defective parts he produces by 60 percent.
C) Pablo tells Rachel, one of his sales people, that he expects a sharp improvement in her sales figures.
D) Mark asks Ben to help ensure that the market share of the company increases.
E) Keisha informs Roger that she expects to see an improvement in his output as soon as possible.

Question 51

Ace Machines has been using batteries supplied by its long-term vendor Thorium Inc. in all its products. Recently, a competitor of Thorium agreed to provide superior batteries at the same price, so Ace Machines has decided to change its supplier for batteries. The most appropriate way for the purchasing manager at Ace Machines to convey this bad news to Thorium is to

A) avoid using nonverbal behavior to show concern and appreciation.
B) use general but legal language in the written message.
C) avoid starting the written message with a buffer or a teaser statement.
D) provide a clear rationale and specific feedback in the written message.
E) use a direct message structure over an indirect message structure.

Question 52

Veronica, a sales manager at West Wind Apparel Company, is reviewing the performance of her team. She observes that one of her subordinates, Melissa, has performed poorly in the last quarter. While giving Melissa a negative performance review, Veronica should ensure that she

A) sugarcoats the bad news by placing it between compliments.
B) focuses on Melissa's attitudes and intentions.
C) uses primarily a backward-looking tone.
D) asks for Melissa's perspectives on her poor performance.
E) uses an accusatory or a confrontational tone.

Question 53

The mum effect results when employees in an organization

A) avoid sharing bad news because they do not want to be blamed.
B) view the delivery of bad news opportunistically.
C) take quick actions to rectify the problems described in a bad-news message.
D) take responsibility for bad events even if they are not at fault.
E) avoid talking to superiors at all for fear that they will be criticized.

Question 54

Which of the following is the most effective way of delivering a bad-news message to a long-term client?

A) Minako uses you-voice in her written message to deliver the bad news.
B) Brian provides long descriptions of what the client did wrong.
C) Sandra meets with the client, provides a rationale, and discusses impacts.
D) Tommy leaves a voice message on the client's telephone.
E) Calvin writes a letter couching the decision in legal language.

Question 55

As a result of the mum effect, the message that reaches the top executives of an organization is usually

A) clear and specific.
B) falsely positive.
C) delayed and outdated.
D) highly credible.
E) explicit and direct.

Question 56

Which of the following should be avoided when conveying bad news to customers?

A) neutral language
B) passive verbs
C) teaser messages
D) a buffer statement
E) an accusatory tone

Question 57

Ryan, the owner of the Home Value supermarket chain, wants to terminate a contract with a supplier. Over the life of the contract, Ryan interacted with the representatives of the supplier mainly over the phone or email. Which of the following will the supplier interpret as a less-than-straightforward way of ending the working relationship?

A) Ryan takes the supplier's representatives out for lunch and thanks them for being such great friends.
B) Ryan ensures that his written message leaves the door open to possibly doing business in the future.
C) Ryan provides a rationale for his decision so that the supplier can improve its weaknesses.
D) Ryan keeps the written message short, but includes a neutral subject line as buffer.
E) Ryan uses an indirect message structure to convey the bad news.

Question 58

You are a senior manager who needs to evaluate five supervisors in your department. Which of the following supervisors will you decide is the most effective at delivering performance reviews?

A) Rita sugarcoats the description of problem behaviors while delivering a negative performance review.
B) Adrianne procrastinates delivering negative feedback when she sees that employees are defensive.
C) Julia helps the poor performers of her team understand the ways in which they are hurting organizational performance.
D) Jorge discusses what he believes employees are thinking rather than their concrete actions.
E) Derek uses an accusatory tone while delivering a negative performance review.

Question 59

The following is a quotation from a negative performance review delivered by a senior manager to a team leader: "I know you and your team have the potential to turn things around for our next performance review; hence, we need to totally focus on getting everything right from now on." The performance review is ineffective because it

A) does not focus on attitudes and intentions.
B) does not use the sandwich approach.
C) uses a compliment as a buffer statement.
D) uses a teaser message as an opening statement.
E) does not provide measurable and realistic expectations.

