What’s the problem with telling someone “I can’t do that – much as I’d like to help” or “I needed some downtime/private time/space (anything!!) so I wasn’t answering the phone.”

In my experience, there is usually some way of not telling a lie and still achieving your objective without being objectionable or offensive and while respecting someone else’s feelings. We just have to think a little about how to word it.

Remember, what the polygraph (lie-detector) demonstrates is that every time you lie you swish a stress-reaction through your body. That is to say, every time you lie you die a little. Think about it!