The Headline Before the History
Write a bad-news headline that states the decision before context and rationale.
Principle: say the outcome before you explain the path to it. The headline's job A headline gives the receiver a stable object to react to. It should be one sentence, plain language, and free of legal or operational fog. "We are cancelling the pilot this quarter" is a headline. "We are reassessing vendor sequencing" is not. Why it works The first seconds after bad news are high-load seconds. The receiver is listening for reality and safety. If you offer context first, they may either miss the point or suspect you are softening something. A clear headline lets the rest of…
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