Someone asked me How do I become bold, so that others will not take advantage of me anymore?
Short answer to this question is 'Learn the habit of saying No'.
Short answer to this question is 'Learn the habit of saying No'.
You will not only need to become bold but also become smart and sensitive of human behavior to avoid others taking advantage of yourself. Saying No is first step in the right direction.
For example, if someone asks you “What is your salary?” and you feel uncomfortable to answer this question by saying a direct 'No, I don't want to tell you my salary' then take a deep breath, put a smile on your face and instead of an answer respond with a question “Why do you want to know?” This way you will pass a message that you are not interested in answering this question.
I think there are respectful ways to say no. I read this interesting incident on social media...
"I work in retail while I'm studying, the other day I was working with my assistant state manager we were doing some tidying up and she asked me to hang a string of balloons up quite high.
I just told her I would respectfully do anything else asked of me but they were too high and I wasn't comfortable doing it. She got somebody else to do it. We worked a couple more days together and my my manager received a glowing report once he was back."
Clarity of communication can go a long way. Speaking louder, more concisely and explaining your point of view can really do wonders for getting aggressive people to back off. Your success is dependent in the understanding and mastering of following skills pertaining to human relations:
- Understanding The Human Ego
- Making People Feel Important
- Creating a Good Impression
- Criticizing Without Offending
Not everyone is born with these skills, but the good news is that these skills can be developed over time by continous practice in day to day life interactions.
To conclude I would highly recommend you read these couple of bestsellers to develop these skills…The Art of Dealing with People and Questions Are the Answers
Remember Assertiveness is not anger. Decisiveness is not anger. Saying no is like farting in the grocery aisle. Do it quickly, respectfully and sparingly and you wont offend anybody.
