RubyConf 2022

The Power of 'No'

Have you ever attended a meeting that you wish you hadn’t? Have you ever been happy that plans were canceled because you never really wanted to go in the first place? Saying no is hard and can be truly challenging when faced with the prospect of feeling like maybe you’ll let someone down. Another reason saying no is hard is the feeling or FOMO, or the Fear Of Missing Out. All of these are even harder if you're a person of color. But is that 'Yes' worth your peace of mind? This talk is about how knowing when to say no and how to do so.

RubyConf 2022

00:00:00.000 ready for takeoff
00:00:17.880 all right good afternoon
00:00:22.140 it's it's been said that if you aren't
00:00:24.840 in danger of missing your flight you're
00:00:26.880 getting to the airport too early
00:00:29.519 some of you have probably elicited some
00:00:31.380 feelings don't worry this is not a talk
00:00:33.120 about poor travel advice but I don't
00:00:35.520 want to thank those of you who are
00:00:37.079 catching a flight right after or stayed
00:00:38.820 for this very much appreciate it
00:00:41.820 foreign
00:00:42.660 my name is Glenn Harmon and I'm going to
00:00:44.460 talk to you about the power of no
00:00:48.239 for those of you that have seen this
00:00:49.620 before it's the same exact show as
00:00:51.719 before except with eight percent more
00:00:53.640 slides
00:00:58.320 places you can find me I'm on LinkedIn
00:01:00.539 and Clint Harmon Jr I do movie reviews
00:01:02.820 you can find those on letterboxed I'm
00:01:05.580 Mastodon barely I'm still on the Bird
00:01:08.760 app
00:01:09.600 you can listen to me talk about
00:01:11.640 basketball or movies or post divisive
00:01:15.360 opinions like this
00:01:19.759 thank you
00:01:24.000 a little more about me I'm a father
00:01:26.100 husband cyclist software developer
00:01:28.979 champion of tough conversations if you
00:01:31.860 need someone to tell you to get your
00:01:32.880 stuff together I'm your guy
00:01:35.220 I'm also the master of making others
00:01:37.020 feel old I personally feel old because
00:01:39.780 my wife and I have two beautiful teenage
00:01:42.299 daughters and they both can drive now
00:01:43.979 and so I like inflicting that on
00:01:45.720 everybody else
00:01:49.380 by a show of hands how many of you
00:01:51.119 remember going to just going to the
00:01:53.040 theater to see The Lion King
00:01:56.880 this was released on June 24 1994.
00:02:01.320 if you are if you remember this you may
00:02:03.119 already be feeling old don't worry it's
00:02:05.159 going to get a lot worse from here
00:02:09.660 if we fast forward 25 years almost to
00:02:12.120 the date most of us will remember the
00:02:14.220 updated version of this coming out into
00:02:16.080 pre-pandemic times otherwise known as
00:02:18.120 2019
00:02:19.920 but if you take those same 25 years and
00:02:22.920 go backwards
00:02:24.780 we land at the moon landing
00:02:28.500 now that may not make you feel old
00:02:30.180 within it by itself
00:02:31.980 but the issue here
00:02:34.020 is that the original Lion King is now
00:02:37.860 closer to the moon landing than it is to
00:02:40.319 today
00:02:42.540 as you can see I did wake up and choose
00:02:44.700 violence
00:02:51.840 so
00:02:53.580 mm-hmm
00:02:55.379 you probably say yes to too many things
00:02:59.099 have you ever been in a situation where
00:03:00.959 you wish you could have said no and just
00:03:02.580 didn't
00:03:03.599 let's
00:03:04.739 if everybody could just put their hand
00:03:06.060 up for a moment
00:03:08.400 now I'm going to have you put a finger
00:03:09.840 down
00:03:10.620 if you've ever attended a meeting that
00:03:12.480 you wish you hadn't
00:03:15.120 have you ever been happy that plans were
00:03:17.040 canceled because you never really wanted
00:03:19.080 to go in the first place
00:03:21.360 do you have goals of reading or writing
00:03:23.340 or picking up a new hobby that you just
00:03:24.900 can't seem to find time for
