Hey folks! I've been noticing a lot of people in-game and on the forums get into very antagonizing (and even unnecessary) arguments and I think it's time all of us sit down and learn about the beauty of tact!

*hands out papers* -> http://charactercounts.org/pdf/good_..._K5_idea31.pdf

Tact is a very useful social tool which involves some proper phrasing in order dull the sharpness of harsh truths or opinions. By phrasing things in a less sharp manner, one can give better advice or express opinions or facts without fear of defensive backlash.

I have heard many people excuse their lack of tact for being simply "honest", but all that flavor of "honesty" does is cause people to feel hurt, which can provoke feelings of defensiveness, causing them to perceive you as if you are directly attacking them, and thus they may well attack you back.

It's a consideration of how other people may react to the words that come out of your mouth and how they could come across. For example, if someone asks if they're doing a good job playing Dragoon when you can tell they are not, instead of saying "Pfft, of course you're not, stupid loldrg", it would be more tactful to say "You're doing okay, but I can give you some pointers on how to improve!"

Even just an iota of consideration for the art of tactful speech will save you and those around you a lot of frustration. Thank you very much!

Thoughts? Questions?