

#Try to clarify questions professional
There are some social or professional situations in which you may want to avoid directly saying you haven’t understood. Could you be more specific about gift card restrictions? Sorry but I don’t quite follow what you’re saying about the new policy.When you say workers are on furlough, do you mean they’re temporarily laid off from work? I’m sorry but I’m not sure I understand.Listen to someone expressing lack of understanding and asking for clarification: “Could you elaborate on that?” is usually more suited to formal situations, such as in the workplace. In such situations, the following are useful: Other times, you may simply need more information or a helpful example. When you say workers are on furlough, do you mean they’re temporarily laid off from work?.The phrase “When you say…, do you mean…?” of course is not a complete sentence. Here are some phrases you can use.įor many of them, you can use “can” or “could,” with could being a little more formal:

Sorry but I don’t quite follow what you’re saying about the new policy.Īfter you express your lack of understanding, the next step is to ask the person to clarify what they have said.I’m sorry but I’m not sure I understand what you mean by "tech giants.".In such situations, you can be more exact. Other times, you may understand part of what someone has said but need clarity on another part. Using the word “that” in two of the phrases is more suited for formal written communication, such as work-related emails. Sorry, I’m not sure (that) I know what you mean.I’m sorry but I’m not sure (that) I understand.The first step is to tell the person that you are not sure that you have understood them fully. Here is how you can respectfully get the information that you need. Or maybe you think you know what the person means but want to make sure that you are correct. The person might not have explained themselves clearly, for example. This is different from asking a person to repeat something. When you ask someone for clarification, you are asking them to say something in a different way or provide more information so that you understand them better.
#Try to clarify questions how to
In today’s program, we will tell you how to get clarification on what someone has said or written. But in real life, you probably want to avoid such confusion. On television, communication failures can make for funny stories. But they soon find out they are among very, very bad people. Jerry and George are unsure what these comments mean. Some of the planned passengers later unexpectedly get in the limo and begin to make unusual comments. Guess where I am – in the back of a limo! No, nobody died. This is incredible! This is one of the greatest things I've ever done in my life! I'm going to call my mother.
