How to Deal With Verbal Bullying

Verbal bullying can occur in the home, in the school or at the workplace. Children, teens and adults can be the subjects of such abuse. With these steps you can learn how to defend yourself from bullies.

Instructions

From the Parent's Perspective

1. Talk to your child frequently. Ask him about his friendships at school, and if he eats or plays by himself. Remain calm when talking to your child about bullying. Don't let him see you vulnerable too, or it could worsen the situation.

2. Mentor your child on social skills in dealing with bullies. Teach him correct posture, voice and eye contact. Implement these exercises using a mirror. Teach him how to use humor to deflect the situation.

3. Raise your child's self esteem by having him participate in extracurricular activities such as music.

4. Learn about your child's school policy regarding bullying and research resources available for countering such behavior.

5. Take action if the bullying becomes serious. Call the authorities such as the principal if it escalates.

From the Teen's Perspective

1. Pay no attention to the bully's advances. If you ignore the bully long enough, then he may grow bored of teasing you. Keep confident posture in mind when walking away from him.

2. Show no anger, because that is the response bullies want from you. Instead respond with humor or no reaction at all to surprise and throw them off guard.

3. Keep the encounter non-physical. Violence only worsens it. Be assertive instead by walking away.

4. Work on your confidence, and take charge of your life. Practice feeling good about yourself. Remember, you may not be able to change others, but you can work on yourself.

5. Find your real friends. Stay away from people who are constantly negative. Embrace one or two friends that you can trust to talk to about negative gossip.

From the Worker's Perspective

1. Ask advice from the union, human resources or your manager on how to deal with the person that is bothering you. Sometimes an organization may have trained "Harassment Advisers" on staff. Ask for their help if available.

2. Record a journal entry on each incident for your records.

3. Confront the bully by talking to her. You may want to script out what you want to say first. Politely tell her how her behavior has affected you.

4. Issue a formal complaint by following your employer's grievance procedure.

Resources

• A standard grievance procedure.