A way to say no, by saying yes
I firmly believe the brain that brings the dilemma also has the solution. When people are given the time and space to think through their challenges they come up with slam dunk solutions.
But sometimes, we don’t have someone on hand who will truly listen to us with all of their attention, and without interruption.
And in those times having a script to hand that can help you say what you really mean is invaluable. Like this great post from Dani Donovan:
I have used pretty much all of these and my favourite is the reply when you’ve missed something. There is no need to diminish yourself for a simple mistake that hasn’t hurt anyone.
Now in real life, using some of these scripts can be tricky – you have to remember them, or be able to subtly read them from somewhere but in the virtual world you can have them plastered all over your screen and no one will KNOW! And the bonus bit is that by practicing them, they will become ingrained in your memory.
So here are 3 ways to say yes, when you really need to say no:
1. Yes, I can do that, I’ve got these 3 other things I’m doing as well [list things], which one do you want me to drop to pick this up?
2. Yes, I can do that, I’ll be able to get started on [date]
3. Yes, I can do that, there isn’t time to get it all done by that date so which piece do you want by then and I’ll get the rest to you by [date]
If you get push back I like to use the broken record technique, which is to keep repeating the script until you get agreement or they bugger off and bother someone else.
Try it, and tell me how it goes.
PS: I need your help – what scripts or phrases do you use to get what you want? Send em my way! I will collect them altogether to share with you all so we can deal with those pesky situations, where it’s tough to find the words of what we really want to say, but can’t.
