Page 100 - Effective Communication Skills Mastery Bible 4 Books in 1 Boxset by Tuhovsky, Ian

and emotions upon you. Here’s how to deal with their endless

whining and dragging everyone else’s emotions down.

First of all, you need to realize what things don’t work with

complainers:

Offering a solution/giving your advice or addressing
their problem directly – they will usually start

whining about your solution, the action they have to

take, your attitude or about anything else on this

planet.

Trying to cheer them up or telling them to get it

together – supposing their problem is trivial one way

or another (even if it really is!) is highly ineffective.

Complaining or criticizing their whining – see bullet
point number one.

Ignoring them – it will just cause the complaints to

accumulate and then explode at you at once when

you eventually meet them again.

Here’s what works:

1. Instead of rolling your eyes or ignoring them, let

them know you’re listening and seeing their problem.
Something as simple as, “Yeah, traffic jams can be

really intense and annoying sometimes!” can prove

very helpful both for you and them.

2. Complainers don’t want to be cheered up. They want
your attention and your empathy. Remember to be

sincere when you say these things. If you’re sarcastic

or making fun out of it, the effect will be opposite.