Hi, Tim here with another [9] to [5] English 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

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

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 stating your disagreement too strongly for

Example you can say I'm not sure that's a good [idea]

What you're really saying is that it is not a good idea

But it's softer if you sound a bit unsure

the word might

Can work this way as well as in that

might not be 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're 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 a sentence with these expressions can [help] your 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

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

So we've [just] practiced some simple ways of disagreeing carefully

but there's another really effective way to 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 doesn'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 argument

Now it's your turn to practice using the yes, but approach

Remember to repeat each example after you hear it

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

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's no 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 as if you're surprised that someone might actually believe it's a good idea

One more way of disagreeing. Strongly is to tell someone 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 disagreeing strongly

Once again repeat [the] examples after you hear them

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

so we've learned some different ways of

disagreeing with ideas

but how do these expressions sound in the

conversation

Let's listen to a short dialogue between two co-workers

They're talking about whether or not they [should] hire a person named Jill

Okay, it's clear to me that we [should] hire Jill

I'm afraid I don't totally agree with that

Well, she's got a lot of experience. I know experience is important, but she's not a good fit

as you

[heard] the man disagrees carefully with the idea of hiring Jill

then when the woman mentions 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

Will repeat the dialogue, but this time we're going to beep out the second speaker's words

You will 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

Okay, it's clear to me [that] we should hire Jill

Well, she's got a lot of experience

all right, we've learned some great ways to

disagree with people's ideas

carefully, and

we've also

practiced disagreeing strongly with ideas

Be sure to tune in next time when [we'll] start learning how to talk about your personal background

until then so long and happy learning