Say what you have to say then drop the mic
Sometimes the most important parts of a conversation are the ones you decide to leave out. Deciding what you share and what you keep can be the most challenging part of planning and participating in a conversation.
Think about conversations you have where you are in a position where it's necessary for you to explain your position or your actions and notice how it was so tempting to try to get the other person to understand 'why.' Why you did that. Why you said that. Why you didn't do that. Why you didn't say that. Why you didn't call Bob instead of John. Why you chose that sales tactic with that particular client. Even in situations where all of that explaining wasn’t necessary.
There are situations and there are certainly people you will deal with where it is to your advantage for you to explain your actions after you state your case.
But remember, there can be a very fine line between explaining and justifying. Explaining what you did is the sign of a strong, confident individual who takes responsibility for his or her actions. Too much explaining can come across as justifying and justifying can come across as insecurity or guilt and we don't want that.
To lean hard into a cliché, "Until next time!"
Anissa