Replace offensive phrases with the ones that evoke a positive response.
from Communication Skills Training: A Practical Guide to Improving Your Social Intelligence, Presentation, Persuasion and Public Speaking by Ian Tuhovsky
Each of these phrases can be very offensive and can be understood as a direct attack on the person you are talking to. For example, when you say, “But you just said, …” you send the information that the second person changes their mind quickly and is not consistent with what they are saying. It might be true, but using this expression may make them angry and put them in a defensive state.
By using different phrases, you keep the conversation in a much better emotional state.
How to Apply This
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Replace “We need to talk.” with “I need your help.”
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Replace “What’s wrong with you?” with “What’s bothering you?”
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Replace “You said ...” or “But you just said ….” with “I heard/I understood ….”
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Replace “That doesn’t make any sense.” with “I don’t understand what you mean by saying ….”
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