00:03:27.720 do you have trouble getting to sleep at
00:03:29.459 night because you're either laying away
00:03:30.780 think about all the things you didn't do
00:03:32.580 or all the things you uh wish you had
00:03:34.980 time to do
00:03:36.720 if any of those resonated with you or
00:03:39.300 you feel seen right now it's okay this
00:03:41.099 is a safe spot
00:03:42.420 if you put no fingers down this is
00:03:44.220 probably not to talk for you
00:03:47.280 these days the line between work and
00:03:49.080 home become blurry at best and knowing
00:03:51.180 how to say no is more important than
00:03:52.680 ever
00:03:53.879 this talk is about using this too little
00:03:56.580 letter word no to formally establish
00:03:59.099 boundaries and protect your time and
00:04:01.379 values in the people you care about
00:04:05.340 foreign
00:04:06.299 this talk is going to be broken up into
00:04:08.040 the following sections the power of no
00:04:10.080 the title
00:04:11.400 why we can't say no
00:04:14.700 why you have to get better at saying no
00:04:19.019 evaluating whether or not you should say
00:04:21.060 no and finally
00:04:23.220 how to do it
00:04:28.139 when we were younger we learned the word
00:04:30.180 no
00:04:31.259 and we used it quite often no I don't
00:04:34.500 want to eat that no I don't want to take
00:04:36.479 a nap
00:04:37.620 no I don't want to share we may still be
00:04:40.080 using that
00:04:43.320 some of us have kids in here and
00:04:45.360 probably know exactly what this feels
00:04:47.100 like hell have no fury like a toddler
00:04:49.380 who doesn't want to do something
00:04:51.720 but when did we give up the power of
00:04:53.580 trying to establish our own boundaries
00:04:56.280 there are a few things I'm going to say
00:04:57.540 today that may feel uncomfortable
00:05:00.060 the first of which is
00:05:06.479 if you say yes all the time your yes has
00:05:09.720 no power it doesn't mean very much
00:05:12.540 you ever have someone who
00:05:15.060 is just going to assume you're going to
00:05:16.800 do something like maybe give them a ride
00:05:19.020 home from work or lend them a few
00:05:20.520 dollars to cover lunch have a boss
00:05:22.560 assume that you're going to pick up
00:05:23.759 something at work or pick up the slack
00:05:27.180 because they could count on you saying
00:05:29.460 yes it will eventually become an
00:05:31.440 assumption and that leads to
00:05:32.759 exploitation
00:05:36.660 go for a second uncomfortable statement
00:05:38.580 but you cannot say yes to everything and
00:05:41.280 then follow up and stand for something
00:05:43.919 we're in a room for people that like to
00:05:45.660 solve problems so you may already be
00:05:46.860 thinking of scenarios so that may not be
00:05:48.240 true but I'll stand by it
00:05:50.220 one of my favorite lines from Hamilton
00:05:51.840 the play
00:05:53.580 is that when Hamilton asked Burr if you
00:05:56.820 stand for nothing what will you fall for
00:06:00.479 those questions I asked at the beginning
00:06:01.979 have you ever attended a meeting you
00:06:03.720 wish you hadn't have you ever been happy
00:06:05.639 to plans were canceled because you never
00:06:07.680 really wanted to go
00:06:09.000 have goals of Reading Writing or picking
00:06:11.280 up a new hobby that you can't seem to
00:06:12.960 find time for
00:06:14.340 have trouble getting to sleep at night
00:06:15.960 because you can't get to the things you
00:06:17.160 really want to get to
00:06:18.660 when you find yourselves in that
00:06:20.160 situation you have fallen into the Trap
00:06:22.860 of not protecting your time or yourself
00:06:28.160 from an article in Psychology today and
00:06:31.080 no is a moment of Clear Choice
00:06:34.259 it announces however indirectly
00:06:36.419 something affirmative about you
00:06:39.660 imagine declining to sign a petition I'm
00:06:42.600 not going to sign this because that's
00:06:44.100 not my truth I've in that moment I have
00:06:46.680 affirmed something about myself
