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Phrases for difficult conversations at work

Phrases for the conversations people avoid: raising a problem, disagreeing, saying no, and calming things down.

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Phrases for every stage

Raising a problem

  • I wanted to raise something.
  • Can we talk about what happened with the report?
  • I need to bring something up, do you have a minute?

Disagreeing without conflict

  • I see it a bit differently.
  • I'm not sure that's the full picture.
  • Let's agree to disagree for now and come back to it.

Saying no firmly

  • That doesn't work for us.
  • I'm not able to commit to that.
  • Unfortunately, that's not something we can do right now.

Keeping the conversation on track

  • That's outside the scope of what we agreed.
  • Can I just finish this point, then I'll hand it over to you?
  • Let's park that and come back to it after.

De-escalating

  • Let's take a step back for a second.
  • Let me make sure I understand before I respond.
  • I think we want the same thing here.
  • Can we focus on finding a solution?

Following up

  • Thanks for hearing me out.
  • I appreciate you being direct about this.
  • Let's check in again next week and see how it's going.

Confrontational to professional

Confrontational / Professional
ConfrontationalProfessional
That's not my problem.I don't think I'm the right person for this, let's loop in...
You're wrong.I see it a bit differently.
Whatever, fine.Okay, I can work with that.
This is ridiculous.I'm having trouble understanding the reasoning here.
We'll never agree on this.Let's find some common ground first.

Watch out if you speak Spanish

  • Rioplatense directness (y esto quien lo aprueba, no, asi no va) translated word for word can land as confrontational in English. Add one softening phrase first: I hear you, and...
  • English speakers often name the issue, not the person: the report wasn't ready, not you didn't finish the report.
  • A firm no still needs a reason: that doesn't work for us because... A bare no can feel final and rude.
  • Ending a hard conversation with a concrete next step (let's check in Friday) lowers the temperature more than a long apology.
  • Interrupting someone and managing someone who won't stop talking need different phrases. To interrupt, say sorry to jump in. To manage a dominant talker, say can I just finish this point, then hand it over, it stays on track and the same page without cutting them off mid-sentence.

Practice

Open cloze

Write one word in each gap to complete the phrase.

  1. 1. I wanted to

    something.

  2. 2. I see it a bit

    .

  3. 3. That doesn't

    for us.

  4. 4. I'm not able to

    to that.

  5. 5. Let's take a

    back for a second.

  6. 6. I think we want the

    thing here.

  7. 7. Thanks for

    me out.

  8. 8. Let's

    in again next week.

0 of 8 checked

Questions

How do I disagree with my manager in English?
Use a softer frame: Can I offer a different view? or I see it a bit differently. It keeps the disagreement about the idea, not the person.
Is it rude to say no directly in English?
A no without a reason can feel blunt. Add a short reason and, if you can, an alternative: that doesn't work for us, but we could...

Keep going

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