Have you heard the Elton John song ”Sorry Seems To be The Hardest Word”? It’s a nice song, but…well, I disagree. Sure, saying “sorry” is not easy. But the small, itsy-bitsy, two-letter word “No” is more difficult to say.

If you think about it, you’ll probably agree.

For clarity, I know that the word “no” is easy to say when someone offers you some coffee and you already have some. You might say? “no thanks. I have some.”

But what if someone asks you to come to a party they are having and you really do’t want to go. It’s not as easy to say “No… but thanks anyway.”

When you have to refuse or decline and you don’t want to hurt someone’s feeling, you want to say “no,” but you end up saying something else… or even saying, “YES” because it’s easier to say.

You decline politely by saying…

“I’d love to, but I don’t have time”

Or

“ I wish I could, but I have to meet someone.”

Or

“Is that song, Hae Kyo…oh my gosh..got to run!”

Just saying N-O “no” is tough.

TALK ABOUT IT

1 when you have to decline…when you want to say ”No” to someone, but you are afraid you might hurt that person’s feeling, what DO you say?

2 Do you have trouble saying, “No”?

3 When do you have trouble saying, “No”?

4 talk about a time when you wanted to say “No” but said “Yes” instead.

5 What are some good excuses to use when saying, “No”?

6 How often do you say, “No” to people?

7 Have you ever liked to someone to protect his feelings?

8 How would you feel if someone lied to you to protect your feelings?

9 Is it difficult for you to decline offers for help?

10 What do you think is the most appropriate thing to say when you are declining an offer?