Receptive words and phrases

Signs of receptiveness:

• Acknowledgment: "I understand that..." or "I believe you're saying..."
• Hedging: It is indicating some uncertainty about the claim you want to make. "Going forward with this decision might..." is better than "Going forward with this decision will undoubtedly..."
• Positive terms: "It is helpful..." works better than "We should not..."
• Words such as "because" and "therefore" can set an argumentative or condescending tone.