Respectful Ways To Offer Advice

• “You’ve probably already tried this, but what about…?”

• “Stop me if I’m telling you isn’t resonating because I want you to feel seen, but one time I was in a similar predicament and…”

• “I don’t know all the details so I might be missing an important piece, but have you tried…?”

• “Are you open to advice, or are you just wanting to vent? I can follow you down either road.”

• “It’s not like I’m the expert here, but just thinking out loud, what about…?”

• If the person starts to get defensive while you’re giving advice, make a repair by saying, “I must be missing something here, are you feeling talked down to/ unheard/ misunderstood?”