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Winging incorrect answers will destroy your credibility. There is absolutely nothing wrong with “I don’t know, but I’ll find out the answer and get back to you.”
I will need to review the literature and documentation prior to my tenure on this project and will connect with you at the earliest time on technical information after a brief review.
This is the difference between talking to the field crew and talking to stakeholders. Theres a major difference between turning the wrench and engaging with the holder of the finances.
In project management and engineering, credibility is built on accuracy, transparency, and follow-through, not on having every answer immediately.
You can say "I wasn't involved in the early design phase, so I had like to review the design records before confirming. I will provide a response by tomorrow.
There is nothing wrong in saying 'I don't know, but I can look into it' even if you can't guarantee an answer.
There is a major wrong in BSing.
Nothing wrong with that
There is nothing wrong with acknowledging that you don't know. Maybe need to find someone else to help out as well or use something like Claude to get more background on things you don't know/ need to review. I certainly wish I could help.
It's far better to say you don't know than to make up a totally wrong reply. Clients would much rather know the truth so they can plan ahead. Simple if your going to be late tell them ,if you don't know the answer tell them you will contact the person that does and get back to them. Don't be afraid to lean on other people for answers. You will get a lot more respect from those above and below.
As Nike says ,"Just Do It!" Write it down and tell them you will get back with them. There are people that know the answers, ask them to help you. I know that they will.
Happens all the time. Even on a project that you’ve been involved with from inception things come up that you haven’t thought about. “At this time I don’t have a fully informed answer to that question and I don’t want to give you potentially false information. Let me do some research and see if I can get you an accurate answer to that question.” That phrase has won me a lot of respect from customers and managers. It shows you’re willing to admit your weak areas and are willing to work to improve your knowledge around those areas.
Don't try to assume things and make wild guess responses it would backfire and certainly destroy your credibility. Your response in my opinion should be I will update you on that shortly. And give them the correct information based on facts and is workable.
"I need to research that a little further, but I will get back to you on that" avoids saying you dont know... and is better received. It helps to write down the action item in the meeting minutes, to send those minutes out after the meeting and to follow up with an answer as soon as you can closing out the action item.
It’s absolutely okay to say that
A simple "I'm not sure, can I get back to you? " is far better than being wordy or making something up. You're an engineer, not a thesaurus, so be nice, but keep it short. Nobody wants to read ir hear a 15 word answer that is summed up as "I don't know"