I’ve wasted 1000 hours of time just because I couldn’t say “NO”. Not until I came across these 5 essential tips.
We have good reasons to fear saying no. We worry we’ll miss out on a great opportunity. We’re scared of rocking the boat, stirring things up, burning bridges. We can’t bear the thought of disappointing someone we respect and like. None of this makes us bad people. It’s a natural part of being human. Yet as hard as it can be to say no to someone, failing to do so can cause us to miss out on something far more important.
So how do we learn to say no gracefully? Below are general guidelines followed by a number of specific scripts for delivering the graceful “no.”
Separate the decision from the relationship
When people ask us to do something, we can confuse the request with our relationship with them. Sometimes they seem so interconnected, we forget that denying the request is not the same as denying the person. Only once we separate the decision from the relationship can we make a clear decision and then separately find the courage and compassion to communicate it.