00:06:48.960 imagine if you say I will not join your
00:06:51.780 committee or help with your kids or
00:06:53.819 review your project
00:06:56.280 you might say no to those because you
00:06:57.960 are committed to some project of your
00:06:59.400 own that's more important
00:07:01.740 imagine saying count me out because
00:07:03.419 you're not comfortable not in agreement
00:07:05.100 or not on the bad bandwagon or even
00:07:07.680 saying No thank you
00:07:10.020 because it's just not something you want
00:07:11.580 to do
00:07:15.960 no is booked a tool
00:07:18.000 and a barrier by which we establish and
00:07:20.220 maintain the distinct perimeter of self
00:07:22.940 no says this is who I am this is what I
00:07:26.759 value
00:07:28.139 this is what I will and will not do and
00:07:30.900 this is how I will choose to act
00:07:32.699 no allows us to recognize that we have
00:07:34.860 limits
00:07:35.880 those limits could be time money
00:07:37.800 capacity and in order to maintain those
00:07:40.800 limits we must become comfortable with
00:07:42.960 no
00:07:44.280 this two-letter word can help you
00:07:45.960 establish honest boundaries and allow
00:07:48.120 you to take care of yourself
00:07:52.800 so we've talked a little bit about the
00:07:54.180 power of no and you might be thinking
00:07:57.419 as a natural follow-up question well why
00:07:59.759 haven't we been able to say no
00:08:01.919 I would like to get this out of the way
00:08:03.360 at the top it's because it's hard
00:08:06.539 to be very little for me to say during
00:08:08.460 our time together if it was easy
00:08:10.919 but maybe the better question is is why
00:08:13.620 is it hard
00:08:17.280 for starters it feels negative
00:08:20.879 whether it's a reasonable no like I'm
00:08:23.580 sorry I don't have money to lend you or
00:08:26.160 thoughtful no like
00:08:28.199 yes you do make really great apple pie
00:08:30.060 but maybe I'm trying to limit my sugar
00:08:31.500 intake real conversation for
00:08:33.360 Thanksgiving
00:08:34.979 or formally assert it no
00:08:37.320 thanks for the invite but I already have
00:08:39.300 plans for this weekend the receiver only
00:08:41.580 hears no and we feel inclined to feel
00:08:43.979 bad for giving that no
00:08:48.180 another reason why we can't snow or say
00:08:50.459 no is we're concerned about the
00:08:52.019 consequences
00:08:53.760 how do you say no to Overtime or maybe a
00:08:56.040 loved one without feeling like you're
00:08:57.360 letting them down
00:09:02.580 sometimes we struggle to say no because
00:09:05.220 we don't have a deeper yes
00:09:07.920 to discover our deeper yes we must
00:09:10.080 discover why we were saying no in the
00:09:12.120 first place when
00:09:14.339 when you say no it tends to be reactive
00:09:17.040 either out of a feeling attacked or
00:09:19.620 accommodating or avoidance of that
00:09:21.899 uncomfortable feeling
00:09:23.339 this type of no stems from Fear hurt or
00:09:27.060 anger
00:09:28.320 but of our no comes from someplace more
00:09:30.120 proactive
00:09:31.560 for looking and purposeful it will give
00:09:34.680 us the space to not feel like we're on
00:09:36.420 the defense
00:09:37.740 I will often stop to think about what we
00:09:39.779 really want and why
00:09:45.899 lastly we may suffer from fear of
00:09:48.060 missing out or fomo as the kids would
00:09:50.399 call it
00:09:51.839 but are those reasons we're really worth
00:09:54.060 your peace of mind
00:09:56.100 there is probably a nice overlap between
00:09:59.100 those to put their finger down earlier
00:10:00.660 when asked if they were ever happy that
00:10:03.360 plans were canceled and those that never
00:10:05.820 wanted to go in the first place
00:10:08.760 it is possible that you said yes just
00:10:10.740 because you didn't want to miss out
00:10:12.779 because saying Noah's heart we will
00:10:14.399 often attempt to avoid
00:10:16.380 and accommodate and this is how
00:10:18.420 resentment grows it's easy to get pulled
