PRACTICAL SPEAKING GUIDE

Negotiate scope without making an empty promise

A client adds two new reports to an agreed delivery.

2026-09-27 · Original teaching notes by SpeakBEC

Start with the situation

A client adds two new reports to an agreed delivery. The deadline and team size have not changed. Saying “We’ll do our best” sounds cooperative but does not identify what the new request means for the existing commitment.

A possible exchange

We can add the two reports. To keep Friday’s date, we would need to move the dashboard changes to the next release.

Alternatively, we can include everything and deliver on Tuesday.

Which is more important for this release: the date or the full scope?

Why this works

The response makes a trade-off visible. It does not treat time, scope and capacity as if all three could remain unchanged. Give feasible options rather than a menu invented to pressure the client. If Tuesday has not been checked with the team, present it as a proposal to confirm, not as a commitment.

“Scope” is the work included in the agreement. Make it concrete by naming what is included, what moves and what stays. At the end, recap the chosen option in plain language and seek confirmation. A verbal agreement is easier to remember when it includes named deliverables and a date; it is still sensible to document the decision through the team’s normal process.

Change the condition and try it

An internal team asks for a translation and a redesign before tomorrow’s meeting. You can complete one properly in that time. Ask which outcome matters most, offer a realistic sequence and confirm what tomorrow’s version will contain. Do not imply both tasks are finished.

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.