How to Respond Politely to Awkward Questions?
"How come you're so big?" "How come you don't care about your weight?" How old are you? How much do you make? Are you married? Why haven't you married yet? And why are you dressed this way? There are other humiliating questions that we are all subjected to.
When someone tries to intrude on our private lives and violate our privacy by embarrassing us and directing such embarrassing questions or comments to us, we feel weak, confused, stutter in the conversation, and are unsure how to respond.
As a result, it is important to learn how to respond in an intelligent and elegant manner that silences the other party and gives them the impression that their goal of embarrassing and humiliating them will not be achieved.
What drives those who make others uncomfortable?
There are many reasons why someone would want to embarrass someone else, including:
- Motive for vengeance: A person may resort to criticizing others and exposing their flaws in order to embarrass and hurt them, and this is motivated by vengeance.
- Inferiority motive: A person may embarrass others because they believe they are better than them in something.
- Jealousy's motivation: Jealousy is one of the most powerful motivations for someone to intentionally harm and embarrass you because they are jealous of you and see you as better than them.
Tips for dealing with embarrassing questions
Psychology experts recommend a set of guidelines for dealing with embarrassing questions.
1. Emotional stability
The most important thing to remember in these situations is to maintain emotional stability. A person's emotions and reactions must be controlled so that they do not become agitated or lose their temper, but rather remain coherent and calm.
2. Self-confidence
Self-confidence is one of the most important weapons in dealing with embarrassing questions, reconciling with ourselves and everything in them, accepting flaws, and not taking the embarrassing question personally and treating it as insulting or hurtful.
3. Avoiding justification
When confronted with embarrassing questions or comments, one of the recommended behaviors is that a person who is embarrassed avoids justification because when they are justified, they are like someone who proves the words against themselves.
Methods for answering embarrassing questions
It is best to use more than one method to answer embarrassing questions, such as:
1. Silence or ignorance
Ignorance or silence is one method of responding to embarrassing questions, so a person remains silent and ignores what is said to them, and does not react in any way, as if they did not hear anything or the words do not concern them. Ignoring frequently causes the questioner to withdraw because it makes them feel as if they failed in their goal of embarrassing the person.
2. Thanking
When someone asks you embarrassing questions, you can respond with a thank-you. As if you were to say to them, "Thank you, this is very kind of you," making them feel ashamed and as if they have little taste, and they will receive a message at that time that you are superior to them, and you will not submit to the level of this ridiculous talk.
3. Responding to a question with a question
Responding to an embarrassing question with an embarrassing question is one method of dealing with embarrassing questions. For example, if you were asked, "How much do you make?" You can answer, "How much do you earn?" As a result, you are putting them in an embarrassing situation, which may cause them to back down from their question.
4. I respect your viewpoint
"I respect your point of view," for example, can be a wise and smart response to embarrassing questions and opinions directed at you. As you make the other party seek your confidence, and their words do not shake or have any impact on you.
5. Denunciation
When you denounce what is directed at you and meet it with questions such as: "Why are you doing this in front of people?" "What is your purpose in embarrassing me?" "Do you feel that you exist when Embarrassing someone else?""Do you realize why you said that?" "Do you expect that you are insulting me with this?"
The party who is embarrassing you will feel confused, and they will not know how to respond to your questions, and they will believe that they are the one who was embarrassed rather than you, and that they are to blame by others, and that they must apologize to you.
6. It's none of your business, end of conversation
When someone pushes you and crosses the line, you can end the conversation with one sentence: "It's none of your business, conversation over." You've effectively stopped them from embarrassing you further.