Many times in life, it simply happens that plans don't proceed as proposed. Something else comes up, and you have to cancel it. The trick is often how to cancel plans. Whether it is with your friends, a date, or even a business meeting, canceling is never easy.
The challenge is you need to cancel them without ruining the relationship. You have to be graceful, sensitive, and also think on your feet. The excuses that you use need to match your personality and come across as absolutely genuine. It is often about how convincingly you can convey your feelings and put the message across in a way that it sounds believable.
8 Ways to Cancel Plans Without Inviting Trouble or Ruining Relations
One of the biggest challenges involved in how to cancel plans is to make sure that you can convey the message without any bitterness. Additionally, it should also create a sense of purpose and convey how deeply saddened you are as well. This will make sure that the other person will sympathize with your situation and keep the gates open for a next meet.
1. Express your purpose directly
There is nothing like direct speaking. Get on to the issue from the start. That way, you can easily cut out any scope for misunderstanding and confusion.
Spell out your purpose and the reason why you are canceling the plan. It can be a health problem or a work-related issue. There is never any set time frame for these problems. So, it will be clear to the other person too that you genuinely didn't have any control over the situation.
2. Always offer a reason
If you are keen to understand how to cancel plans last minute, remember it is always important to offer a reason. That way, you will be able to convey the fact that you really had no control over the sudden development.
Remember, just like you had to reorganize several other engagements for fructifying a plan, the other person had to. So when you are canceling at the last minute, proper reasoning will help add value and meet your decision. It also makes the entire deal a lot more transparent. This reduces the scope for misunderstanding to a large extent.
3. Show how disappointed you are
If you are struggling with understanding how to cancel plans with friends in the last minute, the next step is to convey your disappointment. Make your friends understand that you are genuinely sorry about not being able to meet them. You are upset, and there is no harm in displaying your emotion. It will make them understand that this was not in your control, and you genuinely wanted to make the plan work.
Expression of disappointment, love, and anger at your own situation only strengthens your case. It makes your friends realize how desperate you are about meeting them and adhering to the plan. This will also help them open up and come up with alternate options.
4. Say you are sorry
Sorry might be a five-lettered word, but it is magical. It creates a sense of humility, draws people closer, and removes misunderstanding. When you are canceling a plan, this is one of your go-to action plans.
Start with a sorry and end with another sorry. Try and intersperse your conversation with as many sorry as you deem fit. It will make sure that your friend/date/boyfriend or girlfriend understands that you had a genuine problem.
5. Adjust your plan by discussing
Another cool tip when you are canceling a plan is identifying the importance of a discussion. Don't take any unilateral decisions. Take the other person into the conversation and discuss your situation. The chances are that this discussion will often bring up better options to fructify a plan, and the sting of cancellation is not there either.
6. You can make it up for them
You know you are making your friend/date upset by canceling the plan. So think about how you can make up for them. Try canceling it face to face. If you can't, at least make sure you call them up personally. You need to make up for the lost opportunity and remember not to leave any stone unturned in that initiative. It is important that the person has something else to look forward to while one plan is being dropped.
7. Create an alternate plan
When you are canceling a plan, it is also important to create the next plan of action. Don't let things hang in limbo. Since you were responsible for one set of actions, fixing it is also your lookout. Make sure that you can come up with an alternative that is as appealing as this one. This will also make it clear to the other person that you genuinely wanted to participate in the plan.
Your sudden emergency will not be colored with suspicion and doubt by them. This will also convey how keen you are about participating in the plan, whenever it is rescheduled for.
8. Be sensitive to the other person
Canceling plans, especially ones that have been decided for a while, often entails a bit of heartbreak too. Don't sound indifferent or mock someone else's disappointment. Make it clear to them that you completely sympathize with their sense of disappointment and you are really keen to make it good some other day.
Make them understand how your problem is only a one-day issue and that the next time you guys plan together, it will be a far more relaxed and enjoyable affair.
Conclusion
Therefore, the trick to master the answer to question how to cancel plans is to appear believable. Another aspect is to learn how to tinker with the truth. The problem with a lie is if you forget about it later, you will lose face. But if you are tinkering the truth, it always adds to your advantage. Your reasons won't come across as fake, and you can continue with your relationships in the same enthusiasm.