Delivering bad news to project stakeholders can be an extremely stressful, non-career enhancing situation if not done properly.  This presentation provides an overview of PM tools for risk and communication management to help PMs and team members deliver bad news.  It embraces fundamental elements of sound project management and integrates them with scenes taken from the movie Apollo 13.  Participants will be able to identify several communication tools and techniques that clarify expectations and minimize negative impacts when delivering bad news.  Information will be presented on understanding the context of the situation, assessing information and stakeholders, and determining modes of information delivery.   Minor non-threatening audience participation will be included.

Speaker:
Scott Wright, Ph.D., P.E., PMP, is an Assistant Professor of Project Management at UW-Platteville. He has 25 years of experience in managing, leading, and advising organizations in Asia, North America, Europe, and the Middle East in the private and public sector. 
Scott was a Principal Engineer with URS Corporation in their Melbourne, Australia office and was a senior project manager, consulting engineer, and key client manager to industry and government. 
Before consulting engineering, Scott was an officer in the Army’s Medical Service Corps.  During his 21-year career, he served 9 years overseas in Japan, Korea, Australia, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Solomon Islands, various Pacific Islands, Germany, and a 12-month combat tour in Iraq with the 30th Medical Brigade.  He retired from active duty in 2007 at the grade Lieutenant Colonel culminating as the Director of Force Health Protection for the 60,000 service members in Europe. 
His education includes BS in chemical engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, MS in engineering management from Stanford University, and Ph.D. in environmental engineering from University of Colorado-Boulder.
His military awards include the Bronze Star, numerous lesser awards, and induction to the Order of Military Medical Merit for excellence in his profession.  He is a life member of the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars and a mentor to the local UW-Platteville student chapter of Engineers Without Borders.