Agree & Disagree

 Formal Writing

Agreeing: 

Be careful to NOT sound indifferent, the person cannot see your face, so be very positive!

Don’t Write: I think your idea is fine.

Do Write: I think your idea is exactly what is needed.

Disagreeing: 

Be careful to NOT offend the person, do not dismiss the idea without first acknowledging it as having some value.

Don’t Write: I think your idea will not work, I am sorry.

Do Write: I think your idea is good but it just will not work in this particular situation.

Formal Speaking

Agreeing: 

When speaking, it is possible to be less positive because your voice and/or face 

will communicate a lot of positivity, however, do remember to not be TOO brief.

Don’t Say: That is a good idea.

Do Say: I agree, that approach is a good idea because...

Disagreeing: 

When speaking, there is a risk that the listener will not pay attention to 

a short acknowledgment and may concentrate on the negative message alone. 

To avoid this, focus properly on the acknowledgment phrase.

Don’t Say: Yes, that is valid but I think that…

Do Say: Yes, I think that is a very valid approach. However, I think one issue is that...

Informal Writing

Agreeing: 

In writing messages, texts etc, brevity is key and often exclamations are used to give energy. Unless you feel you need to be more supportive, keep it short and energetic!

Don’t Write: Sounds great

Do Write: Sounds great!

Disagreeing:

 People are still easily offended even in informal settings – perhaps more so! - so remember to always acknowledge the idea and stress that opinions are yours and not absolute.

Don’t Write: That’s not a good plan

Do Write: Maybe, but I’m not sure it’s a good plan.

Informal Speaking

Agreeing: It should be easy to agree with people informally, but there are some potential problems. 

The main one is to sound as enthusiastic as the other person.

Don’t Say: Yeah, why not (If someone asks you to marry them, instead...)

Do Say: What! I’d love to!

Disagreeing: Again, let’s not accidentally offend our friends or colleagues, always acknowledge 

the other person’s idea properly and give your idea as an opinion not as an absolute. 

Don’t be too short when speaking, especially if you are about to disagree!

Don’t Say: That won’t work, we need to do this first.

Do Say: That’s not a bad idea, you know. Still...I thought maybe we could…

 The key idea in your choice of language is to always     mirror the type and tone of language that the other     person is using.  

Phrases that can be used in all situations:

Strongly Agree:

I couldn't agree more.

You're absolutely right.

Neutral:

I agree with you.

I’d go along with that.

Partly Agree:

That is generally true.

I agree with most of your points.

Partly Disagree:

I don’t quite agree with you.

That is not always true.

Mild:

I am afraid I disagree.

I can’t go along with that.

Strongly Disagree:

I completely disagree.

I would say the exact opposite.

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Diplomatic agreement

I think we can agree on that.

I think we're broadly in agreement.

I think we're on the same page.

I can certainly agree with that.

I think that's a reasonable position.

I think that's a fair point.

I can understand that point of view.

I think there's a lot of truth in that.

I can see why you feel that way.

I think you have a valid point.

I wouldn't disagree with that.

I don't think anyone could argue with that.

I think that's a fair assessment.

I think that's a sensible suggestion.

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Strong agreement 

Absolutely.

Definitely.

Exactly.

Of course.

Certainly.

I completely agree.

I totally agree.

I strongly agree.

I couldn't agree more.

That's exactly how I see it.

That's exactly what I think.

You've got a point there.

That's absolutely right.

I couldn't agree with you more.

I think you're absolutely right.

I agree with you 100%.

I feel exactly the same way.

That's a very good point.

I couldn't have put it better myself.

We're completely on the same page.

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Neutral agreement  

I agree.

I agree with you.

I think you're right.

That's true.

That's right.

I think so too.

I feel the same way.

I share your opinion.

I share your view.

I have the same opinion.

I agree with that.

I agree with your point.

That's a good point.

I can agree with that.

I think that's reasonable.

That makes sense.

I see your point.

I see what you mean.

I agree that this is important.

We seem to agree on this.

                         ________________

Partially agree

I agree up to a point.

I agree to some extent.

I agree to a certain extent.

I partly agree.

I partially agree.

I agree with you in principle.

I agree with you on that point.

I agree with you to some degree.

That's partly true.

That's true to some extent.

You have a point, although…

I see what you mean, but…

I see your point, but…

I understand your point, but…

I can see where you're coming from, but…

I can see both sides of the argument.

I agree with some of what you're saying.

I agree with you up to a point, but…

I agree that X is important, but…

While I agree with X, I'm not sure about Y.

I can agree with that, although…

I wouldn't completely agree with that.

I'm not sure I would go that far.

I'm not sure I would put it that way.

There may be some truth in that, but…

That's a valid point, although…

That's one way of looking at it, but…

I can understand that argument, but…

I think that's true in some cases, but not always.

I agree in principle, but there are some concerns.

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Mild disagreement  

I'm not sure I agree.

I'm not entirely convinced.

I'm not completely convinced.

I'm not sure I see it that way.

I see things slightly differently.

I have a slightly different view.

I'm not sure I would agree with that.

I'm not sure that's entirely true.

I wouldn't necessarily agree with that.

I'm not sure that's the case.

I have some reservations about that.

I'm not entirely comfortable with that.

I'm afraid I don't quite agree.

I'm afraid I see it differently.

I understand your point, but I have some concerns.

I can see your argument, but I'm not convinced.

I appreciate your point, but I'm not sure I agree.

I respect your opinion, but I see it differently.

That's an interesting point, but I'm not sure I agree.

I'm not convinced that's the best approach.

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Disagree

I am afraid I disagree

We do not seem to agree here

I cannot go along with that

I still have my doubts

I am not sure I go along with that view

(I am afraid) I do not share your opinion.

I have to side with her on this one, I am sorry.

I am afraid I agree with James

I disagree with some of your points.

I do not agree that...

I cannot agree with you on that point, sorry.

I am afraid I cannot agree with you.

We are not sure you are right.

We do not share your opinion on that.

You are off mark a little there I am afraid.

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Disagree Partly

That is not always true.

Well, I do not quite agree with you

I would not quite put it that way myself

That is not always the case.

I do not know, are you sure?

Not necessarily.

We do not seem to be in complete agreement.

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Strong disagreement

I disagree.

I don't agree.

I don't think so.

I don't think that's right.

I don't think that's true.

I don't agree with that.

I disagree with you.

I disagree with that point.

I can't agree with that.

I can't agree with you on that.

I'm afraid I disagree.

I'm afraid that's not quite right.

I'm afraid I can't agree with that.

I strongly disagree.

I completely disagree.

I totally disagree.

I don't share that view.

I don't share your opinion.

I have a different opinion.

I take a different view.

REMEMBER it is always appreciated to begin any level of disagreement with some sort of positive acknowledgment of the other speaker!