What to Say When Someone Is Being Passive-Aggressive

Send us Fan Mail What to say when someone is being passive-aggressive, and how to say it without starting a fight or letting one little comment sour your whole day. "Must be nice to have time for that." Most of us have heard a comment like that and spent hours replaying it, wishing we'd said something. A passive-aggressive comment is a difficult conversation someone started through the side door, and in this episode Sandy Gerber shows you how to answer it with kindness and courage. Sandy shares the one question she asks when someone gets snarly with her, and why it almost always turns the moment around. She also brings in surprising survey numbers on how common passive aggression is and why so many of us absorb it instead of addressing it. In this episode, you'll learn: What to say when someone is being passive-aggressive, with real phrases you can use in the moment How to check whether you've read someone right without accusing them What to say when someone says "I'm fine" and clearly isn't How your words change with a partner, a co-worker or a boss What to do when the comments keep happening The common responses that backfire The one question that tells you when to let it go Released a few days early so you can practice before Thanksgiving dinner. For workshops and webinars on navigating difficult conversations, visit sandygerber.com/workplace-communication-training/