Choose the right time and place. The timing is important – do you want colleagues to have the rest of the day to think about the news and discuss it amongst themselves? If you are delivering bad news then communicate it as soon as possible – rumours start very quickly and you need to be ahead of them. Think about the venue, layout of the room, and timing of the meeting. Some rooms and their standard layouts are not conducive to giving and receiving information and can immediately set up a ‘them and us’ dynamic.

The invitation to the meeting. Consider how you invite your colleagues to the briefing meeting. If you are going to share bad news with them then it is sensible to forewarn them. It gives colleagues time to prepare for the news. Don't go into details about the content of the meeting and don't provide false reassurances in your invitation.

Plan your message. Get all the facts. Know how the situation has arisen and the options. Be clear about the decision-making process and be prepared to share it with colleagues. Prepare your brief and consider whether or not you need to use visual props such as PowerPoint.

At the start of the briefing, attract colleagues’ attention. Make sure you have everyone's attention before you start speaking. Welcome everyone and thank them for attending the briefing session.

Use the TV news habit of delivering the message three times. Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them and then summarise the news. This helps colleagues to take in the news and understand it.