Saying ‘no’ is never easy but there is always an effective way to do it. 

Here are a few tips:

1. You should never feel pressured to do something you don’t really want to do.  If your gut feeling is you don’t want to do something say, “No thank you.”  You might add, “It’s not my scene,” or “Not right now, thanks.”  Don’t feel you have to explain yourself any more than that.  If you learn to say no honestly and nicely, people will respect you for it. 

2.  When the question is serious or emotionally loaded, you might want to add an explanation to avoid hurting someone’s feelings or to show respect for them.   

3.  Decide what things you might say no to before they come up and it will be much easier to stick to your own personal standards if the situation does arise.

Louise, The Etiquette Lady