The time inevitably comes when you have to be the bearer of bad news. What do you do when the news is bad? You don't want to leave the client feeling depressed, out of control, or so angry that they "shoot the messenger."

I always assess the character of the person I am working with before deciding how to break bad news. Some people prefer the straight, unvarnished truth, while others need bad news broken more obliquely, more tactfully.

I remember a client saying to me: "Are you always this cheerful and optimistic?" I pointed out to him that I had actually given him three bits of "bad" news, but in such a way that he felt empowered to deal with it.

It's often a case not of what you say but how you say it. "One size does not fit all."