There is no best way just the kindest way you can. Please do not feel this means invading their private space or that you have to touch or hug them a lot of people hate that. Personally I hated people stroking and trying to pet me. I know that everyone was trying to comfort me but too much emotion makes people break down and some people hate to do that in public. I know giving bad news must be the hardest thing in the world you just have to try to gauge the person and see if you can accommadate what they need

Ask my pastor, one of his jobs once was as an assistant chaplin at a hospital. One of the primary duties of this job was to call people who's relatives had died.

"Hi ,________, I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is, _____________. The bad news is, ____________." Actually it just reminded me of that. I think you should just tell him/her the really bad news because he/she's going to find out anyway. Then you can either stay with that person or leave him/her alonge if that person doesn't want anyone around.

Just tell them but compassionately. Let them know you feel empathetic, but not sympathetic. People don't want you to feel sorry for them, they want you to feel it with them. Unless you really know what they are going through, don't say "I know how you feel" or "I can't imagine how you feel". Don't leave them hanging, suspense just makes it worse.

Straight out and honestly. Prolonging the notice will prolonge the agony.

I think there's no single answer which fits all situations... it depends on so many things -- the person receiving, the person giving, the nature of the news, the circumstances... I'm not much of a fan of "recipes for problems" -- boilerplate solutions to be applied like a template onto the difficulties life presents. The problem with that kind of approach is that life presents problems in an infinite variety of ways, and no template can account for all the subtle things which might be going on in a specific situation. (This is also why it's impossible to formulate a perfect list of rules for human behavior). So I focus instead on steady awareness practice in life... the constant application of effort to learn to respond appropriately to ALL situations which arise, not just the difficult ones. By increasing our awareness, we include more and more of the details in our scope of concern, and are more able to navigate between the rocks and hard places deftly. This effort is both "what is needed most right now", and "training for the future" at the same time: life is fired at us point-blank, we don't get to go off somewhere and rehearse first. Like learning to play the violin in public, it's chronically embarrassing and demanding. By doing our best to rise to the occasion of each moment, we prepare ourselves for the worst moments. Ultimately, we're all preparing for our own death -- and the best way to do that is to do our best to attend to NOW, again and again.

Give them icecream and tell them you are there for them.