2026-09-02
20 分钟Hi there, this is Harry and welcome back to the Advanced English Business Podcast.
So in this particular episode today, we're looking at how to say no to a last minute request at work.
And I'm sure this is a situation that many of you will recognise.
For example, it's four o'clock in the afternoon, you're trying to finish something and your manager
or a colleague comes to you and says, could you get this done today?
Or perhaps a client suddenly asks for changes to something that has to go out the following morning.
Now, the request itself may be perfectly reasonable.
The problem is the amount of time they're giving you, or more accurately, the lack of time.
And just to be clear, when we say last minute, like we don't literally mean the very last minute.
It simply means that you've been given very little notice.
So before you answer, there are two important things to think about.
First, work out what the actual problem is.
Are you saying no to the task itself or is the problem the deadline?
Perhaps you can do the work but not today.
Perhaps you can do the most important part today and the rest tomorrow.
Or perhaps your manager has given you another urgent
job and you need to know which one they want you to do first.
That's important because your answer will be different depending on the situation.
And secondly, you need to be clear about what you can and cannot do.
OK, you don't need a very, very long explanation.