So readers, here is the question as I see it.

“How do I make my point effectively while maintaining my relationship with the other person?”

I hear this type of question all the time. People want to communicate better. It is the ability to protect themselves and their self

“Why is my co-worker stabbing me in the back?”

“How do I tell my vendor that we are not going to renew his contract?”

“The person next to me smells and I don’t want to offend him/her, and I want them to stop smelling.”

“Being gentle in the lunchroom and still getting my point across.”

“My boss won’t make a decision and I can’t move forward.”

“My co-worker is an Eyore or Schleprock and I can’t seem to get them to shut up.”

These were some of the questions that I posed the other day. And really, they are all the same question. “You have lost your mind” you say. “There is no way these very different questions are the same at all.” I say, let’s look at where they come from 1st.

All of these questions come from real life scenarios all of us have faced at one time or another. And it's our ability to deal with them effectively that sets us apart from everybody else. And that is a skill, which means anyone can learn it.

Improve your skill set, improve your life. The more you learn and apply, the better your life becomes.

Earl Nightingale said “A mind stretched by an idea can never return to the original shape.”

So readers, here is the question as I see it.

“How do I make my point effectively while maintaining my relationship with the other person?”

I hear this type of question all the time. People want to communicate better. It is the ability to protect themselves and their self i

“Being gentle in the lunchroom and still getting my point across.”

“My boss won’t make a decision and I can’t move forward.”

“My co-worker is an Eyore or Schleprock and I can’t seem to get them to shut up.”

These were some of the questions that I posed the other day. And really, they are all the same question. “You have lost your mind” you say. “There is no way these very different questions are the same at all.” I say, let’s look at where they come from 1st.

All of these questions come from real life scenarios all of us have faced at one time or another. And it's our ability to deal with them effectively that sets us apart from everybody else. And that is a skill, which means anyone can learn it.

Improve your skill set, improve your life. The more you learn and apply, the better your life becomes.

Earl Nightingale said “A mind stretched by an idea can never return to the original shape.”

So readers, here is the question as I see it.

“How do I make my point effectively while maintaining my relationship with the other person?”

I hear this type of question all the time. People want to communicate better. It is the ability to protect themselves and their self

All of these questions come from real life scenarios all of us have faced at one time or another. And it's our ability to deal with them effectively that sets us apart from everybody else. And that is a skill, which means anyone can learn it.

Improve your skill set, improve your life. The more you learn and apply, the better your life becomes.

Earl Nightingale said “A mind stretched by an idea can never return to the original shape.”

So readers, here is the question as I see it.

“How do I make my point effectively while maintaining my relationship with the other person?”

I hear this type of question all the time. People want to communicate better. It is the ability to protect themselves and their self

Improve your skill set, improve your life. The more you learn and apply, the better your life becomes.

Earl Nightingale said “A mind stretched by an idea can never return to the original shape.”

So readers, here is the question as I see it.

“How do I make my point effectively while maintaining my relationship with the other person?”

I hear this type of question all the time. People want to communicate better. It is the ability to protect themselves and their self

So readers, here is the question as I see it.

“How do I make my point effectively while maintaining my relationship with the other person?”

I hear this type of question all the time. People want to communicate better. It is the ability to protect themselves and their self image and at the same time feel comfortable enough to be able to tell someone something that the other person might really need to know while respecting their rights. Think “Simon” on American Idol without insults.

It’s communication with tact. tact n. (takt) the delicate perception of the right thing to say or do without offending, commonly referred to as Assertive Communication.

This is where you are thinking about protecting yourself and at the same time honoring the other person’s rights. Basically, allowing them to be who they are, while you stay the way you are.

So there is some specific language you might want to use. It usually starts off with what is called an “I” statement. It might sound something like this.

“Bob, I’ve noticed some new ideas on that Parker project have come up. And after examining how they might fit with the ideas already presented, I can see some possibility of conflict. How do you see those ideas fitting in with what is already in place?”

“Mary, I’ve heard some comments that were not very flattering and quite frankly, somewhat insulting. I was wondering if there was something that you needed to say.”

“Gerry, I have some news regarding our business relationship. Our contracts