Stop starting your opinions with “sorry, but.” You’re not apologizing, you’re contributing.
LEADERSHIP
WHAT THIS MEANS
An apology attached to an opinion asks the room to discount it before it arrives. It signals that you expect to be an inconvenience, and listeners take the cue, even though you were only being polite. Contribution and imposition are different things, and the habit blurs them. You end up apologising for taking part.
Cut the opening and start with the point. Save sorry for when you have actually done something. If you want to soften the entrance, ask a question or name what you agree with first, both of which add something rather than subtracting from you.
A QUESTION TO SIT WITH
Where do you apologize for having an opinion at all?
MORE IN LEADERSHIP & INFLUENCE
- Working retail teaches you that a calm voice can end a customer’s meltdown faster than any policy.
- Say “okay, that’s a fair point” at least once in every disagreement. Watch how fast the other person relaxes.
- Saying “that’s a good question” to the kid who finally raised their hand might be why they raise it again.
Free, with nothing to buy inside it.