Taking The Negative Out Of What You Say And How You Say It

Contributed by Jay Schroyer

Optimism is truly a state of mind. The world can be falling around about your ears, but if you’re a truly positive person, you wouldn’t dream of acknowledging the destruction around you. An easy and simple way to upgrade your work vocabulary to get rid of those annoying and half-true negative responses is to swap them for positive ones. Remember, it’s more about how you say things than what you actually say. Here are a few examples to get you started.

No Way = Let’s Take a Look
Instead of saying “no way” the next time someone asks an almost impossible act of you, try “let’s take a look ” for a change. The phrase itself is not a direct “yes” so there’s no harm in taking a closer look at what someone is asking you to do. You can then fully determine if it’s a task within your capabilities. There’s an incredible amount of psychology behind phrases like “no way.” When the person who asks a request of you hears this response, they’re not only thinking about the request that they just made of you. Often they take it as a rejection of themselves, as if their very presence in your office is an affront and an abomination. It also gives them the impression that they’re bothering you by asking for something and that if you indeed do end up doing it, that they will be indebted to you. By answering in a more positive way, you are reinforcing the idea that it’s okay to approach you with not only requests, but questions and comments. By saying “let’s take a look,” you’re reassuring them that it’s okay to ask. You may not be able to drop everything and work on their request exclusively, but you’re willing to take a moment and entertain the thought of taking on their task or sending them in the right direction.

Some Time Next Week = Next Tuesday Afternoon
Try to be as specific as possible with your time estimates. There’s nothing worse than having to rely on someone to get something done and then having to spend a lot of time nail-biting, unsure of what time frame to expect the work in. Fuzzy or widely open time frames leave too much to chance and often cause irritation to your requestors. By giving your coworkers or clients a more specific finish date, you not only earn their trust, but give them a sense that you really know your job and how long it will take you to complete a task. You’ll be amazed at the difference in the reactions you’ll receive from coworkers and clients when you get more specific with work completion time frames. But remember, always under promise and over deliver. You don’t want to slit your own throat by providing an ETA that you can’t possibly meet.

I Can’t Do That = I Wonder How I Can Get That Done
This answer is similar to the “no way” one we talked about earlier. Instead of panicking when you find yourself backed into a corner and throwing up the wall of negativity for defense, it’s best to spend the little time you have planning and figuring out solutions. What resources do you have available that you can make use of? Are there fellow employees you can share your workload with? Are their outsourcing companies that you use for certain tasks like printing, copying, or research? Make the most of your contacts and business relations. Again, this positive reaction and calm under fire will make you look very professional and confident in the eyes of both your coworkers and your clients and will aid in completing your assigned task correctly and on time.

I think you will notice an instant difference if you start answering business requests in this manner. One of the basic tenets of customer service is to never tell a customer “no.” There are numerous ways of telling someone “no” without making them feel bad about asking. When you work with an office full of people, the more you work as a team, the stronger your business will be. So take a moment next time before you answer a question and think about not just what you’re going to say, but how you’re going to say it. By providing positive answers calmly and confidently, you will reassure yourself and your coworkers that you can indeed get the work done.

About the Author:
Jay Schroyer has worked in the client and customer service end of business for over five years in retail, advertising, and printing. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English writing and communication.

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