2013 PLA Virtual Spring Symposium
A Novel Approach to Giving Bad News
Administration/Leadership Track: Program 2
- 12:30–1:30 PM Eastern
- 11:30 AM–12:30 PM Central
- 10:30–11:30 AM Mountain
- 9:30–10:30 AM Pacific
Though seldom easy, providing information that staff members or patrons do not wish to hear is a regular part of the job. Bad news may trigger anguish, agitation, even aggression. Making the person happy about the bad news is not a realistic goal. But, by preparing in advance and presenting bad news in a way that is direct but tactful, the person is likely to feel supported, and at the very least, treated fairly. Learn strategies to employ before, during and after delivering bad news and understand that while we cannot control the actions of others, we can control ourselves. Gaining knowledge on how to do this is the first step in maintaining a library and workplace full of respect, service, and safety.
Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of this program, participants will:
- Have a high level understanding of how to be better prepared at giving bad news
- Know the six key principles to giving bad news
- Understand when and how to provide support after giving bad news
Presenters
Stacy Schrank currently serves as employee development coordinator at Metropolitan Library System in Oklahoma City, Okla. He is a professional educator with nearly 10 years of work experience. Stacy’s work focuses on secondary and adult education in the areas of communication and leadership development. He holds his master’s degree from the University of Sioux Falls in educational leadership and is currently pursuing a PhD from the University of Oklahoma in adult and higher education. Stacy is a member of Rotary International, the American Library Association (ALA), Interagency Training Council and the Oklahoma Library Association. Stacy also served as secretary on the Learning Round Table Executive Board for ALA from 2009–2011.
Raquelle Solon currently serves as the associate director of Prepare Training® for CPI, an international training company dedicated to creating violence prevention and intervention resources and training materials. In her role with CPI, Raquelle has assisted hundreds of organizations in determining the best training solution to meet their needs. She has worked directly with both library systems and individual branches to determine the most cost-effective means of implementing training and supporting their current Certified Instructors.
