PRACTICAL SPEAKING GUIDE

Offer a realistic deadline in a short exchange

Your colleague needs a revised quote by three.

2026-09-27 · Original teaching notes by SpeakBEC

Start with the situation

Your colleague needs a revised quote by three. The delivery price has not arrived, so a complete quote is only realistic by four. A bare “I can’t” reports a problem but leaves the colleague to plan around it alone. An automatic “yes” creates a promise you may not be able to keep.

A possible exchange

Could you get the quote to me by three?

I’m still waiting for the delivery price. I can get it to you by four. Would that work?

I need the product prices for a call at three.

I can send those by three and follow up with delivery by four.

Why this works

The first response has three useful parts: the relevant constraint, a feasible alternative and a check that the alternative meets the need. The reason is specific, not an excuse such as “I am very busy”. The follow-up question reveals that the colleague does not need every detail at the same time. That makes a partial handover possible.

“By four” means no later than four. “At four” points to that particular time. Neither is automatically more professional; choose the one you mean. Avoid treating negotiation as a fixed three-sentence speech. When the colleague gives a new priority, adapt the offer. Confirm separately what will arrive first and what will follow.

Change the condition and try it

The full report needs a chart that will arrive tomorrow. A manager needs the key findings today for a decision. Offer a partial version today, state what is missing and give a time for the complete version. Do not call the partial report “final”.

Try a spoken or written response before checking it. Did you address the changed condition? Could the listener identify the next step? The model is not the only acceptable answer.