Checklist
Label the proposal's status before someone relies on it
That could work and we have approved it are different messages.
When it fits
- Brainstorming, provisional agreement and authorized commitment are being mixed in one discussion.
When to avoid it
- These labels are a communication aid, not a legal test of whether an agreement exists. Follow the actual authority rules and avoid promises outside your mandate.
Checklist
- State the proposal's current status and unresolved conditions.
- Identify the required decision-maker or approval route without assuming the speaker has full authority.
- Confirm the final terms and status with everyone expected to act on them.
Why it matters
Make clear whether an option is being explored, recommended for approval or actually committed. Record the remaining decision and who is responsible for it. This operational status check applies the distinction between possible options and specific, mutually understood commitments.
An example
A manager supports a training budget but finance approval is still pending. The booking is not presented as approved spending.
Check your result
A person absent from the conversation can tell what is authorized and what is still only proposed.
Keep this limit in mind
- These labels are a communication aid, not a legal test of whether an agreement exists. Follow the actual authority rules and avoid promises outside your mandate.
Connected ideas
Useful withExplore a better deal without silently withdrawing the agreed one
Evidence and sources
The Seven Elements framework distinguishes possible options from commitments that should be specific, realistic and mutually understood.
The proposed status labels help communication but do not determine whether a statement is legally binding.
What Is Negotiation? Understanding the Seven Elements of Successful Negotiation · Elements 5 and 6