Are you one that offers advice freely?

You may mean well by offering a co-worker or family member advice, but your comments may be taken the wrong way.

Here’s how you can offer advice so it’s well received:

1. Give some advance warning. Don’t jump right into your advice. Lay some ground work before you begin. An opening such as, “I have some ideas that may help you …” gets others ready to listen. It also gives them a chance to stop you if they don’t want your input.

2. Phrase your advice in first-person singular. The other person will be less defensive and more likely to listen with an open mind. Instead of, “What you need to do is…” use yourself as an example: “What helps me is…”

Source: Dance Lessons, by Chip Bell and Heather Shea, as seen in Positive Leadership, 323-960-4100.