Why the way you frame hard news matters more than the news itself
Layoffs are back in the headlines. From Meta to Google, Amazon to Salesforce, thousands of jobs are being cut. And while the headlines report the numbers, what people actually remember is how leaders broke the news.
The lesson for the rest of us? Leadership isn’t only judged on the decision (the numbers, the cuts), but on the pitch behind the decision—how you frame it, how you communicate it, and whether people trust you more or less once you’ve spoken.
This isn’t just about global boardrooms. It’s about the everyday high-stakes conversations you face in your workplace.
The Gap Between the Decision and the Pitch
Research consistently shows that communication during layoffs is one of the strongest predictors of how employees—both departing and remaining—view leadership:
- Forbes reports that vague or corporate spin erodes trust faster than the layoffs themselves.
- Harvard Business Review found that clarity, empathy, and timeliness mitigate long-term reputational damage.
- Wired criticised mass email firings as “dehumanising,” noting that the format, not the decision, drove outrage.
The gap is clear: a poor pitch makes a hard decision worse.
Sales-Style vs Missionary-Style Communication
The same divide we see in pitching ideas applies to moments of crisis:
Sales-Style (Mercenary) Communication
- Downplays the negatives, oversells the positives.
- Leans on spin, jargon, and shareholder language.
- Aims to “close the gap” quickly, often at the expense of credibility.
Missionary / No-Sell Communication
- Names the radical problem upfront.
- Acknowledges what you know and what you don’t.
- Frames the decision within a bigger belief, value, or mission.
- Seeks alignment, not persuasion.
The difference? One feels like something being done to people. The other feels like something being done with care for people.
Real-World Examples
- Meta (2025): Thousands of layoffs were accompanied by corporate-sounding messaging. The backlash wasn’t only about job cuts, but about how leadership sounded detached from the human impact.
- Airbnb (2020): CEO Brian Chesky’s layoff memo, by contrast, became a model of clarity and compassion. It was transparent, detailed, and human. Employees—even those being let go—publicly praised the way it was handled (HBR analysis).
These examples show that how you pitch the moment shapes whether you lose trust or build it. At a local level Atlassian and ANZ could have benefitted from this hindsight.
Why This Matters Day-to-Day
You may not be announcing layoffs to thousands of employees. But the principle applies to every difficult conversation you’ll face at work:
- Telling a colleague their project won’t get funded.
- Giving hard feedback that risks damaging trust.
- Saying no to a client request you know they’ll push back on.
- Explaining a change in direction when your team is invested in the old one.
These are all “mini-layoffs”—moments where trust is on the line, and your pitch determines the outcome.
Practical Takeaways
Next time you face a high-stakes or difficult conversation, ask:
- Am I trying to sell my way out of discomfort?
(Spin, jargon, overpromising.)
- Or am I pitching with clarity and alignment?
(Naming the issue, being transparent, showing why this matters to the bigger picture.)
To stay on the right side of that line:
- Name the elephant in the room. Don’t avoid the obvious problem—call it out directly.
- Be clear about what you know and don’t know. People respect honesty when it's believable.
- Be clear about the future you see. Frame the decision inside a bigger picture the business has always been committed to.
- Be authentic. If they don't see the real you, they just see spin.
TL;DR
Layoffs don’t just test leadership. They test your pitch.
In moments of high stakes—whether you’re cutting jobs, giving tough feedback, or telling someone “no”—the difference between losing trust and building it lies in how you frame the message.
Don’t sell your decision.
Pitch your clarity.
That’s how you move people forward, even when the news is hard.
Happy Pitching,
Pete & Rosie—The Pitch Camp Team