How to disagree with ideas

Raw Material

Hi! Tim here with another 925English lesson! In today’s lesson we’re going to learn how to disagree with ideas.

People disagree with each other’s ideas all the time. In fact, disagreement isn’t just natural, it’s neccessary. How else an we sort out the good ideas from the bad ones? But disagreeing with people’s isn’t always easy. If you’re not careful, you can make people feel hurt or angry. So how can you do that? How can you tell someone you don’t like their idea without upsetting them?

Well, one thing you can do is avoid starting your disagreement too strongly. For example, you can say “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” what you are really saying is that it is not a good idea, but it’s softer if you sound a bit unsure. The word might may work this way as well, as in “that might not the best way to go.”

And notice that both these ways of disagreeing focus on the idea, not the person presenting the idea. Focusing on the idea can help reduce the risk of upsetting the person you are disagreeing with.

Another way to carefully disagree with an idea is to use a special expression that softens your words. A couple of good ones are to be honest and I’m afraid. Starting sentence with these expressions can help you disagreement sound more polite.

How about practicing these different ways to disagree? You’re going to hear some examples. After each example, try repeating it yourself. Ready? let’s give it a go!

A: I’m not sure that’s the best option here.
B: I’m afraid I don’t totally agree with you
C: To be honest, I think that would be difficult.
D: Well, that might be the best way to go.

So, we’ve just practiced some simple ways of disagreeing carefully. But there’s anther really effective way t disagree, and that’s what I call the “yes…but…” approach.

With the “yes…but…” approach, you actually start by agreeing or saying something good about the idea. then you use the word but to introduce your disagreement or the reason why you disagree.

For example, you might say “good idea, but we don’t have enough time.” or you could say “yes, this option is cheaper, but it dosen’t look very nice”.

Why is this yes…but… approach effective? well, it shows that you have an open mind. i mean, if you can say something good about the person’s idea, then you’ve clearly thought carefully about it. you’re not just disagreeing to be difficult or to start an disagreement.

Now, it’s your turn to practice using the yes…but… approach. Remember to repeat each example after you hear it.

A: Good idea, but nobody has the time to make it happen.
B: I see what you’re saying but i’m not sure i can agree.
C: Although it costs less, i really don’t think it’s as good

Okay, so we’ve practiced some different ways of disagreeing carefully. But sometimes you don’t want to be careful. Sometimes you want to make it very clear that you disagree, and you’re not worried about making someone feel bad.

In this situation, you can say what you think very directly and clearly. For example, you might say that’s out of the question or there is not way we could do that. Both of these expressions mean that something is impossible.

Another way to disagree strongly is to ask a question like do you really think that would work? what you really mean is that won’t work, but by asking a question like this it makes it sound like you’re surprised that someone might actually believe it’s a good idea.

one more way of disagrreing strongly is to tell someone that they must be kidding or joking. Of course the person isn’t really joking, but saying this makes it sound like their idea is terrible.

Now, let’s practice these expressions for disagrreing strongly. once again, repeat the examples after you hear them.

A: Do you really think that would work?
B: That’s out of the question.
C: There’s no way we could do that
D: You’ve got to be kidding

So we’ve learned some different ways of disagreeing with ideas. But how do these expressions shound in a conversation? Let’s listen to a short dialog between two coworkers. They’re talking about whether or not they should hire a person named Jill.

A: Ok, it’s clear to me that we should hire Jill.
B: I’m afraid i don’t totally agree with that.
A: Well, she’s got a lot of experience.
B: I know experience is important, but she is not a good fit.

As you heard, the man disagrees carefully with the idea of hiring Jill. Then when the womon mention Jill’s experience, the man starts by acknowledging that experience is important before he disagrees by using the word “but.”

Now it’s your turn to practice. We’‘ll repeat the dialog, but this time we’ll beap out the second speaker’s words. You’'l have to say those parts yourself. Remember to start by disagreeing carefully. Then you can use a yes…but… approach to comment on Jill’s experience.

All right, we’ve learned some great ways to disagree with peleple’s ideas carefully. And we’ve also practiced disagree strongly with ideas. Be sure to tune in next time, when we’ll start learning how to talk about your personal background!

Util then, so long and happy learning!

Tutorial: 925English Lesson: How to Disagree with Ideas

Introduction

Hi! Tim here with another 925English lesson! In today’s lesson, we’re going to learn how to disagree with ideas.

The Concept of Disagreement

People disagree with each other’s ideas all the time. In fact, disagreement isn’t just natural, it’s necessary. How else can we sort out the good ideas from the bad ones? But disagreeing with people isn’t always easy. If you’re not careful, you can make people feel hurt or angry.

How to Disagree Without Upsetting Someone

So how can you do that? How can you tell someone you don’t like their idea without upsetting them?

• Avoid starting your disagreement too strongly.
  • For example: “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
• Use words like “might” to soften the statement.
  • For instance: “That might not be the best way to go.”
• Focus on the idea, not the person.

Expressions to Soften Disagreement

• “To be honest…”
• “I’m afraid…”

Practice Examples

• “I’m not sure that’s the best option here.”
• “I’m afraid I don’t totally agree with you.”
• “To be honest, I think that would be difficult.”
• “Well, that might not be the best way to go.”

The “Yes…But…” Approach

• Start by agreeing or saying something good about the idea.
  • Example: “Good idea, but we don’t have enough time.”
• Shows you have an open mind.

Practice Using “Yes…But…”

• “Good idea, but nobody has the time to make it happen.”
• “I see what you’re saying, but I’m not sure I can agree.”
• “Although it costs less, I really don’t think it’s as good.”

Disagreeing Strongly

Sometimes you need to be direct and make it clear that you disagree.

Direct Expressions

• “That’s out of the question.”
• “There’s no way we could do that.”

Questioning Approach

• “Do you really think that would work?”

Strong Disagreement Phrases

• “You’ve got to be kidding.”

Practice for Strong Disagreement

• “Do you really think that would work?”
• “That’s out of the question.”
• “There’s no way we could do that.”
• “You’ve got to be kidding.”

Dialog Practice

Conversation about Hiring Jill

• A: “Ok, it’s clear to me that we should hire Jill.”
• B: “I’m afraid I don’t totally agree with that.”
• A: “Well, she’s got a lot of experience.”
• B: “I know experience is important, but she is not a good fit.”

Conclusion

We’ve learned and practiced how to disagree with people’s ideas, both carefully and strongly. Tune in next time, when we’ll start learning how to talk about your personal background!

Until then, so long and happy learning!