You will be able to interpret indirect signals and check agreement without causing embarrassment.
At the end of the third meeting, Kai Xin asks the purchasing manager whether the revised pricing works for them. He smiles and says, "We will study it." Her head of sales takes this as progress and writes "positive, awaiting confirmation" in the report. A month later, nothing has happened, and a competitor has the contract.
"We will study it" was very probably a no. This lesson is about recognising refusals that are never said out loud, and checking for agreement without forcing anyone into an uncomfortable yes or no.
In many cultures, and in many Singapore offices, saying no directly is avoided, especially to a guest, a customer or someone senior. A flat refusal can cause both sides to lose face, so the refusal arrives in a softer form. Communicate at work covered this in lesson 8.1, Low-context and high-context communication, and lesson 8.2, Hierarchy, face and hearing an indirect no. In negotiation, missing it can cost you a deal or months of chasing.
Some phrases often carry a no:
"We will study it" or "We will consider it" "That may be difficult" "We will try our best" "It's an interesting idea" "Let me discuss with my boss," followed by silence
Behaviour matters as much as the words. A quiet change of subject after your proposal, a sudden interest in some other detail, a pause followed by a polite comment about something unrelated, or a meeting that ends without a next step can all be signals.
None of these is always a no. Each can be a real "let me think" in the right context. The clues are in what surrounds them. A genuine yes usually comes with detail: a date, a name, a next step. "We will study it and come back to you by Friday with our finance team's comments" is very different from "We will study it" and a smile.
Silence is another place where meanings differ. In some settings, a pause after a proposal means the other person is thinking it through carefully. In others, it signals disagreement that they're too polite to voice. Sometimes it's simply politeness: giving your words some room before replying.
What silence rarely means is "please lower your price". Yet that's often how a nervous negotiator reads it, and the concession comes out before the other side has said anything. Lesson 6.1, The pressure tactics you will meet, described the long silence as a tactic. In a cross-cultural meeting it often isn't a tactic at all, but the effect on you is the same if you let it be.
So wait. Let the silence run. If it goes on, ask a gentle open question, rather than offering something.
The goal is to find out what's really going on without forcing a direct refusal. Questions that ask for a yes or no, such as "Do you agree to these terms?", put the other person in a difficult position if the honest answer is no. Open questions about concerns make it much easier.
"What would make this easier to approve?"
"Which part of the proposal would your director want to look at most closely?"
"If we were to adjust one thing, what would help most?"
These questions assume that there might be a difficulty, and they invite the other person to describe it as helpful information, not as a refusal. They also often work better in a smaller setting. A question that gets a polite non-answer in a meeting of eight may get a frank answer over coffee with one person afterwards.
If Kai Xin had asked, "What would make this pricing easier for your team to approve?", she might have heard about the competitor's offer while there was still time to respond.
Singapore's own workplaces mix many communication styles. A meeting might include colleagues who say exactly what they mean, colleagues who expect you to read between the lines, and some who switch between the two depending on who's in the room. Misunderstandings happen even when everyone shares a language.
So after any important conversation, confirm your understanding in writing. A short, polite email works well: "Thank you for today. My understanding is that you'll review the revised pricing with your finance team and share comments by Friday. Please let me know if I've misunderstood anything." It gives the other side an easy, private way to correct you, which is much easier than correcting you in a meeting. And if Friday passes without a reply, you have a clear and polite reason to follow up.
The activity asks you to recall five indirect phrases you've heard at work or in business, and write down what each most likely meant in the context where you heard it.
Write five indirect phrases you have heard at work or in business and what each most likely meant in context.
Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).