Office communication and successful interpersonal relationships are vital to corporate success.
These are 12 phrases that should never be uttered in the workplace – not to your customers and not to your colleagues :
| Don’t Say | Say instead | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I don’t know | I don’t know but I will find out for you. |
| 2 | I’m very busy | I’ve this urgent report to get out and it’ll take me about an hour. May I see you in about an hour? |
| 3 | It’s not my job | I’m not familiar with this, but I know Amy is an expert.Let me go check with her and we’ll get it done. |
| 4 | It’s not my fault | I’m sorry this happened. (The buck stops here!) |
| 5 | Do you understand? | “Was I clear?” or simply, “Any questions?” |
| 6 | Nobody told me | I must have missed the (email, memo, etc) but let me get on with this straightaway. |
| 7 | I forgot | I’m sorry I forgot but I will be more mindful the next time. |
| 8 | It can’t be done | I can’t accede to your request but let me offer you an alternative. |
| 9 | Yes, but … | Yes, I’ll see to it. |
| 10 | Can I help you? | How may I help you? |
| 11 | Please call back | May I take a message for you? |
| 12 | This is Company’s Policy | This is not our usual practice, but let me check with the person-in- charge |