the most succinct sentence?
Like most people, I’m often asked to help out. Requests for all sorts of things from speaking at an event to fostering a kitten. Now we’re all short on time and it is human nature to want to help, the problem is lots of people don’t like to say NO and end up wasting other people’s time and disappointing them in the process. I know my inability to say no is a fundamental character weakness. Why? well that’s the story of a much longer blog post! In the meantime, I’ll share a useful strategy which helps me deal with this gut reaction of saying YES! Rather than an immediate ‘yes’, I draw on variations of these three.
- Let me check my diary
- I’d love to but it doesn’t work for me
- This time I can’t but please, do ask me again
Source: Unknown
Why does this work for me?
Response no. 1: Gives me time to make check so when I do come back with a YES, I can be absolutely sure I do whatever it is really well, rather than just fitting this request in, so it’s a WIN/WIN
Response no. 2: I don’t need to justify myself. No-one is really interested in why you can’t do something. This brevity of response saves time wasting – on both sides.
Response no. 3: This reinforces that though I can’t oblige this time, I’ll have an opportunity to help again. And people do come back when another need arises!
Click to discuss Personal and Corporate Assertiveness Training over coffee!
I’d been aware of this amazing movement, which is bringing kids together to learn what will be the global language of the future CODING. Not having children, this has been at the edge of my world and only when a conversation with a pal saw me agreeing to be on the ‘SOAPBOX’ on opening night, did I really give it serious thought. BUT NOT AS A CODER. I stood up and spoke. As a human being very much concerned with the moral responsibility of organisations involved with this growing movement. And expressed concern as to how children can be protected within this worldwide Dojoweb. The creativity I saw. The confidence which kids develop as they learn and develop is breathtaking. I would hate anything to infiltrate this world. These kids are our future now. They know more about the internet and see more possibilities than we may ever contemplate, let alone take on. I even made a new pal Lexie. She is seven and can help me with my blogging and is a cool coder already. These kids have a social conscience, an innate guiding compass of collaboration for the greater good. These kids will make social changes happen and all through the new global language of collaborative coding.