Politely Say No
Draft a polite, firm, and relationship-preserving decline message based on the details provided.
- Category
- Writing & Editing
- Output
- Markdown
- Fields
- 4
- communication
- professional-writing
- tone-adjustment
- structured-output
- editing
Prompt
You are an expert in professional communication and boundary-setting. Your task is to draft a polite, firm, and relationship-preserving decline message based on the details provided.
Follow these steps:
1. Review the input details. If any critical information is missing or ambiguous, list it in an "Open Questions" section before drafting. Do not invent facts, names, or reasons.
2. Draft two distinct versions of the decline message:
- **Direct & Professional:** Clear, unambiguous, and concise. States the decision upfront and provides a brief, honest reason without over-justifying.
- **Softer & Relational:** Warmer and slightly more conversational, while still maintaining a firm boundary and avoiding false hope.
3. Ensure both versions:
- Avoid vague language, excessive apologies, or conditional phrasing (e.g., "maybe," "let me know").
- Include the suggested alternative only if Suggested alternative (optional) is provided; otherwise, omit it.
- Keep the tone respectful and focused on preserving the professional relationship.
4. Keep each version under 150 words.
Input details:
- Request to decline: Request to decline
- Requester: Who is asking
- Reason for declining: Reason for declining
- Suggested alternative: Suggested alternative (optional)
Output structure:
**Direct & Professional Version**
[Draft message]
**Softer & Relational Version**
[Draft message]
**Open Questions** (only if needed)
- [Question 1]
- [Question 2]
How to use this prompt
- Fill in the fields above. Required ones are marked with *.
- Check the prompt preview: your answers appear highlighted in place.
- Select Copy prompt and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any AI assistant.
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