How to give a quick-witted answer to a verbal attack
Bewundern Sie auch manchmal eine Kollegin für deren Schlagfertigkeit? Sie können genauso souverän und geistesgegenwärtig sein. Denn schnelles Kontern, Kreativität und das gewisse Quäntchen Frechheit sind nicht angeboren.
Quick-witted people always know how to respond if they are attacked verbally. Responding quickly and with that little bit of extra wit are skills you can learn. Here’s how.
- improve your vocabulary by reading a lot
- boost your self-confidence by joining in controversial discussions
- act out verbal attacks with colleagues or friends
Three techniques if you can’t think of a good response:
1 If you can’t think of a suitable response, just say “Is that so?”
2 Keep your head up high, let the attack go in one ear and out the other.
3 Look the person in the eye and say “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.” The attack will be much weaker the second time around.
Here are some good responses:
| Attack | Your response |
| Your desk looks like a battlefield! | Yes, isn’t it interesting? I love creative chaos. |
| That’s a really stupid suggestion! | It’s probably just beyond the scope of your imagination. |
| You look terrible. Perhaps you should book a weekend at a health farm. | Don’t worry. I’ll look fine once you’ve left the room. |