It could be a boss, a spouse, an employee or a client. You want to say what you’re “really thinking”, things they might not want to hear. And, you want to preserve your relationship with them. Here’s a suggestion …

• Begin by validating the other person’s position or difficulty: See the world from their perspective – everyone behaves the way they do for a reason, so take a walk in their shoes. Acknowledge to whatever degree possible, the reasons why a person may be behaving a certain way, e.g., “I know this is your busy season and it’s been difficult to get back to me …”

Extending a tip of the hat in acknowledgement goes miles for building relationships. And after all, isn’t that the objective and outcome of great communications?