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Just be honest and say "please don't think I'm being rude, but I really need to get on with this work." You can be assertive without lying or being nasty.
by blowski 10y ago
Just be honest and say "please don't think I'm being rude, but I really need to get on with this work." You can be assertive without lying or being nasty.
- cheriot 10y agoThat's ideal and needs to be the first approach. In practice, people that communicate all day don't always understand than other jobs require uninterrupted focus. That's why engineers try things like no-meeting-wednesdays and schedule blocks for coding. I wouldn't use the tool in question, but I relate to the motivation.
- Xylakant 10y agoif you need to use this tool, the uninterrupted focus is most likely already gone, damage done. it's even likely that the person will return once your call is done to interrupt you again.
- mgkimsal 10y agoor.... they'll learn that you prioritize answering calls over f2f, and they'll start calling you all the time. easier to 'avoid' to some degree, but you're just shifting the interruption.
- jmkd 10y agoOne thing often overlooked about work interruptions: interrupting one person's flow is usually to aid another's. So as others have suggested the response can be prioritised according to importance and urgency. While flow is critical for productive work, it should be directed to the highest priority tasks.
- cmdrfred 10y agoIn construction we have a phrase "a dime holding up a dollar". It is up to you to decide if you are a dime or a dollar in each situation.
- davidmpaz 10y ago+1 to you friend, there is no problem in saying: can not now please. People will understand you.
- mafribe 10y agoplease don't think I'm being rude By saying that you remind the interlocutor that being rude is in fact an option (indeed a widely used one) and you may simply be rude ... ah the subtleties of communication.
- NTripleOne 10y ago> no offence, but [offensive remark].
- FabHK 10y agoWith all due respect, [respectless remark]
- Sammi 10y agoSorry, not sorry.
- Gruselbauer 10y agoI'm not racist but... [racism]
- techolic 10y agoIt's a great idea but...
- amelius 10y agoyes, but no
- mike_ivanov 10y agoBut that particular remark wasn't offensive, no? Sorry, I'm not implying anything, just trying to understand your logic.
- 10y ago
- yarper 10y agoA small variation to this is to ask "Hey, sorry is it important?" People tend not to think themselves or what they're doing as important for whatever reason. It also sets the scene for future interactions. Oh and sometimes it really is important..
- throwaway_374 10y agoI think that would offend my British sensibilities. Unless delivered with a winning smile. It's amazing how much a smile can solve.
- tmsldd 10y agomight not work in all cases..
- bluetidepro 10y ago+1. I don't understand why we need a Chrome plugin to act like an adult. Or, on the flip side, why you can't be an adult and not distract a co-worker. ha