Question 60

Gerald, the general manager at Meteorite Systems, has to give a negative performance evaluation to Norman, one of the shift managers. During the review, Gerald first thanks Norman for all his efforts, then he delivers the bad news. Finally he ends the review with an expression of goodwill. In this situation, Gerald is applying the ______ approach for delivering the negative performance review.

A) sandwich
B) teaser
C) buffer
D) sugarcoat
E) direct

Question 61

During a difficult performance review, a person with high emotional intelligence is most likely to

A) point out the supervisor's mistakes.
B) avoid future interactions with the supervisor.
C) rationalize the conduct being criticized.
D) accept the negative feedback.
E) respond with the silent treatment.

Question 62

Catherine heads a sales team, and most of her subordinates have performed well. However, one of the team members, Dave, has been performing poorly. Catherine has created a file that records Dave's performance issues and contains a few emails from colleagues criticizing him. While delivering the negative feedback to Dave, Catherine should

A) focus on the poor attitude that Dave's posture and expression reveals.
B) keep the negative emails from other colleagues private.
C) ask Dave why he cannot be more like the other team members.
D) give Dave the goal of doing better within a short time.
E) focus on pointing out mistakes rather than problem solving.

Question 63

How would you use the FAIR test to evaluate a poor performance review before giving it to the employee?

Question 64

What is meant by the mum effect? How does it affect businesses?

Question 65

When reviewing your bad-news message, which of the following questions will help you evaluate the "impacts" aspect of the FAIR test?

A) Are my motives clear, or will others perceive that I have a hidden agenda?
B) Is my perspective of the facts influenced by defensiveness, favoritism, or some other bias?
C) Have I stated the message in a way that recognizes the inherent worth of others?
D) Am I doing what I can to provide appropriate opportunities to the bad-news recipients?
E) Is the rationale for this bad news based on sound facts and conclusions?

Question 66

Which of the following questions should you use while reviewing your bad-news message to evaluate the "facts" aspect of the FAIR test?

A) Have I gathered all the relevant information and examined various accounts of the same event?
B) Have I considered all the ways in which this message will impact others in the near term and long term?
C) What have I done to lessen the negative impacts on recipients?
D) Have I stated the message in a way that recognizes the inherent worth of others?
E) What am I doing to provide appropriate opportunities to the bad-news recipients?

Question 67

List the various points that are to be considered while delivering negative performance reviews.

Question 68

How can tone, style, and design be used to deliver written bad news effectively?

Question 69

What are the three aspects of bad news that impact how you approach delivering it? Explain each of the three aspects and their impact.

Question 70

What component of the FAIR test relates to the question "Have I stated the message in a way that recognizes the inherent worth of others?"

A) fact
B) access
C) audience
D) impact
E) respect

Question 71

Gina has to let her department know that its project has been cancelled. What are the advantages and disadvantages of delivering such news in person?

Question 72

Which of the following statements made by an employee would be a counterproductive response to a negative review?

A) Getting negative feedback from my boss irritates me.
B) It is my responsibility to accept the feedback and improve myself accordingly.
C) The feedback I get from my boss will facilitate my career advancement.
D) Negative feedback is a part of the boss's job and mine.
E) My performance on the job is not related to whether my boss likes me.

Question 73

Why is accepting negative feedback important for employees? What should be done by employees to accept and respond to it effectively?

Question 74

Raven is preparing for her performance review with her boss. She is aware that her performance for the quarter was bad, and that knowledge causes her fear and anxiety. Raven, however, reminds herself that getting an honest assessment of her work will only help her. This means that Raven

A) is reframing her thoughts to foster a constructive conversation.
B) is displaying counterproductive response to negative emotions.
C) is an individual with low emotional intelligence.
D) is incapable of identifying the negative emotions she is feeling.
E) is displaying signs of defensiveness, denial, and withdrawal.

Question 75

Nick has to tell a long-time supplier that he will no longer purchase its products because of several quality control mistakes. How can he use the FAIR test to evaluate this message before delivering it?

Question 76

Which component of the FAIR test refers to the transparency of the motives and reasoning of the person delivering the bad news?

A) fact
B) access
C) audience
D) impact
E) respect

Question 77

Who are external partners, and when is it appropriate to deliver bad-news messages to them in writing?

Question 78

List the guidelines for delivering bad-news messages.