BEFORE WE DIVE IN
Take Krystallo’s test. See how many expressions you know!
Last week, I was making small talk with someone.
I asked a casual question…
without realising it was something they didn’t want to answer.
In fact, they couldn’t answer it.
Company policy.
No problem, I was just making conversation.
But it raised an interesting question:
How do you communicate that you can’t say something?
There’s a lot to this.
But here’s one phrase you can start using immediately:
I’m not in a position to share that at the moment.
Practice this. Say it out loud a few times.
Why this works:
You reference position, not ability
→ You remove yourself from the decisionYou introduce a time buffer
→ “At the moment” suggests this may change
From there, you can build:
Process
→ “It’s still being discussed.”
→ “It’s currently under review.”Say what you can
→ “What I can say is…”
→ “What I can confirm is…”
To say nothing, you still need to say something.
Knowing how to handle that will protect your authority.
What to say when you can’t share information
This week’s three tips:
SOMETHING TO AVOID 🫣
🤦🏻♀️ “I can’t tell you nothing”
No double negatives.
“Nothing” is negative, so never use it with a negative auxiliary.
I know nothing!
✅ “I can’t tell you anything”
Remember that “any” goes with a negative auxiliary.
I couldn't get any information out of him
SOMETHING TO SOUND CONFIDENT 🧐
👔 Business expressions
“I can’t go into detail on that.”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss that.”
Professional phrases used to withhold information in a controlled way, without sounding defensive, unhelpful, or abrupt.
I’m not at liberty to discuss that matter
I can’t go into detail on that at this time
SOMETHING TO WATCH 📺
NEXT STEPS ➡️
Keep learning,
Jack & Krystallo
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