00:10:20.760 into situations we'd rather
00:10:22.620 avoid or not be in to begin with
00:10:26.100 if
00:10:27.899 it's easy sorry it's easy to get pulled
00:10:30.120 into situations we'd rather avoid or to
00:10:31.860 ignore our own well-being but that never
00:10:33.480 ends well
00:10:39.180 a little quick story about how this talk
00:10:41.580 came to be I was part of Toastmasters in
00:10:44.399 the before times the before times being
00:10:45.959 a pandemic
00:10:47.880 um and they work on helping you improve
00:10:50.519 your public speaking and presentations
00:10:53.279 at the end of one of the meetings one of
00:10:54.839 the leaders asked me if I would do a
00:10:56.640 talk at the next meeting
00:10:58.320 I knew then when they asked me that that
00:11:00.720 was not something I wanted to do but I
00:11:02.160 said yes anyways
00:11:04.320 these Toastmasters meetings happened
00:11:05.940 every other Friday so naturally as one
00:11:08.880 does we fast forward to the next
00:11:10.279 following Friday and I have no talks
00:11:13.200 though
00:11:15.600 I'm getting ready in the shower in the
00:11:17.220 morning and I'm thinking about all the
00:11:18.720 reasons why I should have said no
00:11:21.779 and because I do my best thinking in a
00:11:23.760 shower that is where this talk came from
00:11:28.019 in the end it worked out because I have
00:11:29.760 a talk and I'm getting a chance to
00:11:31.019 travel and give it but there are a lot
00:11:33.540 of stressful days and a lot of stressful
00:11:35.519 hours leading up to that talk and even
00:11:37.500 though
00:11:38.339 I have to talk now I had to suffer
00:11:40.320 through those because I did not use no
00:11:43.980 I'm telling you this because I want to
00:11:45.360 illustrate it saying no gives you power
00:11:47.820 in a situation that you can go and do
00:11:49.500 something else
00:11:54.899 anybody literally anybody can say yes
00:11:58.380 and those of you who put your fingers
00:12:00.240 down earlier already know this
00:12:02.700 but no gives you the power in the
00:12:04.680 exchange
00:12:06.600 there's a book called uh never split the
00:12:09.420 difference by Chris Voss
00:12:11.880 the book is about a former FBI hostage
00:12:14.579 negotiator and some of the techniques
00:12:16.440 she used
00:12:18.000 one of them was about how in the
00:12:19.920 beginning of a negotiation he would lob
00:12:22.440 up some very easy questions in which the
00:12:24.720 offender would be able to say no to
00:12:29.040 it would help him establish some help
00:12:32.579 them establish some agency or power
00:12:34.440 negotiation they were easy no's but
00:12:37.200 allowed them to feel like they had power
00:12:39.240 in this Exchange
00:12:41.160 there's a whole other talk on the
00:12:43.019 dynamic of power that we can take away
00:12:44.940 from this but using no allows us to keep
00:12:47.579 the power in the conversation and
00:12:49.200 protects our boundaries and allows us to
00:12:50.880 protect ourselves
00:12:55.800 there are some benefits to saying now
00:12:58.380 we've kind of hinted around these
00:13:00.180 already but time to do whatever you've
00:13:02.339 been putting off
00:13:03.480 power to be more in control of your life
00:13:06.480 the more you use it it's the easier it's
00:13:09.300 going to get
00:13:11.040 one that we may be suffering from over
00:13:13.260 extending ourselves if we're using no
00:13:15.240 regularly we can keep from overextending
00:13:17.100 ourselves and fighting fatigue and burn
00:13:18.959 out for all the wrong reasons
00:13:22.200 and one of the better ones you might
00:13:24.180 discover something new that you like to
00:13:25.740 do because you freed up time to have
00:13:27.360 that availability
00:13:30.300 say no typically feels awkward and
00:13:32.700 definitely takes practice
00:13:34.500 but again the more you use it the easier
00:13:36.779 it's going to get
00:13:41.519 now we know there are times we should be
