The words to use
- SPIKES
- A six-step method for breaking bad news (Baile and colleagues, 2000): Setting, Perception, Invitation, Knowledge, Emotions, Strategy and summary.
- Warning shot
- A short sentence that signals bad news is coming, such as "I'm afraid I've got some bad news", followed by a brief pause.
- Empathic response
- In SPIKES, noticing the emotion, working out its cause and linking the two out loud: "I know this isn't what you wanted to hear."
- Euphemism
- A soft phrase used in place of a hard word, such as "we lost him" for "he died". It can leave people unsure what they have heard.
