When delivering serious news or communicating difficult issues, it is best to do this in person so that the severity of the issue is properly communicated. It also gives the people discussing the chance to discuss the matter in-depth.
There are several other reasons why difficult issues should be communicated in person such as it giving people the chance to pick up non-verbal cues. Bottom-line, in-person communication is best for difficult news. This is why when doctors want to deliver news on a diagnosis they ask the patient if they can come to see them in-person.
