Stopping the Gossip

Let’s be honest with each other here. Would I like to say that I wish we lived in a world with 0 gossip? Of course. But that is not realistic. Sometimes, we need a really good talk session with our best friends. Sometimes, certain things need to be discussed with the people closest to us. Healthy conversations with people we can trust are a part of life.

When I refer to true gossip, I am referring to the negative kind. The kind where rumors are being spread. The kind where someone is not around to defend themselves. The kind that puts you in terrible situations socially or at work. The kind where you wonder if you can really trust that person because all they do is talk about other people. So, what happens when you find yourself on the other end of an extremely gossipy conversation? Here are some responses you can use (socially and professionally) that will be polite and respectful, but also allow you to put up that boundary that you do not want to partake in any of this funny business. Use one of these phrases paired with my favorite subject change: “I meant to ask you…”

Stopping the Gossip

“It feels unkind to be talking about him in this way.”

“Maybe we should wait to hear their side of the story.”

“I really don’t feel like it is my place to comment on this situation.”

“I don’t know what she’s going through right now, so I don’t want to judge.”

“I am really trying to gossip less this year!'“

“This probably isn’t the best setting to get into this type of conversation.”

“You know I’d love to chat, but I am on a tight deadline and really need to focus!”

“I totally hear where you’re coming from, but we probably shouldn’t talk about it right now.”

“I don’t want to speculate without hearing the whole story.”

“I’m not comfortable talking about this.”

Photo Credits: Pinterest