Yesterday, my first and impulsive reaction to a request was “No” and I stated it. The questioner continued to bounce ideas, stay on his path. By the end of the conversation, I found myself agreeing to the original request with a slight twist.
But my energy was a NO for a long time! And that didn’t feel good. You see, I could have paused long enough to remember that we had the same end goal in mind before responding in a new way:
- Silence my “no” and ask, “Tell me more. What’s the goal?”
- Voice my “no” with “Wow, I find myself wanting to reject your idea without hearing more. Please, tell me more.”
Either of these is an opening to connection where “No” is like slamming a door in another’s face.
What relationship in your life could use more connection?
How would “Tell me more” impact conversation?
This is not a new topic so please forgive the repetition unless, like me, you need the lesson repeated! Here is a link to a former post on this topic: