Different ways people said NO
Written Summary
During the exercise, people said NO in different ways. First, some said they wanted to think about it. This answer was a polite and more professional way of saying that they needed more time to consider my request, and they included the busy respondents. Secondly, some of the respondents respondent by saying, ‘not today.’ In this response, I believed that the request is worth looking into in the future when time is available. The third way of saying no was, ‘I am sorry, but I can not.’ This was a straight forward NO as the respondent could not fulfill the request, or they do not want to attend to the request, and hence there is no room for hope for future engagements concerning the request. Additionally, the body language such as the use of gestures was another way of saying NO In a way that is not outright.
- The feeling when people say NO
At times, saying NO to other people may be hurtful while at the time helpful to both the respondent and the person requesting. First, when people said NO to requests that they could perform, it made me feel betrayed, and I saw them as selfish. If someone says NO for evidently pure reasons such that they do not give any reasons why they are rejecting the request, then they are selfish. However, although the response may be made with selfish interests, that does not mean that I have to respond in the same manner, but I should try to negotiate my request until the response says YES or refers the request to a later time.
- Things that stop asking questions in negotiations
Using insights from the exercise, two things stopped me from asking for what I want in the negotiations. First, when the respondent said an outright NO, which meant that there was no room for hope that the request may get revisited during negotiations. It also assures me that I am still on track with my initial schedule and should not build false hopes for assistance from the respondent. Secondly, the body language, as well as the prior knowledge of the respondent’s schedule, stopped me from asking what I wanted in the negotiations. In this scenario, the further request would bother the respondent and reduce the chances of a YES in the future. To prevent myself and others from short-circuiting themselves, I would ask them to be polite while making requests and not to respond negatively when the respondent says NO.