7 Scripts for Saying “No” At Work
How many of y’all have trouble saying “no” to people? 🙋🏻♀️😅
I've struggled with it too but it's an important thing to learn how to do if you're going to set effective boundaries. So, here are some different ways to say no (feel free to copy and paste):
🔹 Establish a pre-no to manage people's expectations ahead of time: “My availability this week/month/quarter is going to be a limited due to ______________, so I'll have a limited capacity to take on additional tasks for the time being.”
🔹 If you're not sure if you can take something on, buy yourself time to assess your commitments: “I need to consider my current schedule first. Can I get back to you in 24-hours?”
🔹 If you need to postpone for another time: "I'd love to help you but my calendar is already fully booked with other commitments today, so I'll get back to you on Friday." Or “I can see that we have a deadline for ___________ coming up next week. Unfortunately, with the other projects we have going on, that’s not going to work for us. I do have availability at the end of the month so let’s reschedule it for then.”
🔹 Offer what you can manage: “Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to ________. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to take on the whole project, but here’s what I can do.”
🔹 If you can't take something on but know someone who can: "I'm unable to take this on at the moment, but I believe [PERSON] can. I’ll put you in touch with them directly." Or "I’m not able to make time right now. Let me recommend someone who may be able to help you."
🔹 When you're asked to do something that's not in your job description: "That's not my area of expertise but I'm happy to give you _________'s contact info and I'm sure they'd be happy to help you with that."
🔹 Gracefully decline: "Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of ________. I appreciate it but unfortunately, I need to respectfully decline because I'm at capacity right now. Thank you for understanding." Or "This sounds like a really interesting project. Unfortunately, I'm already maxed out on what I can take on right now and I wouldn't be able to get to this for a few days/weeks/months. Since this is important to you, it's probably best to give it to someone who can give it the time and attention it deserves."
Keep your "no's" short, sweet and respectful. No apologies for committing to yourself, and no excuses. We often think we have to justify saying no, but we don't. We might put a "thank you" on the end, but we don't have to apologize for setting reasonable boundaries.
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