Better Meetings for Everyone™
Volume 12, Issues 1 and 2
Publisher Jana M. Kemp
- Today’s Agenda: Say “No” more often and Reduce Stress
- Seen Elsewhere and Meeting Quotes
- Tools & Tips
- Meetings@Work
Say “No” more often and Reduce Stress
Are you finding yourself tired by Tuesday, or Wednesday of each week? If so, it is time to start saying “no” more often. You can say no without feeling guilty, without alienating your friends, and without sacrificing your job. Here’s how. When you know that NO is the right answer, say so.
“No” is a complete sentence. However, “no my schedule doesn’t allow me to take on one more volunteer project” is a more gracious way of saying no and keeping harmony.
Here’s another way to be polite while declining new work assignments: “Thanks for thinking of me. I’m not in a position to take on another project unless something else comes off of my project list.” This option also gives the requestor the option of negotiating with you to take something else out of your workload so that you might add a new project.
Practice with the easy no’s. For instance, interacting with clerks and people you don’t know can be a good place to start your practice. “No I don’t want the super-extra-huge size of that.” And “no, I don’t want the check-out special with my groceries.” Or even, “no, I don’t need any help. I’m just browsing.”
Once you master your comfort with saying no and sticking to it, you can move to the more challenging opportunities for saying no – at work, with your family members and friends.
Because, the more you say Yes to others the more you are saying No to yourself and your well-being. Say No more often and be well.
“You haven’t gotten to where you are in business without knowing how to communicate.” – Crane’s® paper company
“U.S. companies have more than 15 million meetings a day. They spend more than $30 billion a year to plan, cater and carry out these confabs.” – Dawn Sagario and Larry Ballard writing their Workbytes column.
Would you take your son or daughter to one of your business meetings? Would the meeting model good business practices or would it prompt your child to question going into a business career? – Something to think about, from the publisher.
www.StopWaffling.com
NO! How One Simple Word Can Transform Your Life by Jana Kemp is available in English and is being translated into Polish. Making decisions is a daily activity. When we waffle in indecision, people start to see us as yes-people or as ineffective. So, learn to be decisive and to master the word “no.” Meeting room coaster-tools for voting, decision workshops and decision jewelry are all found at the www.stopwaffling.com site.
www.JanaKemp.com
Looking for a meeting facilitator, a conference speaker or a workshop presenter on the subjects of meetings, time management or decision-making? Then, visit www.JanaKemp.com for information on these services and on learning tools such as DiSC®, time management, and managing stress.
