Presentation: Communicating Bad News: Practical Ways to Say What No One Wants to Hear
Abstract: In the realm of project management, delivering bad news is an inevitable task that can induce anxiety and strain relationships between team members and customers, ultimately jeopardizing project outcomes. This presentation, led by Leah Onuoha of Gunnison Consulting Group—a Washington Post and USA Today “Top Place to Work”—is designed to equip project managers of all experience levels with practical strategies for effectively communicating bad news to customers, team members, and management. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how to craft and deliver communication that is transparent, accountable, empathetic, concise, and clear, while learning practical techniques for maintaining and rebuilding trust. This session is ideal for project managers, team leaders, and anyone involved in project oversight and communication.
Key Takeaways:
- Techniques to Build Trust Through Transparency and Accountability
- Balancing Empathy and Professionalism in Communication
- Tips on Being a Straightforward Communicator
- Techniques for Rebuilding and Maintaining Relationships After Delivering Bad News
- Real-world Examples of Communicating Bad News
PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills
Biography: Leah Onuoha is a Senior Leader and Program Director at Gunnison Consulting Group – a Washington Post and USA Today “Top Place to Work” – where she also serves as the Philanthropy Chair and as the overseer of the Organization Management Team. She graduated with honors from the University of Pittsburgh with degrees in Business Administration and Theater Arts.
With sixteen years of experience at Gunnison, Leah is a seasoned project management expert in overseeing federal software engineering contracts, with her longest tenured serving as the Project Manager for the Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS) development contract at the US Census Bureau since 2015. As a Program Director, Leah has overseen cybersecurity, IT service management, and other agile development federal projects.
Leah is mentor at heart and enjoys finding ways to continually improve processes and products in digital services, automation and intelligence, and cybersecurity spaces. She has had the pleasure of speaking at multiple Industry Conferences, and she enjoys interfacing with other IT and Project Management professionals eager to learn and grow.
