On a daily basis we have to deal with rude or disrespectful people. It can be a complete stranger at a local shop or a person you have to deal with everyday at your workplace or School, university or even your home.
Rudeness can be any form, whether a mean comment or a dismissive attitude towards you or an insulting demeanour.
At the end it comes to us on how we deal with the behaviour that is unwanted or considered rude in any which way.
Here are some ways you can deal with a person who is rude to you.
1. Confront the person
If someone is rude to you, take a pause and and breath. Make the person realise that they have said something or have done something that was not required at that moment. If the person by themselves does not say anything or acknowledge it, ask a follow up question like, did you mean that? Or Do you hear yourself?
2. Stay calm
Even if the person standing in front of you is the rudest person you have ever met, do not lose your cool. This might work in your favour as the rude person may think that they are not fazed by their comments. Try to stay calm under all circumstances. It might make them question their rudeness. If you become hostile to the situation there could be an unnecessary escalation.
3.Don’t indulge in the rudeness
Rude behaviour has a spiral. If not stopped right away it can spread through various channels. It is quite obvious that your mood will not be fine after dealing with a rude or disrespectful person but to take it out on someone else is not okay and should be controlled by you in every circumstance.
4. Try to be polite
Whenever a person is visibly rude, they might be under stress or facing some issue. If you reply in a usual polite way and just ask, “is everything okay?” Your one question can change the whole course of the conversation and turn it into a conversation that the other person needed.
5. Do not take the rude behaviour personally
The person who is rude to you might not be a person who is always like that, various circumstances result into someone’s mood and behaviour throughout the day. Giving that benefit of doubt to the person you can choose to not take the rudeness personally.
6. Use humour to break the tension
A rude person can be anxious and make people tense around them. Making a gentle sarcastic comment which will not harm anyone’s sentiments can make others laugh and break the tension present in the situation. This will result in a short break for the person being rude this will allow them to reflect on their behaviour.
7. Avoid the person
If you are in a situation where you can do nothing at that particular moment or you have already tried everything but the person doesn’t bulge, you can actually do nothing about them. Try to avoid the person as much as you can. It does not make any sense to spoil your mood for the whole day for just one person’s behaviour.
