You’ve been searching for just the right way to break bad news — maybe to a friend, a team, or a customer — and you’re worried about sounding harsh or upsetting. The good news? You’ve landed in the right place. This article gives you lots of simple, positive-phrased alternatives to deliver unwelcome information with kindness, clarity and respect. Read on: your problem will be solved here.
Sorry Generator
When you need to soften the blow first
- I wanted to let you know something that’s changed.
- I have an update that isn’t what we hoped.
- I’m sorry to share a less-positive development.
- I wish I were telling you something better, but here’s where we stand.
- I know this isn’t the news you wanted, but I need to tell you.
- I appreciate your patience — we have a bit of a setback.
- I’m reaching out with a challenging update.
- I hope you’re doing well — I’ve got some news we should discuss.
- I want to bring you up to speed on a change.
- I value your understanding as I deliver this update.
- I regret that the situation has shifted.
- I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but here goes.
- I’m sorry to say that things haven’t gone as planned.
- I know this may disappoint you — here’s the situation.
- I wanted to speak with you about something difficult.
- I hope we can work through this together.
- I know this update may be unwelcome, but I want to be honest.
- I understand how important this is — and the news isn’t ideal.
- I want to be transparent: we have a problem.
- I’m sorry to interrupt your day with this message.
- I know this comes at a tough time — here’s what happened.
- I wanted you to hear directly from me.
- I appreciate your trust — and I have to tell you something.
- Let’s talk about a situation that changed.
- I’m regretting that I must share this.
- I know you were expecting different news.
- I’m sorry that I can’t deliver better news right now.
- I hope we can find a way forward after this.
- I know this isn’t ideal, but here’s what’s happening.
- I value your time — and I have a difficult update.
- I believe in being upfront, so here is the news.
How to explain the cause in a gentle way
- The reason this happened is due to …
- Because of recent changes we’re facing …
- We discovered an unexpected issue with …
- We’ve been working hard, but we hit a stumbling block with …
- The situation changed when …
- Due to external factors …
- An unplanned event occurred …
- We found that … impacted our original plan.
- We did everything we could, however …
- The obstacle is …
- We’re looking into why this happened …
- We anticipated one outcome, but …
- A key piece of information came in that altered things …
- We regret to say that because of …
- We must share that … is causing a delay.
- The root cause appears to be …
- We faced a constraint with …
- We underestimated …
- The timing shifted because of …
- We have limited … which led to …
- We hit a bottleneck in …
- We uncovered that …
- We’re dealing with … and that means …
- We found additional costs/time in …
- The team discovered …
- We need to adjust because …
- The complication arose from …
- The original preview didn’t account for …
- The environment changed when …
- We now believe that … forced us to adjust.
Positive ways to deliver the actual news
- We won’t be able to meet the deadline as hoped.
- We must postpone the event to a later date.
- We’ll need to reduce the scope of the project.
- We can’t move ahead with the plan in its current form.
- We’re going to pivot the strategy.
- We have to cancel the original version.
- We’ve encountered a cost overrun we need to address.
- We’re delaying shipment by a few days.
- We’re unable to continue under the existing agreement.
- We’ll have to adjust the budget downward.
- We’re scaling back our launch.
- We cannot deliver the full set of features right now.
- We’re shifting our timeline slightly.
- We’ll need to reevaluate the location.
- We’re changing the vendor for this part.
- We’re pausing the project temporarily.
- We’re closing this option for the moment.
- We’re ending the collaboration as of today.
- We’re reducing headcount in the team.
- We cannot approve the request at this time.
- We’re unable to offer the full amount requested.
- We must decline the proposal.
- We’re cancelling the meeting.
- We’ll need to push payment back.
- We can’t include that extra benefit.
- We must limit this service to a smaller scale.
- We’re reassigning your role.
- We’ll have to wait for a follow-up before moving forward.
- We’re revising the target downwards.
- We cannot guarantee the earlier estimate.
What you can offer instead (the positive alternative)
- What we can do now is …
- We’d like to offer you …
- Let’s look at a different option: …
- Here’s a plan B we hope works for you…
- You could consider …
- We’re proposing a revised timeline of …
- We can deliver part of the scope now.
- We’ll provide an interim update by …
- We’ll support you in transitioning to …
- We’ll credit you for …
- We’ll reduce the fee to reflect …
- We’ll add a bonus of …
- We’ll schedule a follow-up meeting next week.
- We’ll stay in frequent contact with you.
- We’ll allocate additional resources to …
- We can shift the project to phase two.
- We’ll extend the warranty by …
- We’ll give you priority for the next round.
- We’ll upgrade you at no extra cost.
- We’ll provide training on …
- We’ll set up a workaround for now.
- We can arrange a refund or discount.
- We’ll partner with you on the next step.
- We’ll adjust responsibilities to help.
- We’ll give you early access to …
- We’ll reassign a dedicated person to you.
- We’ll extend support hours.
- We’ll share additional documentation.
- We’ll monitor progress daily and keep you updated.
- We’ll handle the logistics and you focus on …
How to express empathy and care
- I understand how disappointing this must be.
- I appreciate your frustration.
- I know this isn’t what we hoped for.
- I’m truly sorry we couldn’t deliver as planned.
- I recognise the impact this may have on you.
- Please accept my apology for the inconvenience.
- I hear how important this is to you.
- I wish things were different.
- I regret any stress this causes you.
- I value your patience and understanding.
- I’m sorry we let you down.
- Thank you for sticking with us.
- I’m aware this makes things harder.
- I empathise with how you feel.
- I know you expected better.
- Your trust means a lot to us.
- I apologise for not meeting your expectations.
- I can imagine how unsettling this is.
- I’m sorry for the disruption.
- Your concerns are valid.
- I recognise the extra work this creates for you.
- I’m committed to making this right.
- I’m here to support you through this.
- I’m sorry for the extra inconvenience.
- I know this adds pressure.
- I appreciate your flexibility.
- I value the open communication we have.
- I regret we didn’t foresee this sooner.
- I’m sorry for any confusion caused.
- Your experience matters to us.
- I’m sorry for any worry this causes.
How to close with goodwill and next steps
- Let’s move forward together and make the best of this.
- We’ll keep you updated every step of the way.
- Please let us know what you’d prefer as next step.
- We’re committed to doing better.
- Thank you for your understanding and patience.
- We appreciate your partnership.
- We’ll monitor the outcome and follow up soon.
- You’re important to us and we’ll treat this with priority.
- Let’s regroup on ___ and review progress.
- You will hear from me by ___.
- I’ll schedule a call to discuss how we go from here.
- We’re on this together.
- We’ll make sure your concerns are addressed.
- We’re confident we can recover from this.
- Please feel free to reach out if you have questions.
- We value your feedback as we fix this.
- Thank you for your trust even in this situation.
- Let’s turn this around.
- I look forward to working with you on the improved plan.
- We’ll learn from this and improve.
- We’ll do our best to restore your confidence.
- Please accept our assurance of better service.
- We’ll be in touch with specific details soon.
- We appreciate your flexibility and patience.
- Let’s set a new milestone for progress.
- We’ll aim to exceed expectations from now on.
- Together we’ll find a path forward.
- I’m hopeful we’ll make a strong recovery.
- I’m grateful we can work on this together.
- Please count on us to manage this.
- We’re dedicated to your success.