00:13:43.019 saying no and some of the benefits of
00:13:44.940 saying no
00:13:46.200 but how do we know when to say no
00:13:49.260 I have five situations that benefit from
00:13:51.480 you using this power of no
00:13:55.079 number one ask yourself does it align
00:13:58.200 with your values
00:14:00.300 say though when you want to keep true to
00:14:02.279 your principles and values
00:14:04.680 do I truly want to do this
00:14:07.260 what do I gain out of doing this task or
00:14:10.139 attending this function
00:14:12.240 you'll notice a theme through some of
00:14:13.800 these to where it may feel selfish but
00:14:16.500 it is not
00:14:21.000 number two am I being exploited
00:14:25.200 what has this person done for me
00:14:26.940 recently that sounds terse but some
00:14:29.220 relationships are far far more one-sided
00:14:32.220 when you realize that you're always the
00:14:34.440 one that says yes
00:14:36.600 as an aside it is truly remarkable how
00:14:40.019 much people ask and sometimes even
00:14:41.639 demand of you that they wouldn't ask of
00:14:43.800 the would you that you wouldn't even ask
00:14:45.420 of yourself
00:14:51.420 say no when it keeps you focused on your
00:14:53.519 own goals
00:14:55.139 remember towards the beginning
00:14:57.120 I asked a question about people wanting
00:14:59.519 to read or write or pick up new hobbies
00:15:01.199 that they couldn't find time for ask
00:15:03.779 yourself what else could I be doing with
00:15:05.399 this time
00:15:12.000 saying no to abuse by others this is
00:15:15.240 different in exploitation
00:15:17.040 exploitation for the purposes of this
00:15:19.320 talk is
00:15:20.639 when the value you have to the other
00:15:22.260 party is based solely on what you can do
00:15:24.660 for them nothing more nothing less
00:15:27.240 abuse in this instance would be being
00:15:30.240 treated poorly for fear of losing that
00:15:32.279 person continually taking that treatment
00:15:34.199 and not saying no to that
00:15:39.440 and lastly you can ask yourself do I
00:15:41.940 need to change course
00:15:44.160 so many of us would rather be right
00:15:46.560 than happy
00:15:48.480 we made a choice that we should and we
00:15:50.220 should stick with it whether it doesn't
00:15:53.519 matter what the results are we made the
00:15:54.779 choice we're going to stick with it but
00:15:56.220 what happens if
00:15:57.420 you're on the wrong course and you're
00:15:59.100 already aware of it maybe you work
00:16:00.839 someplace that others might think is a
00:16:02.820 dream job but makes you sick to your
00:16:04.860 stomach the night before
00:16:06.600 maybe you're in your relationship or a
00:16:08.339 friendship that you already know is over
00:16:10.560 but you're just hanging out there
00:16:12.720 use the no to evaluate whether or not
00:16:15.899 it's time to change course
00:16:21.120 which brings us to how to say no
00:16:26.820 it was really that easy
00:16:30.540 we've talked about all the reasons you
00:16:32.459 might not be saying no
00:16:34.680 and how to evaluate when to say no but
00:16:36.779 we haven't really talked about perhaps
00:16:38.100 the most helpful piece of info I can
00:16:40.500 give you
00:16:41.459 and that's how to say no
00:16:44.279 here are a couple of tips I'm going to
00:16:45.600 give you for how to do that
00:16:49.980 give yourself a cushion
00:16:52.500 oftentimes you're going to be caught off
00:16:54.180 guards and getting good at saying no is
00:16:57.120 it's a new muscle
00:16:59.220 or working on strengthening it we want
00:17:00.899 to get better at it so if you're feeling
00:17:02.639 nervous or flustered and you think a
00:17:05.220 nice squishy yes seems like the easiest
00:17:07.740 way out
00:17:09.299 whip out one of these and see if this
00:17:11.520 helps I can't decide right now or let me
00:17:15.600 think about it
00:17:17.220 you could even say uh let me check my
00:17:19.140 schedule and get back to you
00:17:20.640 instead of expecting yourself to be the
00:17:23.160 master of no right out of the gate
