How to say 'NO' to people

Saying no to people can be really difficult and you might be wondering how you can say no to people and not feel bad about it. People tend to dwell more on the outcome of their "No" and what the party involved may start thinking. Some of the thoughts maybe am I being aggressive, and a lot of people do not want to be an aggressor. In some cases, saying no may make you start thinking you are the bad guy or girl. In other cases, we may also tend to feel guilty or that we are letting someone down. In some cases, we get scared that we may not be liked and we could be perceived as being so uncaring. 

People say no in ineffective ways which usually comes with an excuse of one sought or the other. You may hear things like, I would have helped you but I am currently busy or I have a tight schedule. This approach of saying NO has proven to be ineffective as this gives the party involved the opportunity to continue asking. 

Below are proven ways to effectively say NO:

-Say it

Rather than just give excuses upon excuses just say no and mean it, avoid beating around the bush as this has a way of keeping an opening for continuous requests. A brief and direct explanation is needed and remember the less you say the better

-Be assertive and courteous

This is where you ensure you remain in control of the options by giving responses that put you in such a position, an example of a great response is 'I am sorry I just can't at the moment, but I will surely let you know when and if I can'. This is quite polite and puts you in a position of power.

To be continued...