Don’t surprise your clients or your colleagues.

Surprises might be okay from SMEs if they bring good news such as, “Surprise! We just discovered a cure for our largest vexing problem!” Or, “Surprise! We just discovered life on another planet.” But typically, surprises are bad.

Great experts always give people a warning before delivering bad news. They don’t drop bad news out of the sky, especially not in a group setting. Things will go much better if your audience has time to prepare.