"Well,  what I would  say is..."  I caught myself.  I groaned quietly. I thought to myself, what's it mean to say, "What I would say is..."?    Of course you would say it. You're saying it!  Why do we add it? Are we weakening what we're about to say because we don't want to commit?  Are we showing deference or sensitivity to our listener?   Are we avoiding conflict? "I'm not really saying this... but if I were to say something,  this is what I'd  say."   I stopped.  I … [Read more...]