How to Answer a False Statement Made Against You
Hearing someone repeat a lie being told about you is stressful and disheartening. Your first reaction might be to attack the person spreading the rumor and say some false things about him or her. Or you might want to crawl away somewhere and just be left alone. It can be hard to answer false statements against you, if you let your emotions get in the way; however, if you remain calm and logical, there are effective ways of diffusing malicious gossip.
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Instructions
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Take a deep breath and ask yourself whether responding to the false statement is necessary. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to shrug off these things and move on. This is especially true if you know that other people are aware of the lie and know it isn't true. This is considered as taking the higher road.
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If you do want to respond, talk to the person who made a false statement against you and try to get them to recant it. This is more likely to be effective than getting into a debate with your friends about who is telling the truth. People are more willing to believe someone was lying if the person lying comes clean.
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If the other steps are not feasible or fail to provide the desired result, you can answer a false statement made against you by demonstrating that it is false. Provide evidence that the false statement is false, and speak clearly and calmly when denouncing the statment. Providing evidence is not always possible, but when it is is available, people tend to place a lot of weight on it.
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If you can't convince the statement-maker to recant and no evidence to the contrary is available, then send a letter or an e-mail to people who have heard the false statement. Explain to them that the statement is false and ask them to put the matter to rest. As always, the key is to keep your emotions in check. Do not get mad or aggressive and do not wallow in self-pity. Simply state the situation clearly (that a false statement has been made against you) and lay out why it is false. Avoid attacking the other side and ask the people to move on.
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As a last resort, and if the false statement was particularly damaging to your reputation, hire an attorney and sue the person for defamation. Taking legal steps shows you are serious about righting this wrong and it could also lead to a monetary award if you win.
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