The most successful people on the planet take ownership over their time. If you want to soar, you can’t let yourself be weighed down by unwanted tasks. While you should stay open to new challenges, it’s important to only choose the most rewarding tasks.

But maintaining a selective business strategy isn’t the only reason why you should practice saying no. Learning how to phrase rejections can help you build stronger, more honest relationships. Your colleagues, superiors, clients, and loved ones will know they can trust your yes’s once they get to witness your no’s.

Let’s go over some questions you might have about saying no gracefully.

1. Is It Okay to Skip the Elaborations?

Are situations where the answer to a question is simply “No.”? Absolutely. This is the best response when someone is being rude and deliberately crossing your boundaries. You can also keep things terse if you are ever asked to do something unethical.

But in other situations, it’s better to put your no in context. If you do so, you can maintain your relationship with the asker. In the future, they may ask something of you that you’ll want to agree to.

2. Do You Need to Explain Why You’re Saying No?

People appreciate it when you take the time to explain what’s going on with you. One of the most frequent reasons to say no is that you don’t have the time to take on another commitment. The other party should respect you, as long as you stay polite and use assertive communication skills along the way.

3. Should You Bend the Truth if You Don’t Have a Good Reason?

Sometimes, you’ll want to say no for reasons you can’t easily explain. For example, you might want to stop working with a customer who irritates you. In these cases, it’s better to keep your rejection brief. Inventing explanations isn’t useful and can lead to complications.

4. How Should You Time It?

Respond to questions as quickly as possible. The asker will appreciate having more time to find other solutions.

5. How Do You Say No Without Offending the Asker?

Depending on who’s asking, there are a few conversational tricks you can use. Here’s a sample that could help you out.

Saying No to Friends

Good friends will understand your reasons and provide some much-needed support. You can even practice saying no with your circle of friends as a way to become more assertive in general.

But what if it’s a big request that you have to turn down? If you want to take the sting out of the rejection, you can emphasize that you’d give anyone else the same answer. For example, you can tell them that you never give money loans to friends, no matter who.

Saying No to Customers and Clients

Potential clients appreciate receiving a sincere personal response, and if you don’t think they’ll be a good fit, take the time to reject their business politely. If you can think of alternative solutions to their problem, try to offer some suggestions of who could be a good fit.

How to Say No to Your Boss

Unless you’re self-employed, you can’t always reject new projects completely. But what you can do is point out the way a new responsibility would affect your current workload. Back up what you’re saying with facts and suggest your own ideas.

A Parting Thought

Saying no will become easier with time. But if you discover that it’s a persistent problem for you, why not seek out the help of a coach? I help my clients focus on what matters - which means saying no, quite a bit. Schedule a free session for further tips and tools here.