Discussion Topic 1: Announcing Bad News

Chapter 17 in the e-book presents five scenarios in which major bad news must be announced. Select two of the five scenarios below and write an appropriate announcement about each.

1. A community disaster such as illness (e.g., a swine flu epidemic), earthquake, wildfire, plane crash, or a terrorism incident

2. An on-the-job accident with injuries or even death

3. A product defect resulting in injuries, illness, or even death to consumers

4. An unsuccessful product test (e.g., a new software system that isn't going to be ready for launch as planned)

5. A company merger that may result in reductions in force or layoffs

Discussion Topic 2: What to Avoid and What to Include in a Bad News Message

After reading chapter 17 in the e-book, write two substantive paragraphs on what to avoid in a negative message and what to maintain.

Discussion Topic 3: Bad News Press Release and Follow-Up Q&As

Review and Write: Chapter 17.4 of our e-book discusses press conferences. A list of 12 scenarios is presented. Based on the guidelines in the chapter, choose one of the scenarios. You will need to write out the scenario. Write a press statement in response to the scenario you chose. Write out five questions you are likely to be asked by the press who are present at the press conference and a brief answer to each question (do not use yes or no answers).

Chapter 17 from Business Communication for Success was adapted by The Saylor Foundation under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 license without attribution, as requested by the work's original creator or licensee. © 2014, The Saylor Foundation.

Chapter 17 - Negative News and Crisis Communication