Never Explain Amp Never Apologize

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

There is a piece of wisdom that every besieged politician knows.

When you start to explain or to apologize the sharks smell blood and their attacks become more ferocious.

If you can brave the situation, the danger may pass, and you will have escaped, relatively unscathed, suggest proponents of the dummy-up school of diplomacy.

Every lawyer worth his salt will warn clients about the dangers of making statements, especially disclosures and admissions, that are against their interests. Say the wrong thing, thinking you're helping your cause, and you'll almost always pay for this impulse.

Salespeople are warned to KISS: to keep it simple, stupid. Famous for over talking and putting their feet in their mouths, sellers are wise to make their conversations as pithy as possible.

Negotiators try to keep their real positions and limitations close to the vest. An imprudent disclosure will surely be exploited by the hungry person on the other side of the table.

Perhaps the only place in which over-talking is esteemed is in the arena of interpersonal relationship building. There is a positive correlation, according to communication scientists, between how much we disclose about ourselves and the development of trust and friendship.

But in business and other serious situations, less is more.

Enough said?

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone®, You Can Sell Anything By Telephone! and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.