Sarcasm is rarely attractive.
Being on the receiving end of sarcasm can be demeaning and it does not take long for sarcasm to grow old. A challenging aspect of sarcasm is determining whether the person means to be hurtful or just playful. If you are not prone to using sarcasm yourself, you could find yourself lost in the discussion. Whether it is meant as humor or for insult, dealing with the person who is sarcastic requires interpersonal strategy.
Instructions
1. Count to ten. This classic coping mechanism does two things. First, it gives you a chance to think about what just happened and consider a fitting and useful response. Second, it kills the buzz of the person being sarcastic. If you do not give them the reaction they are seeking, they lose the motivation to continue.
2. Understand the tone of the conversation. You may misdiagnose a humorous jab for mean slander. Pay attention to the facial expression of the person being sarcastic; if they are smiling and seem good natured, they are probably just being cheeky. If they look arrogant or are sneering, they are probably intending to hurt.
3. Act with civility, even in the face of insult. If someone nails you with sarcasm, collect yourself and resist the temptation to return fire. If the other person is truly intending to insult, the best way to respond is to be civil. Not only will it make it more difficult for the person to continue with sarcasm, it may cause them to apologize and treat you with respect.
4. Maintain your integrity. The worst thing you can do during a cheap attack is abandon your morals and say or do something you might regret. Remember the characteristics that define you as a person and act accordingly.
5. Respond to the person by paraphrasing what they just said. This is a powerful communication tool that forces the sarcastic person to reconsider what they said. By paraphrasing, you place the responsibility for the statement back to the speaker.
6. Take away the stage. The person using sarcasm is like an actor or comedian in the middle of an act. If the audience does not arrive, the show will not go on. If you have to deal with someone who is notoriously sarcastic, do it in a one-on-one format.
7. Treat the person with respect. Ironically, people who are sarcastic probably suffer from self-esteem issues. If you respond to their sarcasm by finding the morsel of truth in their statement and respecting their opinion, it changes the entire tone of the conversation.
Tags: being sarcastic, person being, person being sarcastic, they probably, tone conversation, using sarcasm
