Give People the Gift of Not Saying These 10 Phrases in 2021

Author : harickbond

Publish Date : 2021-01-09 15:00:09

There’s a lot of truth to this expression. But our words still hold tremendous power. This is particularly true since a high percentage of our conversations have moved to video and we can only see people from the neck up.
When it comes to keeping our relationships tight, keeping track of the phrases that light people up is a valuable exercise. But don’t underestimate the importance of getting clear on the phrases that drag people down and banishing them from your vocabulary. After all, not saying something that annoys people doesn’t automatically make you likable, but it sure helps.
Over the last year, I’ve been collecting the phrases people love to hear along with those that make their ears bleed. As we wrap up 2020, give people the gift in 2021 of sparing them from hearing the phrases below.
1. Just a friendly reminder
Maybe you can get away with saying this phrase if someone hasn’t replied to your kids’ birthday party. But even then, “Liam’s party is next Saturday at 1 PM and we’d love for you to be there,” accomplishes the same thing without using fluffy language.
Say “This is just a friendly reminder” or “Just a friendly nudge” to yourself in a variety of tones. They all sound annoying, right?
If you need an update from someone, don’t dance. “Can you give me a status….?” is fine. The same goes for letting people know the due date again to reinforce the information you’re requesting is important to you.
2. Let’s park that for now
“Let’s table that for now!”
“Let’s play it by ear!”
“Let me sit with that!”
“Let’s touch base on that later!”
According to my friend Marina Glazman, all of these phrases are code for “I don’t care about this, so please f-off!”
Instead of saying something generic, give people a specific response: “Let’s talk about that tomorrow. I’m available at 10 AM.” Or, if it’s something you’re definitely not interested in, let people know your reasoning in private and move on. They may not like it. But it beats the hell out of being strung along.
3. Good luck with that
I told a friend I submitted an article to a big name publication and he replied by saying, “Good luck with that!” He might as well have told me I didn’t stand a chance in hell.
When someone’s excited about something, they may not be looking for your approval. But they are looking for your support.
“They’d be lucky to have you” or “You’ve put in the work” is much better than saying “Good luck with that” or even “Good luck.”
4. As I said before
Like a lot of the phrases on this list, it’s impossible to say “As I said before” without sounding condescending. So instead of saying it, or its equally annoying cousin, “At the risk of repeating myself,” rephrase your message or just go ahead and repeat yourself.
When it comes to the written word, the burden of clarity always falls on the writer, not the reader. The same goes for the words you say.
Maybe you didn’t communicate as well as you had thought.
Or maybe people are missing crucial information that you assumed they had.
Or maybe they simply didn’t hear you the first time.

Catagory :general

Give People the Gift of Not Saying These 10 Phrases in 2021

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