Work situations · Stand-ups & Sprints
Stand-ups and deadlines
In a daily stand-up you have 45 seconds. The team is waiting, and you need to state what is done, what is blocked and who needs to act—clearly and without a long story.
The Friction
Why stand-ups create anxiety
Under time pressure, explaining a blocker often comes out as a rambling excuse or an awkward silence. When deadlines slip, non-native professionals often agree to impossible timelines rather than negotiating scope in English.
The Method
The 3-part standup formula
- 01
Completed fact: "Yesterday I wrapped up the auth refactoring."
- 02
Immediate goal: "Today I am focusing on the stripe webhook handler."
- 03
Concrete blocker & ask: "I am blocked on the sandbox API key—Alex, could you share that after the call?"
Practice Pack
4 key moments inside this pack
- 01
45-second progress update
State yesterday, today and next target concisely.
- 02
Calling out a blocker early
Ask for help without sounding unprepared.
- 03
Pushing back on unrealistic dates
Offer scope vs date trade-offs calmly.
- 04
Code review agreements
Agree on PR changes constructively.
Resources
Articles and terms for this situation
- How to say it
How to explain a blocker in a stand-up
Say what is blocked, since when and who can unblock it, in two clear sentences.
- How to say it
How to give a 45-second daily stand-up update
Deliver a structured yesterday-today-blockers update without rambling.
- How to say it
How to push back on unrealistic deadlines
Say no to impossible timelines using trade-offs, scope options, and data.
- Scenario
How to report a critical project delay to a client
Deliver bad news transparently with an updated timeline and mitigation plan.
Practise Stand-ups and deadlines
Learn the technique, practise the phrases, and get an AI coach review of your own spoken response.