Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
- invitee /in-vai-TEE/
- finesse /fi-NESS/
- slight /slahyt/
- opt /opt/
- scarcity /SKAIR-si-tee/
[noun] – a person who is invited to something
We can add one more invitee to the list.
[noun] – skillful handling of a situation
Sarah handled the project management with finesse.
[verb] – to insult someone by ignoring them or treating them as if they are not important
He felt slighted when no one invited him.
[verb] – to make a choice, especially of one thing or possibility instead of others
I think I’ll opt to just watch the game on TV.
[noun] – a lack of something
There is food scarcity in drought-stricken areas.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
Rejecting an invitation can bruise the inviter’s feelings, or even the invitee‘s. So how do we “positively” decline offers? Research suggests a better way to smoothen the process how to choose your “excuse” with finesse.
When we invite people, we’re asking them to do more than just show up at a certain time. We’re encouraging them to be a part of something special in our life, so we can feel slighted even if the invitee has a valid cause for declining our invitation. This reaction is linked to our beliefs of control and choice. We take it less personally if we believe our invitation was denied due to circumstances beyond the intended visitors’ control rather than assuming they opted not to go. So what is a better method to decline an offer or invitation? According to research published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, financial scarcity is the answer. Mentioning “I don’t have the money” instead of “I don’t have the time” while declining an invitation is better received by the inviter. We have a limited degree of control over money, but time is something that everyone has equal access to; we all get 24 hours a day. This makes time-scarcity rejections feel more like a choice not to create time rather than a financial constraint.
Still, the fact that it still matters to us after an offer is denied could be a positive sign. It demonstrates that we care about people and our relationships with them.
When we invite people, we’re asking them to do more than just show up at a certain time. We’re encouraging them to be a part of something special in our life, so we can feel slighted even if the invitee has a valid cause for declining our invitation. This reaction is linked to our beliefs of control and choice. We take it less personally if we believe our invitation was denied due to circumstances beyond the intended visitors’ control rather than assuming they opted not to go. So what is a better method to decline an offer or invitation? According to research published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, financial scarcity is the answer. Mentioning “I don’t have the money” instead of “I don’t have the time” while declining an invitation is better received by the inviter. We have a limited degree of control over money, but time is something that everyone has equal access to; we all get 24 hours a day. This makes time-scarcity rejections feel more like a choice not to create time rather than a financial constraint.
Still, the fact that it still matters to us after an offer is denied could be a positive sign. It demonstrates that we care about people and our relationships with them.
Discussion Questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- Have you rejected an invitation simply because you do not feel like coming? Please tell me more about it.
- Please share an instance when somebody had declined your invitation.
- How would you respond if you found out an invitee was making excuses not to attend an invitation you gave him/her?
- Do you think it is wise to use financial reasons as an excuse to reject social gatherings?
- What would happen if we accept invitations all the time?
Summarization
Please summarize the whole article using your own words and expressions. You will have one minute to prepare before you answer.
Describe:
Please explain the definition of each word listed below based on your understanding. You can provide example sentences if needed.
- bruise
- smoothen
- circumstance
- intend
- demonstrate