Although it might not happen every day, many people stumble upon malevolent characters who are aggressive and want to make you feel bad about yourself. That’s why it’s important to learn how to respond to verbally aggressive people in a way that diffuses tension and doesn’t allow violence. Learning this skill might seem scary, but it’s necessary to protect yourself and your loved ones in a difficult situation.
In most cases, verbally aggressive people just want a little bit of attention. However, you need to know more techniques to get yourself out of a tense situation. Here are some of the best ways to deal with verbally aggressive individuals.
Tell a Joke
Having a sense of humor can pay dividends in many life circumstances. It can diffuse tension, put a smile on your face, and even start friendships. In some cases, it might also help you deal with an angry person trying to ruin your day. If you get insulted, acknowledge the situation and try to be funny. Try to laugh at the situation, but not redirect your humor at your bully. Casually telling a joke might get you out of trouble or buy you enough time to get out of there.
Don’t Insult Back
One of the first things you might be tempted to do is to become verbally aggressive yourself, as a defense mechanism. However, this will only get you in more trouble. The bully expects to make you angry and that’s why he is verbally aggressive towards you. If you become angry and respond in kind, you’ve made his day. If you keep your composure, you win.
Redirect Towards Professional Help
In most cases, it’s good to analyze the context of the situation and see how to respond from there. If a drunk person swears at you in the morning, chances are that he is not in a very good place. If you have the chance, you might want to talk to that person and try to redirect him to get professional help. Saying things like “there are people who can help you” might be a good way to diffuse the situation.
Just Walk Away and Give Them Space
Assessing the situation before responding to verbally aggressive people is the right thing to do. In most cases, bullies just want to say their piece, project their anger, and move on. If this happens in your case and you think that the bully will not follow up with violence then it’s probably best just to walk away. Some dogs bark at you because you enter their territory and see you as a threat. Once you move away, they’ll stop. This usually happens with verbally aggressive people as well, so you can ignore them and give them space.
At Corporate Krav Maga, we know how difficult it can be to deal with malevolent and aggressive people. That’s why we emphasize peaceful and effective techniques to neutralize potential wrongdoers. Contact us today to learn more about Krav Maga as a self-defense training program, its benefits, and how you can incorporate it into your routine.