00:17:26.220 keep these phrases in your pocket and be
00:17:29.220 ready to give yourself some time to
00:17:30.780 pause so you can break the habit of
00:17:33.120 agreeing to stuff immediately we do this
00:17:36.179 again often to escape the discomfort
00:17:41.640 be quick about it tell the person you
00:17:44.520 can't do it early and after the offer so
00:17:47.460 you're not holding up their plans
00:17:49.679 there can be this feeling of guilt that
00:17:51.960 sets in
00:17:53.460 um when you let an invite linger and you
00:17:55.980 feel more compelled to say yes just
00:17:57.780 because of how long it's been since the
00:17:59.820 original invitation
00:18:02.400 once you know that you're going to say
00:18:03.960 no say it you'll feel better with it not
00:18:07.679 hanging over your head
00:18:12.059 be honest
00:18:14.160 sometimes you have other commitments you
00:18:16.559 can use there
00:18:17.820 sometimes it's not something you really
00:18:19.140 want to do to begin with that's okay too
00:18:21.000 you can say things like I appreciate the
00:18:23.700 invite but that's not something I want
00:18:25.380 to do
00:18:26.460 that is a legitimate response
00:18:29.340 sometimes there will be a need to
00:18:30.840 compromise on whatever the ask is but in
00:18:33.720 order to have a successful compromise
00:18:35.820 you have to be honest for the reason why
00:18:37.740 you couldn't do it begin or didn't want
00:18:39.299 to do it to begin with
00:18:44.460 number four suggest an alternative
00:18:47.460 if you're being asked to do something
00:18:48.900 maybe you can name another person that
00:18:50.640 might be able to take your place
00:18:52.860 you're being asked to go out to eat
00:18:54.299 someplace maybe that's not your type of
00:18:56.160 restaurant you can suggest another
00:18:58.020 restaurant another location another
00:19:00.179 another activity Etc
00:19:03.600 this will feel very similar to coming up
00:19:05.460 on a compromise but if you're being
00:19:06.660 honest with it up front this step gets
00:19:08.880 easier
00:19:12.539 lastly ask for a rain check if it's
00:19:15.240 something you really want to do but
00:19:16.440 maybe it doesn't fit in your schedule at
00:19:17.880 the request of time ask for a rain check
00:19:20.640 make another plan for the future and if
00:19:22.799 there's some if showing a good faith
00:19:24.539 effort is uh something you're wishing to
00:19:27.240 do there
00:19:28.080 making a rain check makes it super easy
00:19:30.059 for you
00:19:34.080 and prepping for this talk I read a book
00:19:36.000 called badass Habits by Jen sincero
00:19:39.419 and there's a excerpt in it it was fun
00:19:41.700 it says getting your no on is all about
00:19:44.280 clarity
00:19:45.720 kindness speed consistency and
00:19:48.660 commitment
00:19:49.679 no is a simple short word it's not full
00:19:52.679 of long drawn out explanations
00:19:55.100 justifications
00:19:56.720 apologies emotions excuses and back
00:19:59.460 pedaling
00:20:01.080 here are some general rules to sing a
00:20:03.360 really good no
00:20:07.140 make it all about you
00:20:09.840 so I'll give you an example
00:20:11.820 let's say you have a friend or family
00:20:14.160 member that prefers to
00:20:15.980 make phone calls as their way of
00:20:18.000 communication but you have trouble
00:20:20.039 getting that conversation to end once
00:20:21.960 you get on the phone
00:20:23.160 one way that we might have felt
00:20:24.840 compelled to respond before is I don't
00:20:27.419 want to be on the phone with you because
00:20:28.679 you I can't get you off the phone
00:20:31.500 that will prevent you from saying no
00:20:33.179 because now you're afraid of hurting
00:20:35.039 your feelings but what if you made it
00:20:36.840 about you and you say
00:20:39.299 I've got a lot going on right now maybe
00:20:41.460 I can schedule this like once a week or
00:20:43.559 I can hop on the call for 30 minutes
00:20:45.360 because I have X Y and Z I still have to
