Don't Delay Sharing Bad News

In general, bad news doesn't improve with age. If you need to deliver bad news, think through what's likely to happen when you share the news. Unless that chain of events is likely to be far worse today than it would be at some specific time in the future, deliver the bad news now. By sharing the bad news sooner, the worst of the response will be behind you. But you won't lose people's trust in the process. Even if the overall news is grim.