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Every practice in the library, in one list. Narrow it by how long you have, who it is written for, and where you are right now.
Make one greeting or parting linger a few seconds longer than usual today.
A held hug at the door, a real kiss, not the quick automatic one. Let it last.
Be firm and warm at once: gentle tone, steady eyes, clear ask. Neither doormat nor bulldozer.
Softness of manner and firmness of content are not opposites. Hold the point kindly.
Ask plainly: name the facts, say how you feel, say what you want, in a few clear sentences.
Drop the hinting. State the situation, your feeling, and the request. Clear is kind.
Before you hand it over, read the original request again. Not your memory of it. The actual words.
Almost nobody enjoys this, which is why almost nobody does it. But work that is good except for the two things nobody remembered is the commonest…
When the thing is over, sit down for twenty minutes and go through it: what happened, what worked, what did not, what you will do differently. Put it in the diary, because it never happens on intention alone.
The monthly report, the school year, the audit. Write the answers where you will actually find them next time, and be specific about the point it…
Looking for a whole subject rather than a single practice? Start from the nine areas.