Empathize

A few examples:

• "I got lucky or it was a fluke"
• "I’m a good actor, I fooled them"
• "It’s because they like me, they’re being polite, or it’s a social courtesy"
• "It sounds more impressive than it is"
• "I had a l...

If someone, for instance, has received a new medical diagnosis, you can say, "It sounds like you're worried about the side effects of the treatment. Is that right?"

You can also express kindness by saying, “You’re in such a tough situation.” A facial expression is also a power...

There is a difference between a hard “No, thank you” and a softer “Thanks so much for asking, but I’m not able to this week.” Another example: “Thank you so much for asking me to do this project. It sounds fascinating, but I don’t have the bandwidth for it at this time....