BEFORE WE DIVE IN
Esta semana arranca el nuevo trimestre.
Si aún no has metido el inglés en tu horario, o quieres apuntarte a un grupo, responde a este email.
Es el mejor momento para empezar.
A few years ago, I read a book called Never Split the Difference.
It’s written by Chris Voss, a former FBI negotiator.
He used to negotiate with terrorists.
Similar to what I do now, with my 4 and 7-year-old nephews.
Anyway, the book is full of great ideas, and for the professionals among you reading this, it’s definitely one to check out.
One of the tips he gives is that, no matter what someone says, you can respond with:
Seems like you have a reason to say that
There are a few reasons why it works:
It disarms tension
Instead of immediately disagreeing or defending yourself, you give the other person space to explain.It avoids “why”
Asking someone why they said or did something can sound accusatory. This gets you the same information without putting them on the defensive.It makes them feel heard
You’re acknowledging that there’s a reason behind what they’re saying, even if you don’t agree with it.
So next time someone expresses anger or frustration…
Next time you want to shift a tense conversation towards collaboration…
Next time you need to understand what someone is really thinking…
“Seems like you have a reason to say that.”
Be sure to watch the video.
Until next week
The art of making the other person feel heard
This week’s three tips:
SOMETHING TO AVOID 🫣
🤦🏻♀️ “I explained him the problem”
This is a very common mistake for Spanish speakers because in Spanish we can say:
Le expliqué el problema.
But explain doesn’t work like tell in English.
With tell, the person can come immediately after the verb:
I told him the problem.
✅ “I explained the problem to him”
With explain, we need something + to + someone:
I explained the problem to him.
Can you explain this to me?
So remember:
❌ explain someone something
✅ explain something to someone
She explained the situation to her boss.
SOMETHING TO SOUND CONFIDENT 🧐
👔 Business expressions
“Hear someone out”
To listen to everything someone has to say before making a decision or responding.
It’s particularly useful when you disagree with someone but are still willing to listen to their point of view.
Notice that we say hear someone out, not hear out someone:
✅ Hear him out.
❌ Hear out him.
I don’t agree with his proposal, but I think we should hear him out before making a decision
SOMETHING TO WATCH 📺
NEXT STEPS ➡️
Keep learning,
Jack & Krystallo
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