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7 Ways to Say No

7 Ways to Say No

Going along with my theme from my last post "Not to Do List" I though I would reprint an article I wrote on ways to say "no!"

I think many people struggle with telling others “No”. The reason they struggle is because they think they only have two choices. They can either say “yes” or “no”.

I try to avoid “all or nothing” thinking. I believe that there are many alternative between the extremes.

So here are several different ways I share with my clients on how they could say no:

7 Ways to Say No:

1) Say NO… with a straightforward explanation – “No, I’m uncomfortable doing that!”

2) Say NO… and give an alternative – “No. I can’t do that today, how about first thing in the morning?”

3) Say NO… and clarify your reason – Help them understand your position. Explain the why. “No. I can’t help you because I made commitment to my family to not work on weekends this month.”

4) Give Preface then Say NO… – “Each year we choose 3 charities to support and I am sorry you are not one of those this year.”

5) Make an empathetic listening statement (let them down easy) then Say NO…. – “I can see this is important. I would like to have someone help, however all my staff is already committed to project A that is due next week.”

6) Say YES BUT… – “Yes I can do Project B but not Project A”

7) Say YES AND… I nicer way to say yes but and it allows you to give them alternatives. “Yes I can help with the project, and I will need you to…”

What are some of the items you have taken off your list recently? Let me know and I will share them with my readers. E-mail me by clicking here
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