Have you ever found yourself in a group of people and one person starts to be mean about someone who isn’t there? Pretty soon almost everyone has a negative comment to add. The energy drops and you start to feel uncomfortable or you join in to stop your discomfort, not knowing what else to do.
Here some suggestions to disrupt the flow and raise the energy again:
1)Throw in a joke or quick funny story relating to something they are talking about. Nothing destroys negativity faster than the power of laughter.
2)Make a slight distraction. Such as spilling your water or tea.
3)Bring up a funny story about the speaker. This can sometimes be the best thing as the speaker is vying for everyone’s attention anyway so by bringing the attention to them they now have the floor AND a funny story to tell.
4)Casually mention how the person being spoken about has helped you or say something positive about them. Even if all you can think of is that they have nice teeth!
5)Mention something else that the speaker really likes; such as kittens, shoes or a new cafe in town.
6) If none of these works and it seems to be turning into a complete meannessfest and the room is full of negativity and you are starting to feel drained, then simply make your excuses and leave. Not only will it take you out of their draining low energy and you can recharge by going and doing something fun but it will also give them something else to talk about and that as we know means nothing whatsoever to you. Stay charged and stay happy. 🙂
