Imagine you’re in a lively conversation, and someone shares an incredible story—so incredible that it stretches the bounds of your belief.
If it’s a tall tale or an improbable assertion, knowing how to articulate your skepticism can help keep the dialogue constructive.
Here are 30 nuanced ways to respond when you find yourself struggling to believe someone’s statement. Each response is designed to express doubt respectfully, prompting further discussion or clarification.
Use these responses to navigate conversations with grace, ensuring you balance skepticism with respect.
1. “That’s hard to believe. Can you provide more details?”
Requesting more details can help clarify the situation. I’ve used this when someone’s claim seemed extraordinary and needed further explanation.
When to use: When you want more information to verify the claim.
When not to use: If you’re certain the claim is false.
Example:
“That’s hard to believe. Can you provide more details about what happened?”
2. “I find that hard to accept. Do you have any proof?”
Asking for proof can help substantiate the claim. I’ve used this when someone’s story seemed implausible and required evidence.
When to use: When you need evidence to support their claim.
When not to use: If you’re ready to accept their word without proof.
Example:
“I find that hard to accept. Do you have any proof to back it up?”
3. “Are you sure about that? It sounds a bit far-fetched.”
Expressing doubt politely encourages them to reconsider. I’ve used this when their story seemed exaggerated or unlikely.
When to use: When their claim sounds implausible and you want to prompt further explanation.
When not to use: If you have no reason to doubt their claim.
Example:
“Are you sure about that? It sounds a bit far-fetched.”
4. “I’m having trouble believing that. Can you clarify?”
Asking for clarification can help resolve confusion. I’ve used this when the information presented was unclear or seemed dubious.
When to use: When you need more clarity to understand the claim.
When not to use: If the claim is straightforward and believable.
Example:
“I’m having trouble believing that. Can you clarify what you mean?”
5. “That sounds unusual. Is there any evidence to support it?”
Questioning the evidence helps in assessing the validity of their statement. I’ve used this when the claim seemed out of the ordinary and needed validation.
When to use: When you suspect the claim is unusual and need evidence.
When not to use: If the situation doesn’t require proof or validation.
Example:
“That sounds unusual. Is there any evidence to support it?”
6. “I find that a bit hard to believe. Have you considered other explanations?”
Suggesting alternative explanations can prompt them to reconsider their statement. I’ve used this when their claim seemed unlikely and other possibilities existed.
When to use: When you want to explore other possible explanations.
When not to use: If the claim is well-supported and straightforward.
Example:
“I find that a bit hard to believe. Have you considered other explanations?”
7. “That’s an interesting claim. Do you have any sources to back it up?”
Asking for sources can help verify the claim’s authenticity. I’ve used this when someone’s statement needed to be supported by reliable sources.
When to use: When you need credible sources to support their claim.
When not to use: If the claim is easily verifiable or you trust the source.
Example:
“That’s an interesting claim. Do you have any sources to back it up?”
8. “I’m skeptical about that. Can you provide some context?”
Requesting context can help make sense of their statement. I’ve used this when the claim lacked background information and seemed dubious.
When to use: When you need additional context to understand the claim.
When not to use: If the claim is clear and well-contextualized.
Example:
“I’m skeptical about that. Can you provide some context for what you’re saying?”
9. “That seems unlikely. Can you explain how it happened?”
Asking for an explanation can provide more insight into their claim. I’ve used this when the story seemed improbable and needed further details.
When to use: When the claim appears improbable and requires a detailed explanation.
When not to use: If the claim is plausible and straightforward.
Example:
“That seems unlikely. Can you explain how it happened?”
10. “I’m not sure I believe that. Can you share more information?”
Requesting more information helps verify the accuracy of their statement. I’ve used this when the claim lacked sufficient detail.
When to use: When more information is needed to assess the claim.
When not to use: If you already have enough information and the claim seems credible.
Example:
“I’m not sure I believe that. Can you share more information about it?”
11. “That’s hard to swallow. Do you have any records or documentation?”
Asking for records or documentation can provide solid proof. I’ve used this when the claim seemed unbelievable and needed documentation.
When to use: When documentation is necessary to substantiate their claim.
When not to use: If documentation is not relevant or available.
Example:
“That’s hard to swallow. Do you have any records or documentation to support your statement?”
12. “I’m having doubts about that. Can you show me the data?”
Requesting data can help in verifying the claim. I’ve used this when the claim was data-driven and required evidence.
When to use: When data is crucial for verifying the claim.
When not to use: If the claim doesn’t involve data or statistics.
Example:
“I’m having doubts about that. Can you show me the data that supports it?”
13. “That seems improbable. Have you checked your facts?”
Encouraging them to review their facts can clarify their statement. I’ve used this when the information seemed incorrect or unlikely.
When to use: When the claim seems improbable and fact-checking is needed.
When not to use: If the facts are already clear and accurate.
Example:
“That seems improbable. Have you checked your facts to make sure they’re correct?”
14. “I’m finding that hard to accept. Can you explain your reasoning?”
Asking for their reasoning can provide more insight. I’ve used this when the claim needed further explanation to make sense.
When to use: When you need to understand their reasoning behind the claim.
When not to use: If their reasoning is already clear and acceptable.
Example:
“I’m finding that hard to accept. Can you explain your reasoning behind it?”
15. “That’s a bold statement. What’s your source for this information?”
Requesting the source helps validate the claim. I’ve used this when the statement was significant and required reliable sources.
