How to say NO(without offending others)

How many times a day would you be asked to do something by another person?

Five, ten, maybe twenty times?

This has a huge impact on your personal productivity.

The #1 factor impacting your productivity is distractions.

And the truth is most of those distractions will come from other people.

So how do you say NO to someone without offending them?

Here is a great technique to say no and keep your relationships at work in good standing.

Here is the 3T Method:

1. Thank - When the person comes over and asked for something simply 'thank them' for coming over. Say “thanks for thinking of me”. This will put them at ease and prime them for what you’re about to say next.

2. Task - The second step is to mention you’re currently working on an urgent task. It’s crucial to say ‘urgent’ because most people don’t respect ‘important’. In most people’s minds ‘important’ can wait but 'urgent can't’.

3. Time - Ask them when would be an appropriate time to catch up. You can do this in two ways. The first way is to tell them a time that you are available, it’s great to have a block of time in your head that you allocate to random questions and enquiries in the office that could be 2 PM to 4 PM. The other option is to ask them “when would be a good time to catch up this afternoon?”  Most of the time you'll notice they will have the query solved by the time you catch up with them at 2 PM :)

Enjoy saying "NO" using this 3T method and take control of your time.

Share your comments below.