This is another adaptation of wisdom that I’ve shared elsewhere on the Internet. In this case, that was on The Workplace at Stack Exchange
If you don’t want to do something, there is a magic word that you can use that will clearly explain that to the person you are talking to. That magic word is ideal when you have tried politely explaining something already. Sometimes, there is a delicate balance to strike between politeness and clarity; other times, you’ve tried politeness, so you must resort to clarity.
The magic word to clearly explain that you don’t want to do something is:
No.
Like all magic words, its power is governed by rules. Here are the rules you must follow when using the magic word:
- You must say “No.”
- “No” must be the first word of the sentence.
- “No” said by itself is a complete sentence.
Many people have had the misfortune of being raised to be polite rather than clear when communicating, especially when interpersonal conflict could happen. Thus, they may have the misfortune of feeling that simply saying “No” as a complete sentence is rude. If you suffer from this mistaken thinking, you can attach any polite filler phrases to the sentence that you wish, provided they come after saying the word “No”. Here are some examples:
No, thank you.
No, but good luck.
No, I gave at the office.
No, I don’t want to do that.
No, I would rather chew a bag of glass.
No, I need to wash my hair that evening.
No, please put the barrel of this revolver in your mouth and pull the trigger.