How to gracefully decline workplace requests

Even though many of us write for a living, we may find ourselves at a loss for words when it comes to saying “no” to a project or person.

Turning someone down in the complicated and politically fraught world of work is no easy task. Here are five templates you can use to say no to a project or offer politely and firmly.

1. Turning down a project because you have too much on your plate

Hi [name].

Thanks for including details about [project name]. For your reference, my priorities for this week are as follows:

Since I’m currently at capacity with these projects, I would like to table [new project] until [day] next week. This works best on my end so I can complete the above tasks without affecting the overall timeline.

Please let me know if I should prioritize the project you mentioned instead.

I appreciate the clarification.

2. Turning down a project that’s not right for you or not part of your job

Hi [name].

Thanks for thinking of me on this one. I’m always up for a challenge, but this falls too far outside my skill set. Even though I cannot help you, I do have an idea. This sounds like a great assignment for [name of colleague whose job it actually is]. [S/he] handles similar projects all the time.