Communication Skills How to Break Bad News #257015

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the Profound Impact of Bad News: Articulate the psychological and emotional consequences of poorly and well-delivered bad news on recipients and communicators.

• Master a Structured Protocol: Confidently apply a proven, step-by-step framework (e.g., SPIKES, ABCDE) to structure a difficult conversation.

• Employ Advanced Empathic Communication Techniques: Utilize active listening, respond to emotion, and demonstrate genuine empathy through verbal and non-verbal cues.

• Manage Emotional Responses: Navigate strong emotional reactions from patients, family members, and themselves with professionalism and compassion.

• Adapt Communication to Diverse Scenarios: Tailor their approach for different types of bad news (e.g., terminal diagnosis, medical error, poor prognosis, death) and diverse cultural and personal backgrounds.

• Practice Self-Awareness and Prevent Burnout: Recognize the personal toll of delivering bad news and develop strategies for resilience and self-care.

This course is essential for any professional whose role requires them to deliver potentially distressing information.

• Healthcare Professionals: Physicians, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Paramedics, Hospice Workers.

• Mental Health Professionals: Therapists, Social Workers, Psychologists, Counselors.

• First Responders: Police Officers, Firefighters, Emergency Dispatchers.

• Managers and HR Professionals: Those responsible for terminations, layoffs, or delivering negative performance reviews.

• Legal Professionals: Lawyers who must deliver unfavorable case outcomes to clients.

• Clergy and Chaplains.

• Anyone seeking to improve their ability to navigate difficult conversations with grace and skill.

• Pre-assessment
• Live group instruction
• Use of real-world examples, case studies and exercises
• Interactive participation and discussion
• Power point presentation, LCD and flip chart
• Group activities and tests
• Each participant receives a binder containing a copy of the presentation
• slides and handouts
• Post-assessment

Day 1: The Foundation – Why This Skill Matters

• Morning:

  • Module 1: The Anatomy of Bad News: Defining “bad news.” Understanding its subjective impact and the lifelong memory of the event for the recipient.

  • Module 2: The Cost of Getting It Wrong (and the Benefit of Getting It Right): Exploring the consequences of poor communication: loss of trust, medicolegal risk, and psychological harm.

• Afternoon:

  • Module 3: Self-Awareness and Personal Bias: Identifying your own anxieties, discomfort, and cultural assumptions around delivering bad news.

  • Workshop: The Memory of News: Participants reflect on a time they received bad news and analyze what was helpful and what was not.

  • Day 1 Recap: Building a foundation of empathy and intention.

Day 2: The Protocol – A Structure for the Conversation

• Morning:

  • Module 4: The SPIKES Protocol (Setting, Perception, Invitation, Knowledge, Empathy, Strategy/Summary): A deep dive into the six-step model for delivering bad news in healthcare.

  • Module 5: Setting the Stage: The critical importance of preparation, privacy, the right environment, and having the right people present.

• Afternoon:

  • Module 6: Perception and Invitation: Skillfully assessing what the person already knows and wants to know. Eliciting their invitation to receive information.

  • Role-Play 1: The Setup: Practicing the initial steps of setting up the conversation and assessing perception.

  • Day 2 Recap: Having a map for the conversation.

Day 3: The Art – Delivering the News and Responding with Empathy

• Morning:

  • Module 7: The “Knowledge” Step – Delivering the News: Using clear, jargon-free language. Employing the “warning shot” and pacing the information.

  • Module 8: The “Empathy” Step – Responding to Emotion: Identifying and naming emotions (NURSE: Naming, Understanding, Respecting, Supporting, Exploring). The power of silence.

• Afternoon:

  • Module 9: Non-Verbal Communication: The language of body posture, eye contact, touch, and vocal tone.

  • Role-Play 2: The Delivery and Response: Intensive practice delivering the news and responding to a range of emotional reactions (sadness, anger, shock).

  • Day 3 Recap: Connecting through empathy.

Day 4: Application – Strategy, Summary, and Complex Scenarios

• Morning:

  • Module 10: The “Strategy/Summary” Step: Planning for the next steps. Collaborating on a plan and ensuring the person does not feel abandoned.

  • Module 11: Documentation and Follow-up: The importance of documenting the conversation and planning for subsequent meetings.

• Afternoon:

  • Module 12: Adapting to Specific Scenarios: How the approach differs for sudden death vs. a terminal illness, medical error, or delivering news over the phone.

  • Role-Play 3: Complex Cases: Practicing with more complex scenarios, including cultural differences and conflicts within families.

  • Day 4 Recap: Closing the conversation with hope and a plan.

Day 5: Integration, Resilience, and Mastery

• Morning:

  • Module 13: The Practitioner’s Resilience: Vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout. Strategies for self-care and debriefing after a difficult conversation.

  • Module 14: Working with Interpreters and Cultural Considerations: Delivering bad news across language and cultural barriers.

• Afternoon:

  • Capstone Activity: The Full Simulation: Each participant conducts a full, recorded bad news conversation with a trained actor, receiving immediate, expert feedback.

  • Final Group Debrief and Action Planning: Sharing key learnings and committing to specific personal goals for implementing these skills.

  • Course Conclusion: Final review, resources for ongoing practice, and awarding of certificates.