Learning to Say No with Confidence and Grace

43mGeneral2021-11-22

Authors

Melody Wilding

Author, Speaker, and Executive Coach

Course details

Turning down requests at work can be tough. If you're a high performer who serves as a resource for other teams, it can even feel like a small failure. But saying no is actually a critical skill that all professionals must master in order to prevent burnout and honor their own needs. In this course, learn how to gracefully decline requests without negatively impacting your career or relationships.

Melody Wilding, the author of Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work, goes over the mental blocks that can keep you from saying no. She shares tips for assertively and clearly declining requests, managing your emotions when receiving pushback, and diffusing tension. She also details how to say no in special circumstances, including how to tactfully decline requests from your boss and teammates. Along the way, Melody shares scripts and sample language you can use to implement these confidence-building techniques in real-world situations.

Skills covered

Well-Being and Self-CarePersonal DevelopmentProfessional DevelopmentOne-Off

Concepts

Introduction

The importance of saying no

Build Confidence to Say No

Overcome mental blocks
Deciding what to say no to
Visualize a successful outcome
Managing guilt when saying no

Deliver Your No Clearly and Effectively

Be assertive when saying no
Provide context when saying no
Propose an alternative when saying no

Manage Pushback

Manage your emotions
Diffuse tension with active listening
De-escalate aggressive responses

Saying No in Special Circumstances

Saying no to your boss
Saying no to teammates and colleagues
Saying no to a job offer
Saying no after saying yes

Conclusion

Next steps