The Sports Physical Therapy Academy Podcast · Dr. Chris Garcia

EP174: "Delivering BAD News To Athletes"

·20 min·1 clip

Garcia says words are 7%, tone 38%, and body language 55% when delivering bad news.

Chris Garcia opens by speaking directly to motivated healthcare and fitness professionals who want to work with more athletes, become sports specialists, or find jobs in sports settings. He then turns to the challenge of delivering bad news well. The basic issue is straightforward: clinicians eventually have to tell someone that surgery may be needed, that surgery is likely, or that the news is not what the athlete or patient hoped to hear. He argues that this cannot be handled by avoiding the conversation. He says the provider has to lead with empathy. He also draws a firm line between being friendly and doing the actual job. The clinician is not there to become a friend first. The clinician is there to provide options and help the person make the best decision. That means connecting through logic, not through a performance of warmth. He keeps returning to the idea that confidence matters because insecurity can push people into delay. Young clinicians, or clinicians who are uneasy with difficult conversations, may lean on rapport instead of giving the hard impression. Garcia pushes back on that pattern. He treats hesitation as a skill gap, not a reason to avoid the issue. He also places this skill inside the reality of long-term clinical growth. There will be many moments in a career where hard news has to be delivered. The job is to be ready when those moments show up. The episode is framed as a step toward becoming a more effective sports clinician. It is less about comfort and more about competence. It is also less about saying the nice thing and more about saying the useful thing. Garcia's delivery stays direct and forceful. He uses blunt language and a mentoring tone. The result is a conversation that tries to move the listener from avoidance to responsibility. The episode closes by pointing listeners toward the course, the website, and other resources for the next step in their professional development.

As heard by us

A practical reminder that delivering bad news is part of the job.

Chris Garcia treats delivering bad news as a practical skill for healthcare and fitness professionals who work with athletes. The focus stays on hard conversations around surgery or the need for surgery, and on handling those moments with more confidence and clarity.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Say the hard thing without losing the athlete.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Sports Physical Therapy Academy Podcast