Everybody wants attention and admiration. Nobody wants to be criticized. The sweetest sound in the English language is the sound of a persons own name. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it. If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to. Call attention to peoples mistakes indirectly. Let the other person save face.

The Snowball by Alice Schroeder