Uncomfortable questions people don’t always ask for malice, sometimes they just do not know how to be tactful and don’t understand that they are invading privacy. Tactlessness causes confusion and even provokes rudeness, but doesn’t immediately spoil the relationship. Learn how to get out of an uncomfortable conversation easily and without loss of reputation.

Answering a Question With a Question

Our goal is to dumb down the interlocutor so that he will forget what he was asking. So we ask follow-up questions. Are you interested in my income or how much I get while playing at Vave? Hmmm… Excuse me, what kind of income, for what period – per day, per month, per year, net of taxes or with taxes? The more absurd the clarifying question sounds, the better. Eventually, the “other end of the line” will realize that we are not going to make any sense.

Shifting Your Priorities

How much is my dress? Would you like one just like it? I can recommend suitable stores, and seasonal discounts are now bad. By the way, do you know where exactly the sales are now? Maybe talk about fashion trends?

Praise

In response to an inappropriate question should praise the interlocutor, to compliment him, it never hurts. He asks about the children – praising his children and grandchildren, diluting it with a couple of general phrases like “Yes, how fast they grow…” and “All in good time…”.

Noted our overweight? Let’s praise in response the willpower of your opponent, who exercises or strictly follows a diet. Compliments like people and at the same time embarrass them a little. The main thing is to match the praise to the true state of affairs, then the compliment will be perceived as sarcasm.

Teaching How to Live

Often people ask inappropriate questions because they think they are helping the person they are talking to. What if we didn’t even notice how bad things were before, and after it was pointed out to us, we would take it and fix it.

Therefore, it’s necessary to shake out of the tactless neighbor all their tips, so that their valuable life experience isn’t wasted: yes, you need to save money, you’re right, but tell me how. Yes, we are bringing up a child incorrectly, but how did you choose a kindergarten, school, developmental activities for children, and so on. People like to show their awareness and, talking about their achievements, will probably forget about the original question.

One Actor Theater

In response to inappropriate questions about income, marital status, and children, we exaggerate the real situation, scale it up, and inflate the colors, but so that everyone understands that there will be no truthful answer.

Walking Away From the Answer

You can always walk away from an unpleasant conversation in the literal sense. Apologize and leave on an urgent matter, and when you come back, continue the conversation on another topic.

Another sure way to avoid improper questions is to tell the interlocutor directly that his question isn’t tactful. The question of income is a trade secret, health is discussed only with the doctor, and privacy is sacrosanct. A serious answer will make it clear that with colleagues, for example, we are ready to communicate only on work-related topics, and we have no time and no desire to engage in gossip.