American English · C1 · Unit 4
Diplomacy
Diplomacy
By the end you can
- Give bad news tactfully
- Disagree and criticise diplomatically
- Understand what indirect language really means
Words and phrases
| American English | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I'm afraid | a polite way to start bad news | I'm afraid we're going to miss the deadline. |
| I'll be candid with you | I'll be honest with you | I'll be candid with you: we're three weeks behind. |
| we've run into | we've had (an unexpected problem) | We've run into some technical issues. |
| with all due respect | a polite phrase before you disagree | With all due respect, that's not what we agreed. |
| I'm not sure that's quite right | a polite way to say: I think that's wrong | I'm not sure that's quite right. |
| it might be worth | a soft way to suggest | It might be worth rethinking the timeline. |
| I appreciate your patience | thank you for waiting | I appreciate your patience while we fix this. |
| to soften the blow | to make bad news easier to take | To soften the blow, we're offering a discount. |
| a setback | a problem that slows progress | It's a setback, not a disaster. |
| that's an interesting idea | often a polite way to say no | That's an interesting idea. Let's think about it. |
| read between the lines | understand what is meant but not said | You have to read between the lines. |
| tactful | careful not to upset people | She's very tactful with clients. |
Then talk it through
Telling a client their project will be late. In the app you have this conversation out loud or typed, with the unit's goals to tick off and corrections at the end.