Somebody said, ‘When the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.’ Let’s face it, because of our strong personalities some of us are inclined to use a hammer when a gentler approach would do the job better. If that’s your problem, remember the three Ts: 1) Temper. When you’re upset you’re more likely to make a big deal out of a little one. So, when it comes to your response and decibel level, use this rule of thumb: when the reaction is worse than the action, the problem generally increases. But when the reaction is less than the action, the problem usually decreases. 2) Timing. If you don’t get an injured person to the hospital quickly enough, their life can be lost. And if you don’t apologise when you’ve wronged someone, the relationship can be lost. Knowing when to act - and when not to - is every bit as important as taking the right action. Lady Dorothy Nevill said, ‘The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.’ 3) Total picture. A man walked into a restaurant and asked the waiter, ‘Do you have anything to cure hiccups?’ The waiter slapped him across the face. ‘Hey! What’s going on?’ the man exclaimed. The waiter smiled: ‘Well, you don’t have hiccups anymore, do you?’ The man said, ‘I never did. I wanted something to cure my wife. She’s out in the car!’ Are you inclined to jump to conclusions? Slow yourself down and you’ll be more likely to respond appropriately.