Don’t Be Shy

 I’m not talking about simple questions like - ’how are you’?  But questions where you feel pressured to give an answer, but really aren’t sure what you want to say. 

Before I heard this tip I often just gave the answer I thought they wanted to hear and quite often later would wish I hadn’t said yes.  Even when yes would be the answer I would have given, I find you become more comfortable with your answer when you take your time to think about it. 

So, if you aren’t sure what answer to give and want to think about it, then it is perfectly ok to say so.  You could try saying:

• - Let me check my diary and get back to you.
• - I’ll need to sleep on that, let me get back to you.
• - Let me think about it and get back to you.
• - I’ll have to think about that, give me 24 hours and I’ll let you know. 

Many years ago when I was looking for a job, I nearly took a job that wouldn’t enable me to continue studying (part-time).  They wanted me to join the team, but stressed that I would not be able to have any time off for study.  Because this went against my long-term plans I said I would need to sleep on it and would let them know by 10am the next day.   I ended up passing on the job and glad I did.  But had I felt compelled to give an answer on the spot I probably would have said yes.

So next time you find yourself in the situation where you aren’t sure what to answer, let the person know you need some time to think and will get back to them.