best professional phrases to use in certain situations

[Virgil Showlion]

Wikipedia calls "hopefully", "mostly", "usually", "probably", etc. "weasel words", in that they can be used to obfuscate meaning and mislead people.

As others here have pointed out, uncertainty is situation- and even industry-specific. In cases where the boss insists on no weasel words, attach conditions (predicates) to statements. Rather than "I can probably finish it by tomorrow," say, "I can finish it by tomorrow provided my software update doesn't take more than two hours." And if the boss asks, "Will the software update take more than two hours?" and you honestly don't know, tell him plainly, "I don't know." or "It has in the past, but I can't guarantee it."

Honesty is always the best policy.

[TheOtherMe]

I have used I will need to research that further when it came to the tax code.

I had issues with people who came to me at the last minute wanting something done NOW.  It most likely wasn't going to happen for XYZ reason and I told them why it could not happen in 5 minutes. 

[mmhmm]

Lots of good answers here. Another important consideration is how you present yourself. Always present with confidence. If you don't know, tell the person you'll be happy to find the answer for them or connect them with someone who will have the answer for them and let them choose which approach they'd prefer. If you're asked to do something that's not possible, unlikely, or not the right course of action, explain up front and offer alternatives. You know what you do better than the person who's asking you to do it. Otherwise, they'd just do it themselves, n'est-ce pas vrai? A solid rationale for your action (or lack of same), presented with confidence, will always serve you well.

[MJ2.0]

Since this thread started, I've worked on eliminating the wishy washy language from my emails.  Yes, it takes more time writing emails, but they look like I actually know what I'm doing, lol.  I did before, but there is less "doubt" in there.  It will take a lot more work eliminating it from my verbal communication, but I need to get there. 

I find that I often thank people for helping me with work things.  I hope that doesn't sound weak/unprofessional because it's something I think we should all do more.  I want people to know that I appreciate them and what they do, even though they are just doing their jobs.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Oct 12, 2017 10:20:44 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Since this thread started, I've worked on eliminating the wishy washy language from my emails.  Yes, it takes more time writing emails, but they look like I actually know what I'm doing, lol.  I did before, but there is less "doubt" in there.  It will take a lot more work eliminating it from my verbal communication, but I need to get there. 

I find that I often thank people for helping me with work things.  I hope that doesn't sound weak/unprofessional because it's something I think we should all do more.  I want people to know that I appreciate them and what they do, even though they are just doing their jobs.

I don't think it sounds weak to thank people.  It creates an atmosphere of collaboration and fosters a positive relationship. 

I view it as I need them to be able to do my job, treating people like lowly peons doesn't help me achieve that goal.   They work just as hard as I do and deserve respect.   Thanking someone costs me nothing but gives a lot back in return.


 

[thyme4change]

Oct 12, 2017 10:20:44 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Since this thread started, I've worked on eliminating the wishy washy language from my emails.  Yes, it takes more time writing emails, but they look like I actually know what I'm doing, lol.  I did before, but there is less "doubt" in there.  It will take a lot more work eliminating it from my verbal communication, but I need to get there. 

I find that I often thank people for helping me with work things.  I hope that doesn't sound weak/unprofessional because it's something I think we should all do more.  I want people to know that I appreciate them and what they do, even though they are just doing their jobs.

My GM and VP thank me excessively for my work. It doesn't make them appear weak at all. I know they are trying to show appreciation for my hard work. Sometimes it gets a little rote and therefore annoying, but the sentiment is good.

[MJ2.0]

Oct 12, 2017 13:35:58 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Oct 12, 2017 10:20:44 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Since this thread started, I've worked on eliminating the wishy washy language from my emails.  Yes, it takes more time writing emails, but they look like I actually know what I'm doing, lol.  I did before, but there is less "doubt" in there.  It will take a lot more work eliminating it from my verbal communication, but I need to get there. 

I find that I often thank people for helping me with work things.  I hope that doesn't sound weak/unprofessional because it's something I think we should all do more.  I want people to know that I appreciate them and what they do, even though they are just doing their jobs.

My GM and VP thank me excessively for my work. It doesn't make them appear weak at all. I know they are trying to show appreciation for my hard work. Sometimes it gets a little rote and therefore annoying, but the sentiment is good.

I almost never get thanked other than a courtesy "thank you", so maybe that's why I make it a point to do it.

[Phoenix84]

I usually say some variation of

"I'll look into that and get back to you."

"Let me look it up and get back to you."

"Let me consult with my boss/colleagues and get back to you."

"Let me check my schedule and get back to you."

"(so and so) has more experience with this, here's their contact information."

Basically, bottom line, you defer to a later time until you can either find the answer or try to present the issue/problem/whatever to someone who can help. 

If push comes to shove though, I think it's fine for a professional to say "I don't know."  When you work in radiation safety, you don't make shit up as you go along.  If you don't know something or are unsure, you put it in a safe state and and go and figure it out. 

[Phoenix84]

Oct 12, 2017 10:20:44 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Since this thread started, I've worked on eliminating the wishy washy language from my emails.  Yes, it takes more time writing emails, but they look like I actually know what I'm doing, lol.  I did before, but there is less "doubt" in there.  It will take a lot more work eliminating it from my verbal communication, but I need to get there. 

I find that I often thank people for helping me with work things.  I hope that doesn't sound weak/unprofessional because it's something I think we should all do more.  I want people to know that I appreciate them and what they do, even though they are just doing their jobs.

Eliminating wishy washy language is good.  If you know the answer then say so. 

I know how hard it is too, and it's something I've been working on as well.  Sometimes I have to a habit of apologizing for or explaining things when I probably shouldn't.

It can be a hard judgment call to make.  On one hand, you want a collaborative work environment (i.e., not to be a dick) but at the same time, I shouldn't apologize for being assertive or exercising my authority where it's appropriate. 

[MJ2.0]

today I already had to tell someone upfront that they will likely not get what they are asking for (due to circumstances beyond our control at this point) especially since he asked for the same thing yesterday and it was not possible.  I said I'll ask X about it but I have a strong suspicion we will encounter the same issue with this as yesterday.  He provided an alternative yesterday, and I'm hoping he'll do the same today.  FYI, I am not in a position to provide an alternative here.  Without getting into too much detail about where I work, there are some hard stops that I know about but can't make the executive decision about delivering on X date instead of Y date.

[swamp]

Some other attorneys and i were just discussing this yesterday.

There is an attorney who appears unable to ever tell his clients, "no, that isn't going to happen," or "no, i won't do that, it's unethical."    He has a shitty reputation.    
Don't be like him.  Be upfront. 

[TheOtherMe]

When I worked for the IRS, we were taught in training to say "I don't know" rather than trying to wing it.  Say it professionally but if we got backed in to a corner say "I don't know". 

I learned from that the CPAs and controllers had more respect for me for saying "I don't know" than if I made something up that we all knew was wrong.

[zibazinski]

I guess “I don’t know and I don’t care” doesn’t qualify!