Four things to say that will make everything better
As originally published on the-pool.com 27 October 2015
These little sentences can be used to solve just about any situation, says Viv Groskop.
At first I was sceptical about the assertion – laid out in a new book – that four simple phrases can improve relationships not just in our personal lives, but also at work. I have some idea about what four phrases I would like to be able to use in order to “improve” all relationships. “Could you please be quiet and listen some more to what I have to say instead of talking the whole time without registering the effect you are having on me?” (Lengthy but surely effective.) “Why are you suggesting something so incredibly stupid?” (This is something I very frequently want to say.) “Have you thought about not getting me to do everything?” (To the point.) And: “Get out of my face.” (Says it all.)