Business Communication: Choosing the Best Response

Situation 1: Clarifying Tasks

• We have a client presentation on Friday. Can you prepare the slides?

• Sure, I’ll have the slides ready by Thursday.

• I don’t think so.

• Can you ask someone else?

Situation 2: Scheduling a Meeting

• Can we move the meeting to next Tuesday at 3 p.m.?

• I’m available at 4 p.m. instead. Does that work?

• I won’t attend the meeting.

• I don’t care when the meeting is.

Situation 3: Asking for Clarification

• We need to finalize the budget by the end of the week.

• I already did everything. I don’t need help.

• Could you clarify what needs to be finished by the end of the week?

• I thought the deadline was next week. Can we confirm the timeline?

Situation 4: Giving Feedback

• The report looks good, but we need to add more data in section three.

• I disagree about adding more data.

• Do you really think the current data is not enough?

• I’ll add the extra data today and update the report.

Situation 5: Addressing an Issue

• The client wasn’t happy with the last delivery. What can we do to fix it?

• Let’s talk to the client and understand their concerns before suggesting a solution.

• Maybe it’s just a small issue. Let’s wait and see.

• • It’s the client’s mistake, not ours.

Situation 6: Responding to a Request

• Can you send me the updated sales report by this afternoon?

• I'm quite busy. But I think I can send it by 5 pm.

• I have a lot on my plate. Can I send it tomorrow?

• I’ll send it later, but I’m not sure when.

Situation 7: Apologizing for a Mistake

• I’m sorry, but I noticed a mistake in the report I sent yesterday.

• I’ll fix it next week.

• I’m already working on fixing the mistake and will send a new version shortly.

• I didn’t think the mistake was a big deal.