Kick-starting a new series looking at what can HR learn from other functions and skill sets is George Dearsley, a senior tutor at Television and Radio Techniques who explains why sacking by text message is akin to business suicide.

When Mark Langford’s company The Accident Group collapsed three years ago 2,400 workers learned they were sacked via text messages.

No warm thanks for the graft that had given the chairman a champagne lifestyle. No glimmer of hope that the business might be salvaged.

By contrast Lieutenant-Colonel Tim Collins’ address to his troops in Iraq just two months earlier before they risked their lives against Saddam Hussein’s army was hailed by The Times as oratory that ranks alongside Lincoln’s Gettysburg address and Churchill’s inspiring wartime rhetoric.

What was the outcome?

The Accident Group became a by-word for appalling industrial relations, its reputation was ruined, its employees dispirited and a sense of public outrage led the authorities and the media to make Langford public enemy number one.

The battle group of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish, meanwhile, went about its business in the face of biological and chemical weapons with renewed courage and enthusiasm.

And on his return to the UK, Collins was promoted.

It’s accepted that, for many, communicating in public – presenting – is one of the most stressful activities in life, comparable to bereavement, divorce and moving house.

And the ordeal is compounded when the presenter has to deliver bad news.

The key is to be very clear what you want to achieve, prepare carefully, practice diligently, find the relevant trigger for your audience and above all be yourself.

You cannot camouflage bad news so don’t try. But, however bleak the situation, invariably there is something positive to say.

Talk about the solution rather than the problem. Sometimes just getting ‘bad news’ into context is positive.

When Ford had to lay off 3,000 workers in America a few years ago the Chief Executive was unfazed.

“Ford,” he intoned “has known good times, Ford has known bad times. But Ford is as much a part of this country as the Statue of Liberty.”

Audiences rarely do what the presenter wants because he or she has told or ordered them.

They are more likely to respond if they recognise in what is being said, something they can appreciate or take ownership of.

In his Gettysburg address, Abraham Lincoln convinced people to accept the appalling losses of one of history’s bloodiest battles by appealing to their sense of honour, justice, the memory of fallen kin and the chance to build a better future for their children.

First you must choose your medium.

After the fall-out from the Hutton Inquiry the then director general, Greg Dyke used a recorded video message to address staff.

It would have been impossible to hold dozens of live presentations. Power Point slides are, for the most part, the death of inspirational communication.

Can you imagine Rafa Benitez plugging in the laptop at half time in Istanbul as Liverpool trailed 3-0 to AC Milan?

It is vital that employees hear bad news before the media and that they are treated with honesty.

Employees want to feel proud of the organisation they work for and it’s often the charisma or lack of the chairman’s or chief executive’s that sets the tone.

Maintaining loyalty and calming fears are often the initial goals. Obfuscation and being economical with the truth is corrosive and inspires damaging speculation.

Lies blow away all credibility when they are revealed. A huge proportion of a presenter’s impact comes from how he or she speaks, rather than the actual words.

Looking assured and speaking slower than in everyday talk generates confidence.

If something in the media or the public domain is wrong it should be nailed – and quickly. Presenters should do their homework, talk to colleagues and get a feel for the mood on the shop floor before planning an address.

Use an internal poll if necessary so when you say a majority of staff support the company’s initiative you have figures to back it up.

Much of the above can be employed in that other angst-ridden exercise: pitching an idea to the board.

Use the salesman’s trick: get them nodding.

“There’s nothing worse than getting caught in a rainstorm, wouldn’t you agree?”

So how about a vending machine on the London Underground that sells umbrellas (one of the ideas in the first series of the hit TV show Dragon’s Den).

Know exactly how long you’ve got for your pitch before you open your mouth.

What turns your audience on?

Keep it simple. The Nick Park film, Chicken Run, for example, was pitched to Spielberg as The Great Escape for chickens.

How will the person that you are pitching to benefit? Spell it out.

Appreciate feedback – even if it’s silence.

Have answers ready to prospective objections.

Ensure the time is right for your idea.

Above all retain your dignity and credibility. If your idea is not accepted you may wish to pitch again later.