Useful Language — Announcing and Defending a Policy

Clear, calm and fair — even when the news is unpopular.

Tap the speaker to hear each phrase. Then listen to the full conversation below.

Formal openings and closings

Dear colleagues, I am writing to let you know about an upcoming change.
Please find the full policy attached, and on the intranet.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Kind regards,

Announcing the change

From the first of March, all leave requests must be submitted at least two weeks in advance.
The new policy was approved by the leadership team last week.
This change is being introduced to reduce last-minute costs.
The system will be rolled out in two phases.

Softening unpopular news

We understand this may cause some inconvenience, especially for those who travel.
We did not take this decision lightly.
However, keeping the current system would have meant cutting the training budget.
Exceptions can be requested in writing and will be considered case by case.

Inviting questions and handling objections

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
A question-and-answer session will be held on Thursday at three.
That is a fair point. Let me explain the reasoning.
I hear you. The policy still applies, but here is what I can do.

Listen: defending a new policy face to face

Tom: Nadia, have you got a minute? It is about the new travel policy email.

Nadia: Of course. Go ahead.

Tom: My team books client visits at short notice. If every trip has to be approved two weeks in advance, we will lose deals.

Nadia: That is a fair point. Let me explain the reasoning first. Last year, a third of our travel budget was spent on last-minute bookings. Flights booked in the final week cost double, sometimes more. Therefore, something had to change.

Tom: I get that. But client visits are not optional for us.

Nadia: Agreed, and that is why exceptions were built into the policy. Urgent client trips can still be approved within twenty-four hours. They just have to be signed off by your director instead of the system.

Tom: So the two-week rule can be waived for client work?

Nadia: Exactly. It is in section three, although I admit the email could have made that clearer. In addition, we are holding a question session on Thursday. It would help if you brought this up there, so the other team leads hear the answer too.

Tom: Fair enough. I will be there.

Nadia: Thanks, Tom. And honestly, this is useful. If the rule does not work in practice, we want to hear it now, not in six months.

Notice the passives (was spent, were built into, can be approved, be waived) and the linking words (therefore, in addition) that hold Nadia’s argument together.