How to politely decline an invitation | Ask Leah

"How can I politely decline an invitation to an event without apologising, lying or over-explaining? With the silly season now upon us and invitations to events stacking up, I need to protect my energy and time but I'm not sure how to say no. Please help!"

Tonight on Ask Leah, I share a simple formula for declining invitations in a polite, succinct and gracious way.

Watch this short video to find out more and try putting it to the test in the coming weeks.

If you have a communication, leadership, self-management or "soft skill" question you'd like answered, send it through and I'll do my best to answer it in a future episode.

#askleah #communication #no #christmas #sillyseason #howtosayno

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Hi, I’m Leah Mether. I’m a communication and soft skills specialist, obsessed with making the people part of leadership and work life easier.

I teach leaders and teams how to communicate effectively under pressure, have difficult conversations, better manage themselves, and build a culture that gets the results they need.

With my direct, straight-shooting style I can help you:

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[silvergoddess]

“No Thank You “ works for me. No explanation needed. I think we over apologize for having boundaries.

[kevinvitale]

Our problem is the couple are socially awkward. They have no clue how to read the room… and will ask again. They are nice, but I want to keep it to a few minutes socializing as neighbors on the street. Don’t want to continually hurt their feelings but I also do not want to spend a couple of hours with them.

[AndreaShink]

here's mine: Thank you for thinking of me, but I have another commitment ... have a wonderful time/I'm sure it will be great!

(my commitment is ... I'm committed to not going ...)

[UptonSinclairLewis]

"I have a date with my couch and Netflix". That's good, hahaha!

[kishorsheta]

Ooooh wow very very nice ji superb thanks ji

[margaretchayka]

I just tell people I'm an introvert and freak out in crowds of strangers. Easy-peasy!