00:20:47.760 do you keep the emotion out of it you
00:20:50.160 don't try to second guess
00:20:52.919 and you don't have to spend time worry
00:20:54.240 about if they'll get upset because it's
00:20:55.799 about you and what you need to do
00:20:58.380 and all these examples you are only
00:21:00.179 responsible for your end of the
00:21:01.860 conversation and if they ever get upset
00:21:03.480 that's their work not yours
00:21:09.419 use direct language
00:21:12.840 straight to the point such as
00:21:15.179 please call before you come over
00:21:18.059 thanks so much for coming to my party
00:21:19.620 but I'm going to bed
00:21:21.660 you need to leave
00:21:24.660 I'm not comfortable hugging strangers
00:21:26.460 but it was nice to meet you
00:21:28.740 and as always the classic no thanks
00:21:32.400 powerful no type phrases often begin
00:21:35.580 with I need I won't I can't I don't like
00:21:40.980 I'm not going to and I would appreciate
00:21:43.860 it if
00:21:49.440 one of the other things to evaluate is
00:21:52.080 keeping the right people around you
00:21:54.419 take the people you hang out with
00:21:55.860 several times a week month except from
00:21:57.960 there and if you were to rank those
00:21:59.700 interactions or what those relationships
00:22:01.320 mean to you
00:22:02.700 spend more of your time with those that
00:22:05.400 are eight and up
00:22:07.440 if somebody is a five to seven sure by
00:22:10.080 all means hang out with them but don't
00:22:11.539 prioritize them over the eights
00:22:14.100 and after five or below actively start
00:22:17.039 practicing to say no to these
00:22:18.600 interactions they're likely more
00:22:20.340 one-sided if you're rating them at five
00:22:21.960 than you've realized
00:22:26.539 there are eight types of no
00:22:29.520 there is no as a complete sentence
00:22:31.500 that's it no I don't want to do it no
00:22:33.780 thank you
00:22:34.860 the vague but firm now thank you for
00:22:37.260 asking me but it's not going to work for
00:22:39.059 me
00:22:40.380 the referral no
00:22:42.360 I won't be able to do this but why don't
00:22:44.220 you ask and certain name of your choice
00:22:47.820 the it's not personal no thank you for
00:22:50.400 thinking of me but I'm not taking on
00:22:52.679 anything new this quarter or I'm focused
00:22:54.659 to starting a new project Etc
00:22:57.360 there is the gracious now
00:22:59.760 I'm so touchy you thought of me I really
00:23:01.740 appreciate your enthusiasm but I'm not
00:23:03.780 gonna be able to help you out at this
00:23:04.919 time
00:23:07.140 there's the now is not the right time
00:23:09.539 now I would love to help you but I am
00:23:12.120 super busy can you come back and check
00:23:14.520 ask me again in a month
00:23:18.539 the reassess no let me think about it
00:23:21.240 and I will get back to you
00:23:24.480 I noticed that I'm actually too busy but
00:23:27.240 no which is no but here's what maybe I
00:23:30.360 can do instead or offering up another
00:23:32.220 suggestion
00:23:36.720 so if we're going to put this into
00:23:38.460 practice
00:23:39.539 there are a couple of questions I would
00:23:40.980 have for you
00:23:43.020 can you think of some scenarios in which
00:23:44.940 you wish you could say no now
00:23:49.080 are there ways to incorporate know what
00:23:52.260 the holiday is coming up
00:23:54.659 are there other ways you said no that
00:23:57.240 weren't included in today's talk
00:24:05.820 that brings us to the end I like to
00:24:07.740 briefly thank my employer when they
00:24:10.260 eventually see this video they're
00:24:11.580 sending me out here to tell you all the
00:24:12.900 ways to say no
00:24:14.640 um and to ask if there's any other
00:24:15.900 topics that you like to hear about uh if
00:24:18.659 you would like to follow that link and
00:24:20.100 make some suggestions we come out we do
00:24:21.600 talks we do blog posts over all sorts of
00:24:23.820 things
00:24:27.120 thank you for coming