Polite to Colleague
Cultural · Communication
決定の前に、皆さんのご意見を事前に伺えればと思いますが、いかがでしょうか。 — Before making a decision, I was hoping to hear everyone's thoughts in advance — what do you think? (Cultural · Communication, Polite to Colleague, JLPT N2)
You
決定の前に、皆さんのご意見を事前に伺えればと思いますが、いかがでしょうか。
けっていのまえに、みなさんのごいけんをじぜんにうかがえればとおもいますが、いかがでしょうか。
Before making a decision, I was hoping to hear everyone's thoughts in advance — what do you think?
Romaji: Kettei no mae ni, minasan no goiken wo jizen ni ukagaereba to omoimasu ga, ikaga deshou ka. / Reply Romaji: Ii kangae desu ne. Watashi wa sansei desu.
Reply
いい考えですね。私は賛成です。
いいかんがえですね。わたしはさんせいです。
That's a good idea. I agree.
Gesture & etiquette
When making this request, approach colleagues individually or in small groups rather than announcing it to a whole room. Speak in a low, confidential tone that says 'I value your personal opinion.' Carry a notepad to write down their input — this signals that their opinion truly matters and will be remembered.
This is a classic 'nemawashi' (root-circling) phrase — the Japanese practice of building consensus informally before any formal decision. Skipping nemawashi is a major social error in Japanese workplace culture; decisions that seem sudden to others often fail. Asking for pre-meeting input builds trust and smooth cooperation.