October 12, 2009Reader Story: A loud radio

Filed under: Success Story by merylrunion |

I put up with a coworker’s loud radio for nearly a year. I work with words and found the country lyrics very distracting when I was trying to write. I tried earplugs and headphones, but nothing blocked out the twang. I knew that I should say something to her directly, but instead I complained about it to everyone else (I even made it a frequent Twitter topic). My boss offered to intervene (tired of hearing my complaints), but I knew it would be best for all parties if I addressed it on my own. But I was terrified! I hate to make waves. I knew she liked having her radio on and didn’t believe my need for quiet was more important than her desire for music. But I finally realized my productivity was suffering and my stress level was increasing. I knew I had to say something, but how?

SpeakStrong to the rescue! Your book helped me get the confidence I needed to say something and helped me find the right words to say it. I am now working in a quiet, productive environment. More importantly, I have learned the value of communicating my needs directly. It feels great!

Thanks for writing your book and for all you do to help others be empowered communicators.

I started with Skill Set #15: Dare to Desire. The examples hit home, and showed me how I’ve been conditioned to not ask for things I want. But your book helped me understand that I shouldn’t feel guilty for having legitimate needs and, in this case, my need for quiet was quite legitimate especially since it was impacting my productivity and work performance.

As far as how I asked, I reviewed Skill Set #17: Ask so you will receive. I made sure I was clear in my asking, I let her explore alternatives with me, and I explained why I wanted what I wanted.

She said it was no problem to accommodate my request.