When to use: When you need to verify the claim with a credible source.
When not to use: If the source is already known and trustworthy.
Example:
“That’s a bold statement. What’s your source for this information?”
16. “I’m not sure I follow. Can you elaborate on that?”
Asking for elaboration helps in understanding the statement better. I’ve used this when the claim was unclear or seemed unlikely.
When to use: When you need more details to understand their claim.
When not to use: If their claim is straightforward and clear.
Example:
“I’m not sure I follow. Can you elaborate on what you mean?”
17. “That doesn’t sound quite right. Have you verified it?”
Encouraging verification can ensure accuracy. I’ve used this when the claim needed to be checked for correctness.
When to use: When you need confirmation that the claim is accurate.
When not to use: If verification is unnecessary or the claim is already accurate.
Example:
“That doesn’t sound quite right. Have you verified it with any reliable sources?”
18. “I’m skeptical about that. Can you provide some background information?”
Requesting background information helps in assessing the validity of their claim. I’ve used this when the claim lacked context.
When to use: When additional background is needed to validate the claim.
When not to use: If the claim is well-supported with sufficient background.
Example:
“I’m skeptical about that. Can you provide some background information to help me understand it better?”
19. “That’s quite surprising. Is there any documentation to support this?”
Asking for documentation can lend credibility to the claim. I’ve used this when the claim was extraordinary and needed proof.
When to use: When documentation is needed to substantiate the claim.
When not to use: If the claim is straightforward and does not require documentation.
Example:
“That’s quite surprising. Is there any documentation to support this claim?”
20. “I’m having a hard time believing that. Can you give me more context?”
Requesting more context can help clarify the claim. I’ve used this when the information presented was insufficient.
When to use: When you need additional context to understand and believe the claim.
When not to use: If the claim is clear and context is already provided.
Example:
“I’m having a hard time believing that. Can you give me more context about how this came about?”
21. “That sounds a bit off. Can you explain how you came to that conclusion?”
Asking for an explanation of their conclusion helps in understanding their thought process. I’ve used this when their conclusion seemed dubious.
When to use: When you need insight into their reasoning for a doubtful conclusion.
When not to use: If their conclusion is clear and reasonable.
Example:
“That sounds a bit off. Can you explain how you came to that conclusion?”
22. “I’m not entirely convinced. Do you have any other examples?”
Requesting additional examples can help validate their claim. I’ve used this when one example wasn’t sufficient to prove their point.
When to use: When more examples are needed to support the claim.
When not to use: If one example is adequate to validate the claim.
Example:
“I’m not entirely convinced. Do you have any other examples that support what you’re saying?”
23. “That’s a tough pill to swallow. Can you share your sources?”
Asking for sources helps in verifying the credibility of their statement. I’ve used this when the claim seemed implausible and required source validation.
When to use: When sources are necessary to verify the claim.
When not to use: If the claim is already well-supported by reliable sources.
Example:
“That’s a tough pill to swallow. Can you share your sources for this information?”
24. “I’m struggling to believe that. Could you provide more evidence?”
Requesting more evidence can help confirm the claim’s validity. I’ve used this when the evidence presented was insufficient.
When to use: When additional evidence is needed to believe the claim.
When not to use: If the evidence already provided is sufficient.
Example:
“I’m struggling to believe that. Could you provide more evidence to support your statement?”
25. “That seems improbable. Can you give me a detailed explanation?”
Requesting a detailed explanation can clarify the improbability. I’ve used this when the claim seemed unlikely and needed further detail.
When to use: When a detailed explanation is needed to understand an improbable claim.
When not to use: If the claim is plausible and detailed explanation is unnecessary.
Example:
“That seems improbable. Can you give me a detailed explanation of how it happened?”
26. “I’m having doubts about that. Can you provide any corroborating evidence?”
Asking for corroborating evidence can strengthen the validity of their statement. I’ve used this when additional evidence was needed.
When to use: When corroborating evidence is needed to validate the claim.
When not to use: If the evidence already provided is adequate.
Example:
“I’m having doubts about that. Can you provide any corroborating evidence?”
27. “That’s quite a statement. Can you show me any relevant documents?”
Requesting relevant documents helps validate their claim. I’ve used this when the statement was significant and needed supporting documents.
When to use: When documents are needed to support a significant claim.
When not to use: If the claim is minor and does not require documentation.
Example:
“That’s quite a statement. Can you show me any relevant documents that support this?”
28. “I’m not fully convinced. Do you have any further details to share?”
Requesting further details can help in assessing the validity of their statement. I’ve used this when the claim needed more information.
When to use: When further details are necessary to believe the claim.
When not to use: If the claim is clear and requires no additional details.
Example:
“I’m not fully convinced. Do you have any further details to share?”
29. “That seems unlikely. Can you clarify how that was verified?”
Asking for clarification on how something was verified helps in understanding the claim. I’ve used this when the verification process was unclear.
When to use: When you need to understand how the claim was verified.
When not to use: If the verification process is already clear.
Example:
“That seems unlikely. Can you clarify how that was verified?”
30. “I’m not sure I can believe that. Can you provide a detailed account?”
Requesting a detailed account can provide more context and support for their claim. I’ve used this when the claim needed more thorough explanation.
When to use: When a detailed account is needed to understand and believe the claim.
When not to use: If the claim is straightforward and needs no further explanation.
Example:
“I’m not sure I can believe that. Can you provide a detailed account of what happened?”
