{"id":13015,"date":"2025-03-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scotwork.com\/nz\/blog-nz\/deal-conceal-10-reasons-why-we-bury-bad-news\/"},"modified":"2025-03-31T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T00:00:00","slug":"deal-conceal-10-reasons-why-we-bury-bad-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scotwork.com\/nz\/blog-nz\/2025\/deal-conceal-10-reasons-why-we-bury-bad-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Deal conceal: 10 reasons why we bury bad news"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article,\u00a0Give Me the Hard Stuff<\/em><\/a>, about how to deliver the bad news in a negotiation. As I shared the article in one of our negotiation training classes, someone asked, \u201cBut why are people hiding the bad news in the first place?\u201d<\/p>\n

Great question! If we can understand the reason why we hide bad news, we can get better at\u00a0delivering<\/em>\u00a0bad news. As I researched this topic and polled our team of negotiation experts, one thing became clear: The reasons why we avoid the tough topics are both varied and extremely personal.<\/p>\n

People often hesitate to share bad news in a negotiation for several reasons, many of which stem from psychological biases, fear of negative consequences, or misperceptions about how information affects leverage.<\/p>\n

Here are 10 reasons why people might hide bad news . . .<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Fear of Weakening Their Position:<\/strong>\u00a0Negotiators worry that revealing bad news (e.g., budget cuts,\u00a0price increases<\/a>, or missed deadlines) will make them appear weak, reducing their bargaining power and allowing the other party to take advantage.<\/li>\n
  2. Desire to Maintain Control:<\/strong>\u00a0Keeping bad news hidden offers a sense of control over the narrative. Some negotiators believe that withholding unfavorable information allows them to dictate the timing and framing of discussions.<\/li>\n
  3. Avoidance of Conflict:<\/strong>\u00a0Many people are naturally conflict-averse and fear that bad news will provoke an emotional or aggressive response from the other party, making negotiations more difficult.<\/li>\n
  4. Hope That the Problem Will Resolve Itself:<\/strong>\u00a0Some negotiators delay sharing bad news because they believe the issue might improve over time, or that they\u2019ll find a workaround before they need to disclose it.<\/li>\n
  5. Adherence to Norms:<\/strong>\u00a0In some corporate or cultural settings, there\u2019s an unspoken expectation to focus on solutions rather than problems, leading people to downplay or delay sharing bad news.<\/li>\n
  6. Concern Over Losing Face:<\/strong>\u00a0Admitting to problems, mistakes, or failures can feel like a personal failure. Negotiators may hesitate to share bad news if they fear it will damage their credibility or reputation.<\/li>\n
  7. Uncertainty About the Other Party\u2019s Reaction:<\/strong>\u00a0If the response to bad news is unpredictable, negotiators might avoid the risk altogether rather than deal with an unknown reaction.<\/li>\n
  8. Focus on the Short Term:<\/strong>\u00a0Some negotiators prioritize immediate gains over long-term relationships. If they believe bad news could derail a deal in the short term, they may try to push forward without revealing it.<\/li>\n
  9. Reaction to Past Experience:<\/strong>\u00a0If a negotiator has had a negative experience delivering bad news, that can spur their desire to hide the information for fear of a repeat incident.<\/li>\n
  10. Fear of Retaliation:<\/strong>\u00a0In critical situations, some negotiators may fear that the other side will retaliate with some sort of destructive behavior, which might be worse than not saying anything at all.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Ironically, withholding bad news often backfires. When the news eventually comes out \u2014 especially if the other party finds out independently \u2014 it damages trust, can prolong negotiations, and even collapse a deal. That\u2019s why we advocate getting bad news on the table sooner rather than later. By doing so appropriately, you\u2019ll actually\u00a0build<\/em>\u00a0credibility while allowing adequate time to address further issues, leading to better outcomes.<\/p>\n

    When you\u2019re hesitant to share bad news, ask yourself why. Challenge your assumptions about the bad news. Talk to others about it. Rehearse sharing it.\u00a0Get comfortable<\/em>\u00a0with sharing it \u2014 because whether you share it or not, it will come out. So, your best bet is to control its delivery as much as possible.<\/p>\n

    We Can Help You Deliver Bad News Productively.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Don\u2019t let bad news control your deal. When you have to deliver bad news \u2014 and you will \u2014 rely on Scotwork\u2019s 50 years of experience to manage its delivery to your advantage.Talk to one of our experts today:E: info@scotwork.co.nz<\/a>P: 042979069<\/p>\n<\/article>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article,\u00a0Give Me the Hard Stuff, about how to deliver the bad news in a negotiation. As I shared the article in one of our negotiation training classes, someone asked, \u201cBut why are people hiding the bad news in the first place?\u201d Great question! If we can understand…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":13016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_legacy_url":"blog-nz\/2025\/deal-conceal-10-reasons-why-we-bury-bad-news\/","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDeal conceal: 10 reasons why we bury bad news<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"World leaders in business negotiation training and consultancy with experts across 120 countries, with negotiation courses taught in 29 languages.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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