How to Walk Away From Gossip

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By QueenofMisc
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Walk Away From Gossip

Those juicy tender morsels…those sensational tidbits about another person’s life. Those irresistible so called facts that are thought to detail the negative aspects of another person’s life… usually whispered in secret… gossip!

So often we are quick to lean an ear in the direction of a whispered tale supposedly about another person’s life. But what would we do as we lean our ear to the gossip and hear our own name being whispered into our ear?

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Step 1

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Get a good friend who can turn his/her back on gossip. Talk to people who will stop you in “mid-sentence” when you start to gossip about others.
Step 2

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Take a “break” from gossip. When you find yourself in a situation where you are about to participate in gossip, change the subject. If others persist, excuse yourself from the immediate area. Use the restroom, go talk to others, call it a night and go home early, etc.

If you decide to remove yourself from the situation temporarily, remain on your “break” from gossip for 15-20 minutes. Allow ample time for the tale to be told. Don’t ask for the juicy details when you return. If someone tries to “catch you up,” just say that you are not interested, or no thank you, etc. If they persist, or if you feel yourself beginning to weaken, remove yourself permanently from that current scenario.
Step 3

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Collect other items of interest that can be discussed. Make a habit/hobby of it. Scan newspapers, magazines, eHow.com, a geography book, etc. Research the temperature of the sun or the price of tea in China. Take notes. Write them down in a “memory jogger” (a small notebook you can carry with you). If you prefer not to carry a “memory jogger,” store the notes in your cell phone.

No matter where you are when gossip starts, use your “memory joggers” to engage yourself and others in topics of conversation that do not include the so-called details of a person’s private life.
Step 4

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Use the blank stare. If someone tries to engage you in a “gossipy” conversation, and you don’t feel like moving away from the area, just give them a blank stare. Do not respond otherwise. If you are on the phone, just go silent; do not respond otherwise. If they persist, start doing something different.

If you are face to face with them, read a magazine, a newspaper, or send a text message, etc.; but don’t gossip about the situation. Politely excuse yourself and start a conversation with someone else. If you are on the phone, explain that you have to hang up because you have something else to do.
Step 5

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Go the comedic route! Put your hands over your ears or your mouth; whichever one applies. Act like you are writhing in pain. Continue this in hopes that they will get the picture and change the subject. If it continues, remove yourself from the situation.
Step 6

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Come up with your own creative and fun ways to walk away from gossip!
Step 7

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Use the following fail safe method, if you have tried your best and you are still struggling with gossip.

In your “memory jogger,” write down the most fiercely private and guarded secrets about your life. Make sure it is stuff that you want no one to know.

When you are tempted to participate in potentially harmful gossip about someone else’s life; pull out the notes about your own life, and ask yourself the following question: Shall I whisper the most intimate and personal secrets about my own life instead?