Behavioural Change Toolkit · Deliver

Objection Handling Bank

The fifteen things you will actually hear, and what to say.

Three principles first:

1. Concede what’s true before you respond. An objection you half-agree with, met with a flat rebuttal, hardens into a position. Met with “you’re right about that part,” it becomes a conversation.
2. Never win in public. You can win the exchange and lose the person, permanently, in front of their peers.
3. Some objections are correct. Have a route for changing your mind, and use it visibly. See Resistance Decoder type 7.

1 · “We don’t have time for this.”

“You’re right that it adds time at the point of use — about X minutes. I’ve asked for [specific thing] to come off you to make room. If that doesn’t land, tell me, because then the ask isn’t fair and I need to take that upward.”

⚠️ Don’t say “you’ll save time in the long run” unless it’s true and you can show it. If it isn’t true, saying it costs you the rest of the conversation.

2 · “We tried this in 2019 and it was dropped.”

“That’s fair and I’m not going to pretend it didn’t happen. What’s different: [legacy system is being switched off / the sponsor has committed to X / it's tied to a regulatory date]. Judge it on that, not on my say-so — if you don’t see it by [date], come and tell me.”

3 · “This is just surveillance.”

“I understand why it looks that way. Here’s who can see what, and here’s what it’s used for. What I’d rather it did is [return something useful to them]. If it’s being used to performance-manage people, that’s a different conversation and I’d want to know.”

Then find out whether it is being used that way. If it is, say so. Discovering later that you gave a false reassurance is unrecoverable.

4 · “Leadership don’t do it themselves.”

“That’s a fair challenge and I’ve raised it. Here’s what I’ve asked them to commit to, in writing. Hold me to it.”

⭐ Then actually go and fix it. This objection is nearly always true and it is the most damaging one on the list. See Leader Behaviour Contract.

5 · “It’s fine for head office, doesn’t work on the ground.”

“Probably true in places, and I’d rather find out now than in October. Give me the specific scenario where it breaks — I’ll walk it with you.”

Take the invitation. Walking a process with the person who objected is the highest-conversion activity in change work.

6 · “Nobody asked us.”

“Correct, and that was a mistake. I can’t undo it. What I can do is give you a real say in [specific remaining decision]. Not the colour of the intranet page — an actual design choice.”

7 · “The old way was quicker.”

“Show me. Genuinely — let’s time both.” (Then do it.)

If they’re right, change the design and credit them publicly. If they’re right and you can’t change it, say so plainly: “You’re right, it is slower for you, and it’s faster for the organisation overall. That’s a real trade and I’m not going to pretend otherwise.”

8 · “What happens if I don’t?”

“Honestly? For now, [the truth]. From [date], [the truth].”

Never bluff. Someone will test it, and if the bluff fails everyone finds out the same week.

9 · “Is this about job cuts?”

”[Direct answer].” Or, if you genuinely don’t know: “I don’t know, and I won’t guess. What I do know is [what you know], and I’ll tell you the moment I know more.”

Never reassure beyond your knowledge. A broken reassurance poisons every change that follows, not just this one.

10 · “We’re already drowning in change.”

“You are, and I’ve counted — there are [N] live initiatives on your team. I’ve taken that to [sponsor]. Here’s what I’m asking to be sequenced.”

Then actually take it. This objection deserves action, not handling.

11 · “This won’t survive the next reorg.”

“Might not. What I’d say is that the behaviour is worth doing regardless of the system it sits in — [specific behaviour] makes your Thursday easier whoever’s running it.”

12 · “My team won’t accept it.”

Usually the manager’s own concern, displaced. Move to a one-to-one.

“What’s your own read on it?”

13 · “The system’s broken / it doesn’t work.”

“Which bit, specifically? Show me on your screen.”

Often true, and specificity turns a mood into a defect ticket. Fix it fast and visibly — early defect fixes buy more adoption than any comms.

14 · “This is just the flavour of the month.”

“The test is whether it’s still here in six months. I can’t argue you out of that — I can point at [the switch-off date / the thing that's been removed / the standing agenda item]. Ask me again in March.”

15 · Silence.

The most dangerous one. Silence in the room plus noise in the corridor means people don’t think it’s safe or worth saying.

“I’d rather hear the objection than not. Can I ask each of you for one thing that’s going to be annoying about this?”

Asking for the negative specifically gives permission. “Any questions?” gets nothing; “what’s going to be annoying about this?” gets everything.

The universal structure

1. Concede what's true          "You're right that…"
2. Say what you know            "Here's what I can tell you…"
3. Say what you don't           "I don't know yet whether…"
4. Say what you'll do           "I'm going to…, by…"
5. Give them something real     "And I need you to tell me if…"

Four things never to say

• ❌ “It’s not up for debate” — even when true, it ends the flow of information you need
• ❌ “Everyone else is fine with it” — demonstrably false and insulting
• ❌ “That’s above my pay grade” — abdication; say “I’ll find out” instead
• ❌ “You need to be more positive” — makes concerns unspeakable, not absent

→ Resistance Decoder · Manager Conversation Guide · Challenging Upward — Scripts

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