This post is a collection of examples how to translate the things you want to write into a professional manner.
(Shamelessly copied from @Loewhaley)
| Real | Professional |
|---|---|
| That sounds like a you problem. | I believe that falls within your scope of responsibilities, but I’m happy to support where it makes sense. |
| Why didn’t you ask me for this sooner? | Given the tight turnaround it would have been beneficial to have been looped in on this sooner. |
| Stop emailing me so often. | To ensure that information does not get lost, let’s reduce frequency of information so that updates are only provided once more details have been established. |
| I’m not doing your job for you. | I do not have the capacity to take this on in addition to my own workload but I’m happy to support where it makes sense. |
| I’m not staying late to deal with this. | My workday concludes at 5 but I would be happy to prioritize this first thing tomorrow. |
| Stop CC’ing everyone. | To optimize communication perhaps we can target these emails to a more focused group |
| Please hurry up and get this done. | It is important that we have this completed in order to meet our targeted deadlines which are quickly approaching |
| Stay in your own lane. | Thanks for your input. I’ll keep that in mind as I move forward with decisions that fall within my responsibility. |
| I’ve told you this multiple times. | There seems to be a disconnect here as this information has already been provided |
| Stop bombarding me with messages. | To ensure that information does not get missed, can you please condense your communications into a single email where possible? |
| This is not my problem. | I recommend directing this issue to [name] as they have the proper expertise to best assist you. |
| If you would have read the whole email you’d know the answer to this. | I have included my initial email below which contains all of the details you are looking for. |
| I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. | Can you help me better understand what exactly it is that you require on my end? |
| Stop micromanaging. | I am confident in my ability to complete this project and will be sure to reach out if or when I require your input. |
| That’s not my job. | This falls outside my responsibilities, but I would be happy to connect you with someone who can help |
| Stop assigning me with so many tasks if you want any of them done. | As my workload is quite heavy, can you help me understand what I should re-prioritize in order to accommodate this new task. |
| Answer my emails. | If there is a better way to get in contact with you please let me know as I am hoping to have this resolved as soon as possible. |
| Did you even read my email? | Reattaching my email to provide further clarity |
| I’ll provide an update when I have one, stop bothering me. | You have not heard from me because further information is not available at this time. Once I have an update I’ll be sure to loop you in. |
| I don’t want to talk to you right now. | I am currently tied up with something but I will connect with you once I am free. |
| Do your job. | It is my understanding that you are the appropriate person to contact in regards to this but if there is someone better equipped for this please let me know. |
| That sounds like a horrible idea. | Are we confident that this is the best solution or are we still exploring alternatives? |
| I already told you this. | As indicated prior… |
| Can you answer all the questions I asked and not pick and choose one? | Are you able to provide some clarity around the other questions previously asked? |
| I told you so. | As per my prediction, this outcome does not come as a surprise. |
| Can you do your job and respond to my emails? | With deadlines approaching, it is imperative that I receive this information in order to proceed. |
| You are not my boss. | I can look at prioritizing this behind my assigned responsibilities. However I cannot commit to a timeline as my workload is dictated by [name]. |
| That meeting sounds like a waste of my time. | I’m unable to add value to this meeting but I would be happy to review the minutes. |
| You are over complicating this. | Being mindful of timelines, let’s concentrate on the initial scope. |
| I don’t think you’re understanding what’s going on. | Moving forward I want to ensure we are aligned |
| That makes absolutely no sense. | There seems to be a disconnect. |
| We do not have to have a meeting about this. | Being respectful of everone’s time let’s discuss this through email until we have a more defined agenda. |
| Did you just take credit for my work? | It is great to see my ideas being exposed to a wider audience and I would have appreciated the opportunity to have been included in the delivery. |
| Google that for yourself. | The internet is a great resource for these types of questions and I am available to clarify elements that you are not able to find online. |
| What you are saying does not make sense. | We seem to have a different understanding on this. Can you elaborate further on your thought process here? |