Responding to Requests

Responding to Requests.

How often do you get asked to do something?

If you are like most, it would be at least once a day, but likely numerous times

throughout the day.

This makes responding to requests effectively an important part of being a good communicator.

So, how can we respond to a request to do something?

On the surface it seems there would be two choices.

YES

NO

Yet, there are two more options that can be useful – giving us four choices.   (I don’t know about you, but I always like having more choice)

1) Yes – ‘Yes I can do what you ask.’

2) No – ‘No I cannot do what you ask’.

3) Negotiate – ‘I CAN do this part of what you ask, but I CAN’T do this part’.

4) Commit to commit later – I will need to get back to later about this.

Sounds simple, but I find that in the heat of the moment, I can often forget the 3^rd and 4^th options – and this can impact my own time as well as relationships.

Negotiating allows for both parties to get what they want.

Committing to commit later allows for the receiver of the request the necessary space and time to consider how to best respond.  After consideration, you may well say YES or NO, or you may negotiate. The thing is, the space and time we take can be vital for us to consider how we deliver our message and ensuring we maintain our own boundaries, whilst also maintaining important relationships.

Next time you receive a request, remember you have choices.